birthday bash, toddler style

I'm not too sure how much Garrett grasped that yesterday was his special day. Every time I'd wish him a happy birthday he'd cock his head and look at me like I was crazy. Even so, he was generally a very happy boy as we spent our day together celebrating.

In the morning we made cupcakes: chocolate with chocolate frosting and topped with M&Ms, his favorite candy. Garrett helped me by putting the paper liners in the muffin tin and licking the bowl -- he was really good at licking that bowl.

Later, he got to talk to both of his grandmas on the phone. Well, he did much more listening than talking (he tends to freeze up when the phone's for him), but he grinned through their brief conversations and happy birthday wishes.

Most of the day was pretty low-key as we spent a lot of time preparing and saving our energy (well, my energy, anyway) for a birthday party once Blake got home from work. But before any of the evening festivities could begin, there of course had to be an incident. This one happened to involve Garrett standing and leaning back on a kitchen chair which ultimately toppled over. Garrett walked away with a bloody mouth and a very bruised finger; part of the chair back snapped into two pieces. We all survived, however, and as soon as Blake was home, we sat down to one of Garrett's favorite dinners: meatloaf and ketchup, both of which he wolfed right down.

After dinner it was party time. We started with the presents. This year Garrett didn't need any prompting at all to know what to do:


And in between each present, he had to sit and play with it for a while:


Ultimately, he came away with a stockpile o' fun that should hopefully last him a while. Last week, while we were in California, his Grandma Joyce and Grandpa Gary gave him a new outfit and a new pair of [much-needed] pajamas, as well as a bit of money to spend at the toy store. I'm sure he'll have a great time picking something out. Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Dave sent two new board books (Sandra Boynton's Blue Hat, Green Hat and the sliding board book Inside Freight Train) and a chunky transportation puzzle (which he loves). From Blake and I he got a Mr. Potato Head and a set of Magneatos magnet blocks. Oh, and his great-grandparents on Blake's side sent a nice card that included a few balloons which we blew up and which he has thoroughly enjoyed tossing around the house. On Garrett's behalf, I want to thank everyone for thinking of him on his special day. I'm sure he'd thank you all himself, but he's still trying to figure out this talking business.

We left the livingroom a wrapping paper-filled mess in favor of the kitchen for cake, candles, and ice cream. Garrett likes to blow on things, so we figured he'd really enjoy blowing out his two birthday candles. We were right, and ended up letting him repeat the process three times in a row because he kept begging for more.

Aside from blowing out the candles, the M&Ms topping his cupcake along with his bowl of ice cream were his favorites. Turns out he doesn't so much care for the cake, which I suppose shouldn't surprise me too much, given last year's frosting fiasco.


He didn't want to go to bed, but then, what kid wants to go to bed on his birthday? I think it's safe to say, though, that Garrett had a great day. Here's to many fun months before we get to party like this again!