Yesterday Birch turned 2 years old. It was done with very little fanfare- Daddy out of town and Mommy very tired and pregnant. But when I told him it was his birthday he said, "cake, candles!" and then "no want to go to birthday party". Well, whew, great! I wasn’t having a birthday party, but oops, I hadn’t made a cake as he has never liked it. 

We went out to brunch with another mom and her children. I gave Birch 3 books on having a new baby in the family and he loved them. (He was most taken with the Dr. Sears book called, "What Baby Needs" and I liked it the best too).  Later in the day, we opened some presents from my relatives, one of which was these labels that he has had before but which are really a mommy present for they save me time.  The say, "Happy Birthday from your friend Birch". I just stick them on a present-  no more expensive birthday cards or lost cards for that matter.  Lastly, he got a (toy) phone, fax and answering machine that was a hit.  He
can record his voice and draw on a doodle-type pad. It kept him busy
this afternoon. He was thrilled! I thought you all might like to see the books that we read, the labels and the toy machine. It might give you some gift ideas.

P.S.- if you are expecting a new baby in the family- I would definitely get "What Baby Needs"- it is rated for ages 4-8 years. Interestingly, Birch read it three times today and loved it though it is way past his reading level, and the 4 year old we read it with wanted me to read it twice and was fully attentive.  The other two books (My New Baby and We Have a Baby) are for younger children and are picture books. Birch prefers "We Have a Baby". The illustrations are nice and show a multicultural family. It is for ages 2-5.  I like the words too- just simple and lovely: "We have a baby to love, to hold, etc"  "My New Baby" does not have words so you need to narrate it yourself, but it shows both parents sharing responsiblities for the children. It is a sturdy board book and can be read over and over.

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