My son's first 2nd Birthday Party

As you might be aware from last week's continued panic on the subject, we had my son's first 2nd birthday party last Saturday.  (First because he technically turns two this coming Saturday, but my parents will be out-of-town, so we had a party early.)

If I do say so myself, I think it went pretty well.

The first BIG blessing came in the form of a $60 payout I got from some advertising vendors the night before the party.  I may not make much money of the blog, but those little boosts seem to always come when I need them most.

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Outrageous(ly Frugal) Kid Parties

So, I've been talking some about this new TLC show, "Outrageous Kid Parties".  There's a picture of one on the left.  That little girl is 6, and she's sitting on a throne while she opens presents.  She also got mad that her $2,100 cake had a purple bird on it instead of a blue one.  The whole party ran her parents about $32K.

But, hey, what's the cost of a college tuition in exchange for being the most popular kid in 1st grade?

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Notes on a Toddler

My son is now right around 20 1/2 months, and I feel that 2nd birthday fast approaching.  I'm crazy excited about his birthday and throwing a big party and getting an excuse to spoil him even more than he usually gets.

But milestone pediatrician visits make me nervous.  They give you that little sheet where you check off what things your kid is doing yet.  My son has always done great developmentally, has actually always been ahead for his age.

But I still dread my imaginings of his doctor peering at the checklist through her glasses.  "Oh, he isn't counting yet?  Not at all?  Oh, I see."

So I've been paying close attention to my son's recent accomplishments.  This has been difficult, however, because there's a ton of stuff it seems like he just started doing overnight.  Recently, he has:

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