Oscar’s second birthday was a huge success, even with all of the tears that ended the day.  We got up fairly early and he literally squeaked when he saw his tricycle in the hallway.  He ran towards it, with his hands to his mouth and kept looking up to me while he would squeak out something that sounded like “me?”  We spent hours scooting the trike up and down the halls and through the bedrooms before Nanny Norma broke down and shuffled him to his room so he could open her presents.  She had decorated his bedroom with streamers and a big Happy Birthday sign and a bunch of really huge balloons.  It was precious.  I never would have thought to do all of that.  She also made him an adorable towel with his name on it and a funny little monkey face – it’s far too cute to use, so I’m keeping it displayed in his bathroom (I hope she doesn’t mind).

After taking a break from the tricycle, we opened the rest of his presents.  I got him a Leap Frog Tag reader, which is this pen-like thing that you touch to the pages of special books and it says the words or describes the picture on the page.  Oscar figured out, though, that if you press a certain button twice it will read an entire story to you.  He’s been pressing that button a lot since Saturday.  He just listens and laughs.  I’m hoping the continual repetition of language will inspire him to actually speak, but I guess I’ll be ok if he simply continues to enjoy the stories. 

I also got him a Thomas DVD that included a Thomas engine (BTW, this is the cheap way to get one of those trains – I was NOT paying $14 for a little engine – this was like $7 at TRU and you get the DVD).  He about lost his mind when he saw it.  He actually gnawed at the box to open it.  I knew he liked trains, but honestly didn’t have a clue that he even knew who Thomas was (we have another DVD, but we don’t watch it much).  I asked him to show me Thomas, and he pointed to the picture of Thomas on the cover of the DVD case.  He has NEVER pointed to anything in a book, so I was astonished.  He played for a bit and then went into the living room and gave Norma the DVD.  She, of course, said, “no television, we play or read.”  He had a fit and kept looking at me and it dawned on me that I had told him that for his birthday he could watch t.v. during the day (he usually watches one signing time DVD before his bath).  I think the little guy actually remembered the promise, so I made good on it, but he only watched for a few minutes before pulling out the books.

We attempted to make it to soccer practice.  I attempt this every week, but we haven’t made it yet.  First, I couldn’t find the field, second, it’s scheduled smack dab while he takes a nap (which is a rarity, but still) and third, there is a LOT to do on Saturday mornings.  I’ve been dying to become a soccer mom, though, so we’ll try it again next Saturday.  Oscar napped for 3 minutes and then we had our first virtual birthday party via Skype with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Jason, Aunt Marti and his cousins.  He ate birthday cake for the first time and evidently really enjoyed it.

Had I stopped there, the day probably would have been entirely successful.  But, no, I pushed for more.  We were supposed to meet up with some friends at the Discovery Museum.  After slogging through horrendous traffic we arrived, with Oscar in tears, not wanting to sit in his stroller and not wanting to walk, while I was trying fruitlessly to find our friends (without the assistance of my cell phone, which Oscar apparently had taken from my purse and hid in Norma’s shower).  Let’s just say that this was the beginning of the end. 

By all accounts, though, I think it went really well.  So much better than last year.  First, Oscar understood this year that cake is to be eaten – not to be stuck in one’s ear.  He dove in head first, licking on the frosting so heartily that chocolate was still oozing out of his nose on Sunday.  That’s how you eat a cupcake.  Second, he seemed to understand that Saturday was all about him.  Not in a narcissistic way, but he was loving being the center of attention in a pronounced way.  I’m thinking that next year we’ll take things to the next level and have a proper party.  Well, a small party.  Or, at least a few friends over for cake.  We’ll see…

Pictures to come.

So, last year I was accused of taking a minimalist approach to my son’s birthday.  I think I’ve made up for it this year.  I do think that I went overboard, especially because these are not the only presents, but this is likely his last year as an “only,” and he really doesn’t get that many “things.” You know that thought that adopted kids should not be showered with gifts?  I really lived that the first year.  I guess I think that phase is over.  The best part is that I got the trike, which I believe is the best. trike. ever., off of my mom’s group for less than 25% of what it was priced at TRUs.  We have over 3000 members or something insane here in SF and everyday we get tons of notices of things for sale.  This beauty was actually something I had considered before I got the train, but I figured I’d wait until Christmas.  A single mom was selling it, new in the box, because (get this) she didn’t want the hassle of putting it together.  Ha – guess she should get a nanny.  AND it only took me 30 minutes.  Love it.

BTW, you should see what Nanny Norma did to Oscar’s room.  So adorable.  Oscar definitely knows something is happening tomorrow.  We’ll Skype you in the morning, Grandma and Grandpa.

Also love the gift ideas – I almost bought the basketball hoop, but was worried he’d be too young.  Now I’m bummed; also sad about the hat and the D*plos.  Oscar so would’ve looked adorable in the hat, and I really want him to be into building things, but alas he’s a destroyer at this phase.  Ended up getting some “educational” toys, which frankly we need around here.  Bonus is that now everything I buy like this gets to be used again!

After yesterday’s disappointment (and I can explain that later), I was really looking forward to tomorrow. Oscar turns two and we have a day of fun planned, including giving him his big present. The train. My plan was to stay up as late tonight as I needed to finish assembling it and then get up early to unveil it. He loves trains. He’s obsessed with the one at the zoo, and pulling him away from the one at the children’s museum is next to impossible. So, imagine my delight this morning when I was getting ready for work and heard him scurrying down the hall to the family room, with Nanny Norma behind him saying “Oscar train! Choo choo!” Huh? I walk out to see him headed into the family room, where the train is fully assembled. He walks in, all nonchalant, like no big deal, I played with this all day yesterday. It’s just my train. Norma tells me that since I’ve been so busy at work she went ahead and put it together. So sweet of her – truly. But I was absolutely devastated. I really wanted to see his face when he saw the train. Apparently he loved it; he spent hours with it yesterday, which somehow made me feel worse.  I know she thought that it wasn’t a surprise since I had opened the box to assemble the table part of the gift; she didn’t know that Oscar had not seen the box or the contents.  Now I need to go to the toy store to buy new gifts because of course she thought I was giving him a bunch of things.  Of course I was giving him a bizillion dollar train set, which is now old news. 

Any emergency gift ideas?

Well, sort of.  We went to a great birthday party on Sunday for a two year old little boy we met while we were waiting in VN.  He’s utterly adorable.  About 10 minutes into the party, a couple sat down near me and started talking about how they had “quarantined” themselves the previous day because of their kids’ projectile vomiting.  My first reaction was to pick up my child and run, run like the wind.  But I thought it would be rude, and I really wanted to stick around.  I also figured that whatever their kids had had, was probably what Oscar had a couple of weeks ago.  Wrong.  So wrong.  So disgustingly wrong.

Oscar, of course, got it first, but I have it now as well.  Not sure whether we had already been exposed when I second guessed myself, but I’m certainly kicking myself now.