Michael "Dog3" Lonergan wrote:

> I love giving him loud toys.

That's evil Michael!!
Friend of ours (ex-friend I might add) gave our twins a 'Music Set' for
their second birthday.
Container was the drum, inside were cymbals, drumsticks, kazoo,
sopranino recorder.
Our friendship died about 2 months later. A month after that most of
the two sets were either in the sand pit, munched on by the dog or lost
forever in the cubbyhouse.
Both kids are/were musical though - he went on to play a mighty fine
clarinet while she went on to play the flute ...thankfully neither
showed an interest in brass or drums!

I/we always gave books for birthdays - Graeme Base "Animalia" (and his
other titles), Janet and Allen Ahlberg (Peepo, The Jolly Postman, Each
Peach Pear Plum, Starting School)...
happily both my kids were/are avid readers!

LadyJane
--
"Never trust a skinny cook!"
remembers fondly their 2nd birthday party... did around 30 cupcakes,
iced with butter frosting and dredged in coconut, then placed on a very
large cake board & decorated with chocolate legs, antennae & eyes to
form a giant caterpillar (they loved Eric Carle's The Very Hungry
Caterpillar, at that age.)