Monday, March 19, 2018

Little Big Guy

Little Big Guy
Eric James Gardiner was born March 26, 1980. He has blond hair and blue eyes. He stands 34 inches tall and weighs 30 pounds: he is a well-proportioned infant. He likes doggies and kitties, being around other children, candy, bottles of milk, turning on lights, his blanket, his older brothers little cars, wearing his big sister's shoes, fixing the car with daddy, helping mommy fix dinner,  "Sesame Street", talking things apart. He dislikes being shut out, being told to "go away", being changed or dressed, being given milk in a glass instead of a bottle or having a favored object ken away from him.

Little Big Guy

Little "Big Guy" is an irresistible toddler who can steal your heart and tweak it at the same time. His platinum blond hair frames a most angelic face, set with enormous blue eyes, and chubby kissable cheeks.  But looks are deceiving,. Behind his cherubic features is a lively and impish personality that tries even a mother's love.

From the moment Eric Gardiner wakens he commands attention. He stands up in his crib, throws "nanny" (blanket), "Brrrrrrrroom" (a fast 111's race car), and "maol" (milk bottle) on the floor along with any clothing he can take off, and yells at the top of his lungs.

As soon as his basic needs are attended to (such as a change of diapers and a glass of milk--which is difficult since he must be chased down for the first and coaxed into the last), he begins his studious job of mimicking all the important people in his life.  In face he was dubbed "Big Guy" by his father because he tries so hard at this obsession to be just like certain favorite people. If the older children color, he must color too, if they race screaming through the house, he does also, even if he is the object of their frenzy. If his father needs to work on one of the cars, he is most content with a screwdriver or hammer in his hand, and if mommy is fixing dinner, he needs his own stirring spoon and taster handy.  His favorite toys are an older sister's discarded clothing, and his big brother's formerly-coveted little race cars.  But he takes occasional time-outs immitating to be an absolute imp. He pounds the piano, scribbles crayon on walls, leaves a trail of turned on lights, stereo speaker covers and turned over chairs in his wake.  And when he's crossed--watch out. He a kami-kazi pilot on a death mission.  With teeth bared and fists clinched, he's a terror only three feet high.

He's a knee-high darling, too especially when he cuddles up next to you on the couch to watch "Ernie and Bert," leaning one arm companionably on your lap, while a faint aroma of not-quite-house-trained puppy waifs faintly from his tousled curls.  And there's a certain spot, just under his right ear and behind his jaw that is just waiting to be kissed at any moment.

Little "Big Guy" may be short stuff, but he's pretty potent, and his family wouldn't trade him in on a larger, more even-tempered model for all the peace and quiet in the world. Suzanne, February 23, 1982