Terrible Twos and Tyrannical Threes
No one disputed Tony's stunning looks- in fact, most newcomers would stop in place to comment upon them.
Even as a toddler his exquisite features propelled him over the other children his age. Though the public generally tended to compliment all babies in one way or another, when little Tony made an appearance they would simply marvel.
Shimmery green eyes appeared perfectly framed by long eyelashes and light brown hair streaked blond throughout from the sun. Though physically smaller than the majority of his age group, Tony's daredevil demeanor and attitude transformed him into a ball of non-stop motion. He craved physical activity, lived for social interactions, and impressed his family with his quick wits and obvious intelligence.
As he matured from baby to toddler he developed and honed his penchant for charm, and even with such a tiny body could sense the right words to say to obtain what he wanted. Little Tony appeared to grasp the nuances of mood, as well, and would astutely decide how to approach someone to his advantage.
An affectionate child, Tony climbed freely into laps and befriended any strangers with whom he came into contact.
Who could resist such a beautiful baby who insisted upon taking your hand because he decided he needed to protect you, or who begged to sing you a song because he wanted to make you smile? Who didn't love a toddler who trotted to the kitchen to bring back grapes because he overheard you admit you'd missed lunch or who slid from his seat to offer it to you because you shared how tired you felt?
Adults adored him.
The day of Tony's third birthday party he could barely contain his excitement. He spent the morning gleefully racing around the house while supervising the table and party decorations.
Jethro Gibbs, NCIS Team Leader and Tony's father, and Maria Osirio, the family's housekeeper and Tony's pseudo-grandmother (Abuela), struggled to keep up with him.
To Tony's displeasure, Abuela insisted he take his nap after lunch. He countered with every argument he could concoct, but she dismissed the claims as they arose. Ignoring his tears, she guided him through a trip to the bathroom and praised his prowess at brushing his teeth. Tony momentarily forgot his unhappiness and rewarded her with a toothpaste grin. Finally settling into the rocking chair with her baby she pulled off his tiny sneakers and waited as he sank into her lap. Once she began to rock and sing softly to him Tony threw a tiny arm onto her shoulder so that he could rub Maria's hair.
Despite Tony's best efforts, the morning's activities had exhausted him. Maria peeped down and noted the closed eyes and long eyelashes sweeping his cheeks.
Jetho gathered his sleeping son from her five minutes later and tucked the little fellow into his small toddler bed. Tony still lagged behind his peers in the height department, though Ducky had promised Gibbs that Tony would reach at least six feet by adulthood. Still, the father worried that at the more petite height and weight he had allowed Tony to transition from the crib to a bed too soon.
Jethro brushed back the baby soft bangs and kissed the little boy's forehead. Before tiptoeing out of the room he stopped to marvel at the tiny body once again.
His son was perfect.
He and Maria finished the party preparations and used the rest of their little whirlwind's nap time to relax themselves.
Two hours later an exuberant Tony jumped up and down with excitement at the sound of the doorbell. Running pell mell, he worked his hardest to help Jethro open the door to admit Victoria and Ducky Mallard into their home, and jabbered excitedly as he led the party guests to the table.
For Tony's third birthday Abuela had allowed him to decide upon the cake and decorations he wanted, whether they jibed at any point with each other or not. Thus, his love of Sesame Street had inspired the birthday cake, a confection topped with toothpick attached figurines of Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, and Elmo. The bakery had piped small curlicues in alternating red, green, and blue frosting along the bottom of the cake.
Since Tony adored Curious George, the table cloth and napkins displayed the mischievous monkey in a variety of printed settings. As a nod to his love of outdoor activities, the balloons and hats featured footballs, basketballs, swing sets and jungle gyms. Last, because the tyke enjoyed toy cars, the paper drinking glasses and bowls featured race cars and racetracks.
Tony described each piece of the décor in animated detail before allowing the attendees to actually sit. Presiding at the head of the table he beamed while the four adults sang Happy Birthday to him and cheered wildly for himself when he managed to blow out all three candles.
Jethro manned the camera and after snapping several shots of his son he slid into a chair beside him. "Did you wish for something extra special?"
Tony regarded him soberly with a mouth already outlined in birthday cake icing. "No, Daddy, I can't tell my birthday candle wish or it won't come true. Abuela said so."
"Correct, young Anthony!" Ducky agreed. "The whole point of wishing on cakes is to keep your wish a secret."
"Do you like your birthday cake, nieto?" Abuela leaned over to wipe Tony's mouth with a napkin. "You chose everything about it. Tu disenaste el pastel."
Thanks to Maria the Baby spoke Spanish as effortlessly as he did English. "I do, yes, I do! Si, tienes todos mis personas. My pretty cake has my Sesame Street friends."
Victoria Mallard set her glass of lemonade down on the table and remarked. "Personally I find your race car glasses very unique, Tony."
"The Curious George tablecloth earned my vote of approval," Jethro added, leaning so that he could tweak Tony's nose. "For some reason, some of the things that monkey does remind me of you."
Tony fell against the back of his chair dramatically and laughed in delight. "I act like that monkey, Daddy."
"You do, Bambino," Maria agreed. "You always find mischief."
Despite his petite frame, Tony possessed a voracious appetite. After indulging in two slices of birthday cake plus a helping of chocolate ice cream, he finally declared his tummy full. He tilted his head, long lashes sweeping his cheeks, and regarded Maria slyly. "We can have more of this cake and ice cream anytime we want. Right, Abuela? Es verdad?"
Aware of his motive Maria quickly contradicted him. She believed firmly in healthy eating and rarely allowed Tony sugary treats. "Today is your special day, tu cumpleanos, so you may eat muchos goodies. Tomorrow we will not eat many sweets."
Tony's little face fell in disappointment.
"Pero no ahora, today you eat all you want," Maria promised.
Mollified with the promise of birthday cake and ice cream later, Tony nodded and pushed his bowl to the side. "Now will I have my presents? Is it time for my new things?"
"I believe so," Jethro answered. With Ducky's help the two cleared the tabletop space so that Maria and Victoria could transfer the gifts there.
Jethro had put his foot down and decreed Tony should receive one- and only one- gift from each person. Despite the apparent agreement form Ducky and Victoria, however, the NCIS Team Leader had no doubt that more toys and games awaited Tony on his next visit to the Mallard home. They spoiled the child, and loved any occasion in which they could host the little boy in their home. In fact, he had his own bedroom at the Mallard residence.
"Which one would you like to open first, lad?" Ducky indicated the pile of wrapped presents stacked invitingly on the table. "By the way, I noticed all your birthday cards on the coffee table in the living room."
Tony clapped his hands, "I put them there by myself, Ducky. They look nice."
"Choose," Victoria prodded.
Tony considered the gaily wrapped gifts before him and finally indicated the one he wanted. His Abuela passed it with the explanation that it had arrived in the mail from his grandfather in Stillwater, Pennsylvania, Jackson Gibbs.
Tony tore greedily at the paper and then attempted to gouge a hole in the box before Jethro assisted him. Tony's eyes widened with delight when a pair of khaki dress pants and blue and gold button down shirt appeared. He turned with excitement to Maria. "Ropa nueva, Abuela! New clothes. Put me in them now!" Sliding his tiny bottom back and forth in his booster seat he attempted to shimmy down to the floor. "I want to wear these now!"
"Tony, wait," Gibbs cautioned. "those are for the fall and winter. See? Grandpa bought you a long sleeved shirt for when the weather cools. Right now you need to wear shorts because it's July and summer."
The explanation did nothing to dissuade the toddler and the threat of a full fledged tantrum appeared to form. Maria and Jethro exchanged looks and decided Tony could change- after all, the outfit had struck his fancy, and though neither tolerated meltdowns, this was the baby's birthday, after all.
As his Abuela stripped the little boy she smiled ruefully at the Mallards. "For so long my baby would only want to run around the house naked, sin ropa en absolute, so when he turned two we underestimated his fashion sense."
Jethro added in a tone of resignation, "Then Tony would react with outright indignation if he had no say in selecting his outfits."
"Well, young Anthony takes pride in his clothing now," Victoria remarked, pointing to a beaming Tony newly dressed in his finery.
The little attention getter struck several poses and announced, "I look muy handsome in these birthday clothes from mi abuelo. See how handsome?"
Gibbs grabbed the camera again. "Let me take a photo for your grandfather so that he can see how much you like your present."
Maria helped Tony climb back into his seat afterwards. "Be careful, Bambino. You want to keep your new clothes nice."
Ducky motioned again to the stacked gifts. "Which do you prefer second?"
Tony wrinkled his nose and pointed to one. Ducky passed the box to him and remarked that the tag identified it as from his abuela.
The little boy grabbed Maria's hand and kissed it sloppily. "Thank you, Abuela mia."
She laughed and stroked his hair. "See what I have for you."
Even though he opened it upside down, Tony labeled the contents correctly and nearly went wild with excitement. He yanked and pulled to release the monkey from its restraints. "Curious George!" he cried rapturously, his green eyes gleaming with happiness. "My own Curious George!"
Gibbs produced his pocket knife and cut through the bonds. Tony snatched the stuffed monkey to him and hugged it fiercely. "Mi mono, mi mono."
Witnessing the obvious joy over her present Maria thought back to Tony's terrible twos and a moment months before. They had shopped in a local Kmart one morning and from his vantage point in the shopping cart Tony spied Disney stuffed animals down one of the aisles. Alert to the potential of playing with Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck he entreated Maria to turn their cart down that way. When she refused he threw himself back in his seat and wailed at the top of his voice. Bystanders couldn't resist smiling at the show- despite the bad behavior baby Tony still looked like an absolute doll. Unfortunately for the imp, the seat of the cart allowed him to rear back only a few inches which made his display of anger an uncomfortable one. In addition, despite his theatrics Maria failed to change her mind.
Tony's voice brought Maria's musings back to the present. His frustration had mounted because he insisted Curious George sit beside him in the booster chair, tight fit or no. "Wait, lad," Ducky ordered. He moved behind Tony's chair and maneuvered the stuffed monkey into the seat. "Resorting to a conniption fit will not do. Just ask for help."
"Thank you Ducky," Tony grinned in relief. He wrapped George protectively against him with one arm. "We will sit together, I will sit with my monkey- mi mono." The little one turned his elfin face to his grandmother and addressed Maria lovingly, "You have made me very, very happy Abuela mia."
"Good," she leaned over and kissed the tip of his nose. "Happy birthday, Bambino."
Jethro stood up and stretched. "I desperately need a cup of coffee. Let me start a pot, and how about a pot of tea for you, Victoria?"
Mrs. Mallard offered to help but Jethro assured her he could handle the chore.
Ducky pushed a present toward Tony and pulled his glasses off. He polished them on a napkin. "Open this next, Baby, because this one comes from me."
Tony's bottom lip puffed out with displeasure. "I'm not a baby any more like when I was two. Now I am three."
"So sorry," Ducky shook his head. "Yes, I do recall you insist I only refer to you as a wee lad or a big boy these days. I will try hard not to forget again."
Gibbs lounged in the doorway to observe while he listened for the sounds of the percolator and teapot.
Tony smiled forgivingly at Ducky and grabbed the proffered gift with both hands. He discovered a miniature doctor's kit complete with a medical bag and a little white coat with Tony stitched across the small pocket in red thread. Tony clamored immediately to wear the jacket and stated emphatically that he could dress himself and not uproot George.
Gibbs wagged a finger in caution. "No tantrum, Son."
Somehow Tony managed to wrap himself in the jacket and pull off the feat without dislodging George. Victoria took a turn snapping a couple of pictures while Tony plundered through the supplies in his doctor's kit. "I will grow up and be a doctor like Ducky."
Maria reminded him to thank the medical examiner and Tony did, blowing him a kiss as a bonus.
Jethro's present followed, and everyone had to aid in unboxing the present. Tony nearly fell out of his chair with excitement once he spied the real big boy tricycle with handlebar streamers and a (removable) red wagon attached behind it.
Tony had begged his father for weeks to allow him to graduate from his big wheel to a true tricycle but it had taken some convincing. Immune to Tony's tears, pleas, and outbursts regarding his mobility, Jethro made the decision only after watching Tony at the park the month before. Despite his tiny frame, Tony had managed to keep up the momentum of the swing by utilizing the strength in his legs for nearly ten minutes.
The time had arrived for an upgrade.
Tony nearly melted down when informed he had to put off going outside to ride but Victoria distracted him by producing his last gift. Mollified, Tony accepted her gift and thoughtfully thanked her before he even opened it.
"I have not forgotten last month when you couldn't find The Cat in the Hat when you visited us and it made you so upset. It took us some time to find the book but we did, didn't we?" Victoria thought back to that day. Once Tony discovered the characters Thing One and Thing Two in the book it had metamorphosed into his treasured favorite. "So I decided that you would enjoy one here at your house, and I found another by Dr. Seuss I thought would strike your fancy, Hop on Pop."
Tony freed the books from the wrappings and hugged them to him. "I love this now," he assured her, then set The Cat in the Hat on the table so that he could skim through the pages of his new book. He laughed with delight over several of the illustrations and Victoria promised she would read to him later.
With the last of the presents opened Jethro pulled back Tony's chair and helped the little boy jump from the booster seat to the floor. The back of his lab coat flew up in the air and that delighted him. The toddler wasted no time loading his wagon. He arranged Curious George, his medical bag, and his books snugly in the wagon's space before turning to his father and ordering, "Daddy, take my tricycle outside so I can ride now."
Jethro raised his eyebrows and used a finger to tap Tony under the chin. The little boy added, "Please, Daddy, you will take my bike."
"Ok, will do," Jethro nodded. He grabbed the handlebars and wheeled the trike to the backyard while Tony danced along beside him.
At the door Tony waved the others forward. "Hurry, hurry now! Come with me and watch me ride my new bike 'cause I'm a big boy! Watch me now!"
"Sounds a bit tyrannical," Ducky murmured conspiratorially to his mother and Maria. "But I suppose Tony's tyrannical threes will nevertheless afford us all as many enjoyable and lovable moments as the young Anthony's terrible twos did."