Katie didn't cry FOREVER. No, eventually we found the magic formula (expensive but magic) that settled her little tummy down and took care of the colicy crying. The attitude was still there so we weren't completely tear free but at least we were going in the right direction.
Now, if you don't have a cranky sound you must develop a happy sound. For Katie it was a growl. Yep, we had a growling baby. Yours' may laugh, coo, giggle. Not mine. She would growl. Of course we were very accepting of this non-crying sound and every time she would growl we'd growl back. Grrrrr..... So the growling continued.
There is no one better in my family at growling than Uncle Chuck, who the kids called Papa Chuck. Big, gruff and scary to most small children. Of course Katie is NOT most children. She and Uncle Chuck took to each other like a duck to water, or more fittingly like a parrot to it's pirate. Quite a site, if I do say so myself. Bald, cantankerous Big Uncle Chuck and bald, cantankerous Little Katie growling at each other.
As Katie grew so did her fondness of Papa Chuck, and his of her. When ever we got together for family gatherings the two would gravitate to each other. In Katie's eyes the sun rose and set on Papa Chuck. Eventually the growling came to an end (at least on Katie's part) but that didn't diminish their relationship.
If you've ever been with my family for the 4th of July you'd know it is a HUGE thing. Growing up in a small Mid-West town of course we had our own celebration. Complete with a parade, live bands in the park and of course fireworks. Having family living right on the parade route and perfect places to watch the fireworks a large annual barbecue was in order.
No family barbecue would be complete without our family's special potato salad. I guarantee you it is a potato salad like no one else makes. And it is usually only made for large family gatherings because the recipe starts with 10 lbs of potatoes.
So here we are at the annual 4th of July picnic and I'll bet you'd never guess where Katie (now 2 years old) was. You're right, with Uncle Chuck. And of course they are eating (like with most any family, eating is VERY important to us). Katie was enjoying watermelon, pasta and bits of hot dog and hamburger from Papa Chuck's plate. Papa Chuck would growl every time she'd steal a bite.
Seeing how much Papa Chuck was enjoying the potato salad (something that we wait MONTHS for a reason to make) along with his other barbecue fare Katie decides she would like to try a bite. Papa Chuck gets a little fork full and shovels it into her little mouth. Once that fork full hit Katie's little mouth her face went from excited anticipation to something of sheer horror and disgust. "What is this stuff he seems to be enjoying so much?" As foul as it appeared to taste to Katie, if Papa Chuck ate it then it MUST be good. After all, he's Papa Chuck!!! He offers another bite and reluctantly she takes it. When she finally gulps the third bite the poor little girl starts to gag a little, forcing herself to swallow the disgusting concoction.
Katie hesitates but comes back up to Papa Chuck and looks at his plate. Seeing her eye the contents of his plate (most likely looking at the bits of hot dog or brownie just waiting to be eaten) Papa Chuck offers Katie yet another bite of his potato salad. With a look of defeated resignation and a hesitant sigh Katie prepares to take that next bite of potato salad. After all, this is Papa Chuck who is offering it to her. How could Papa Chuck be wrong? With trepidation she opens her little mouth, her little lip quivering and look of fear in her eye as the fork draws near. Just before Katie had to take that last bite of potato salad she was saved when Aunt Lynn swooped in with a brownie just for her. I'm sure that as many bites of that potato salad Papa Chuck fed her, Katie would have eaten it. It would have been a huge feat for the little girl, eating something so foul, but for Papa Chuck she would have done anything.
The name Papa Chuck eventually faded away as the kids grew up and they started to call him Uncle Chuck just like the the rest of the family. He still holds a special place in Katie's heart, but after that fateful Independence Day Picnic she was not as trusting of his food choices as she once had been.
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