Look Who is TWO!

Juan Pablo has officially been a two-year-old since August 8, so I should probably write something about the actual event...

The hype started about a week before his birthday. We went to a bbq at a neighbors house for Msgr. Frank McGrath, former pastor of Christ the King and a good friend of my dad, who was visiting from Connecticut. It happened to be Msgr. McGrath's birthday that week, so everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to him during the meal. Juan Pablo, being as musical as he is, picked up the song right away, so we told him that soon it was going to be his birthday and we were going to sing to him. For the next week, we sang Happy Birthday periodically, though it took a while to convince him that the lyrics did not officially say, "Happy Birthday dear Fr. Frank", but in fact could be changed to say, "Happy Birthday dear Juan Pablo" instead. He eventually caught on though, and so was ready for his big day.

The morning of his birthday, Juan Pablo woke up and groggily asked for his bottle, like he always does. He snuggled next to me in bed while he drank his bottle, and as soon as he finished, he very softly started singing, "Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Bebe (he still calls himself Baby), Happy Birthday to you!" Of course at this, Jeff and I fully woke up and sang to him, and I think from then on he knew for sure that this day was all about celebrating him. We started out by going out to Dimo's Donuts for breakfast. Juan Pablo got to eat three donuts with sprinkles...which isn't quite as much as it sounds, because he really just eats the top half of the donut, the part with the sprinkles, and leaves the rest. We had been back and forth between going on a bike ride and taking him to the Hands-On Museum, where we were going to buy a membership with his birthday money. It was pouring rain all morning, so that made the decision easier. We left Dimo's, telling him we were going someplace special for his birthday. So now as far as he's concerned, we got him a museum for his birthday. He had a blast at the museum, especially at the water table in the preschool room.

After naptime, we had a little bit of time before our guests arrived for the birthday party, so we took the opportunity to give Juan Pablo our gift to him...a brand new tricycle. Unfortunately, it was still raining outside so we had to give it to him in the basement, but he didn't seem to mind. He rode it around for quite a while, before deciding to play with his pinata instead. He had chosen this particular pinata the day before, because to him, it looked exactly like a horse. Apparently horns and a ring through the nose don't scream "bull" to a two-year-old who is obsessed with horses. After playing in the basement for a while, we decided to show him videos of last year's birthday party, so he would know what to expect. I was especially concerned about the pinata thing, because apparently I cried when me pinata broke at my 2nd birthday party. He watched the videos of last year, and didn't seem to concerned, so we thought we were in the clear.

Our guests arrived a while later: Abuelo, Abuela, Tia Padu (Paulina), the Buraks (Juan Pablo's godparents), and our dear friend Aunt Barb, who Juan Pablo has somewhat inexplicably nicknamed "E-bo".

Juan Pablo and Tia Padu enjoying their hot dogs at the kids' table.

After eating Juan Pablo's favorite meal, hot dogs, for dinner, we went outside for the pinata. Jeff took the stick, and tried to help Juan Pablo take a few swings at the pinata:


Juan Pablo thought it would be a better idea to try to open the garage so he could get to his toys:


We offered Maya, Juan Pablo's little buddy who is also two, a turn at the pinata, but she just clung to her dad and shook her head. Maya's dad, Brian, suggested that she watch Jeff hit the pinata first, so she would know what to do. Everyone agreed that this was a good idea, that Jeff should show the kids what to do. However, Jeff was distracted by something else, and so was a bit confused when I handed him the stick and started blindfolding him. He started to protest, saying that Paulina should go first, as she was the next youngest, after the kids. But it was too late, the blindfold was on, so I stepped back, Jeff swung like a baseball player going for a home run, and the horse/bull was decapitated, the body flying several feet through the air, scattering candy as it went, and the head still hung on the tree by a rope. Behind me, Juan Pablo started screaming "Oh no, Neigh! Oh no, Neigh!" while we rushed to try to show him the good that can come of this carnage: the candy all over the ground. Paulina was videotaping the whole time, and watching the video you can also see Maya staring at the poor pinata's head, still hanging on the tree, saying "Head still there! Head still there!" A few suckers and a couple feet of masking tape later, Juan Pablo was calm and the head of the horse/bull was securely re-attached to the body.

Maya and Juan Pablo, still trying to figure out what that was all about.

Jeff was still a bit embarrassed by the whole thing, though we tried to reassure him that he's not the first person to break the pinata before anyone else (including the young children present) has had a turn. We continued on to birthday cake and gifts. Juan Pablo loved all his gifts: lots of horses, a book about the farm, a couple books with dogs in them, a giant triceratops, a swing to hang up in the basement, a photobook with pictures from the last year, and other things that I'm probably forgetting.

Birthday boy opening his gifts.

All in all it was a great day. Juan Pablo was so happy, excited, and aware of the fact that everything going on was for him. The time that we spent together in the morning, just the three of us, was very special, and of course it was wonderful to have extended family and friends there to celebrate with us too.

In the tub that night. Apparently turning two still doesn't make him feel old enough to want to get out of his baby tub and take a bath in the big tub. The face shows a glimpse of how happy he was all day.