Happy Birthday, Michael!

Two years ago we were in China getting to know our new 2-year-old son. I wondered then--even aloud, actually--whether our second child had already been born and was living somewhere in China. Even then we were fairly sure we would be headed back for a second child, though we didn't know when.

As it turned out, our second son had been born. And so this week, hot on the heels of his big brother's second Gotcha Day, we celebrated Michael's second birthday.

We don't know what kind of a party Michael had for his first birthday, though we know he was surrounded by his friends and caregivers at his orphanage.

How did we mark our little boy's big day?

Well, there were cards...

...a game of follow-the-leader, trailing across the wooden train tracks that have become a permanent fixture in our living room...

...other games only 2- and 4-year-old brothers can think up...

...and birthday phone calls from out-of-state cousins, grandmothers, and godparents.

Our boy is a phone talker, so he was thrilled to get to hold the phone during the calls. He only hung up on one caller.

Both boys were sick last week, and Michael had finally started acting more like himself. We headed over to see a Christmas train display.

I knew Michael was enjoying himself when he insisted that we take off his coat--one of his signals that he intends to stay.

He tried the same tactic when we stopped at a playground, where it was frigid. Our boy from sunny, warm Guangdong Province started unzipping his coat while the rest of us shivered in ours. I had to explain to him that there he could only stay if he kept the coat on.

Luckily Michael understands everything we say these days. He doesn't always agree--he is 2, after all--but at least our Michael, Michael, Motorcycle (as his Baba calls him) always seems to understand us.

A few weeks ago John and I had talked about inviting some of our extended family over to celebrate with Michael, but as the week wore on and Michael was still sick, we decided to keep his birthday party small. And that was just fine. I have always been happy that we kept Louis's first birthday with us--his third--small and intimate. There's something special about a party with just immediate family, especially when you've only been together for two and a half months.

I asked Louis whether we should make a fire engine cake for his brother. He had one for his 4th birthday party at our local fire museum. "No," he said. "Michael doesn't want a fire engine."

"How about a dump truck?" I asked. "No," said Louis. "Not a dump truck." So I asked Michael and he also said, "No," a standard answer around here. A Mickey Mouse cake? A train cake? A plain cake? No, no, no.

Then I suggested a car cake and Michael said, "Me," which usually means he wants some of whatever was offered. That was good enough for me. I asked Baba to pick up two racecars for us, I turned all the M&Ms to the M side for Michael and fit as many on as I dared with two candy enthusiasts in the house.

It wouldn't have won any prizes, but I only cared about one person's opinion.

Michael adored it. I had to lift him up again and again so he could look at it on the kitchen counter. And when he finished his birthday dinner--tortellini in tomato sauce, with green beans and garlic bread--he was thrilled when we put it down within his reach.

When he reached for the flame a moment later, the cake hastily shifted position. But Michael was so excited.

He needed just a little help blowing his candles out, but he had no trouble making his wish himself.

And he got it: M&Ms, two lollipops, and chocolate cake. Oh, and ice cream too.

 
It's fun to have a baked goods fan in the family. Across the table, Louis wasn't as into the cake itself, but he gulped down the M&Ms and lollipops.

Michael cast off one birthday hat for another.

 

Michael is a methodical eater and he loves food--and sweets in particular. Louis, on the other hand, was finished after he ate the candy off his cake. And Michael's parents were assembling gifts and loading the dishwasher when I realized Michael was still happily eating his way through his cake and ice cream, sitting alone at the table.

Maybe we aren't very good at throwing parties after all. But he was absolutely content. In fact, I had to coax him away from the table.

Thank goodness I had a pretty good incentive.

Luckily for his big brother, who was hungrily eying the presents, Michael was willing to share. Louis got to try out the traffic cones (he's playing "Ridin' the Rails" on this one, which has become a bugle)...



...and the stuffed Clifford, which everyone likes during the day but no one wants to sleep with at night.

Michael had been rather cranky earlier in the day. He generally has such a mild-mannered disposition, but he was tired of having a cold, the last sign of his illness. But he loved the gifts, the food, the phone calls, and the focus on him. He played happily all evening up until his birthday bath with Baba--another highlight of the day.

Did Michael know it was his birthday? We're not really sure. But he enjoyed himself. And now we can look forward to the terrific twos with our fun-loving Michael. We'll just sit back and enjoy the ride.