Kreg Ryan Gunter, a sixth-grader at Whiteside School, will be 12 on 12/12/12 at 12:12 a.m.

"Fortunately for my sister, he didn't weigh 12 pounds, 12 ounces," said Melissa Daley, his aunt who lives in Chesterfield, Mo. (Ryan weighed 8 pounds, 5 ounces.)

Ryan is the son of Kreg and Kathleen Gunter, of Belleville. He has a sister, Kara, 13.

Aunt Melissa, who informed us about Ryan's golden birthday, describes him as "an awesome kid who is smart, funny and sweet."

He has a green belt in Tae Kwan Do and plays catcher on his little league team. His bedroom is decorated in a St. Louis Cardinals theme, and his favorite player is catcher Yadier Molina.

Ryan knows what he wants and goes after it.

"The Christmas after Ryan turned 9, he asked for a cell phone," said Melissa, "but his parents told him he was too young. After the family had opened gifts on Christmas morning, Ryan asked if he could return all of his presents and use the money to buy a cell phone."

"We were shocked," said Kathleen. "What kid doesn't want Christmas presents?"

"In a further attempt to thwart his plan," said Melissa, "they told him that he could only buy a bright pink phone. Turns out pink doesn't bother Ryan in the least. Hot pink is his favorite color."

"All my friends had one," said Ryan, "and I didn't want to feel left out."

Now, Ryan wants to upgrade.

"I want an iPhone," he said. "It seems cool. Mom has an iPhone. I play on hers to get a feel for it."

What are the chances you'll get one? "Not that high."

Have you read any good books lately? "'Hatchett,' by Gary Paulsen. It's about a boy in a plane that crashes and has to survive in the wilderness in the Canadian woods."

What movie have you seen recently? "Me and my family and my aunt saw 'Abraham Lincoln.' It was pretty good, I'm into history, too."

Favorite subject? "Math"

Favorite baseball player? Catcher Yadier Molina

Do you have any pets? "We have a mutt terrier that's a mix of everything. He had a black line coming down his back. Since coal is black, we named him 'Kole.' We're a K family."

Favorite food? "I like my mom's homemade lasagna."

Favorite place to eat out? "Red Lobster to get some crab."

Do you prefer texting or calling? "When you call a person, they might be doing something. You can just text them."

What do you like to do with friends? "They're baseball players like me. We go outside and play catch, or when we have time left, we play a little game of basketball."

What do you do with your family? "At dinner, we always talk about what we are thankful for. Sometimes I say clothes, family, friends. It's just a nice time to talk about how our day was."

What do you want for your birthday? "I'm not picky. i'll take anything, from shoes to clothes to basically anything. A cake would be nice.

Favorite flavor? "I like chocolate. Any icing will do."