My niece's birthday

She turns 2 the end of next week. (Wow, time moves fast. I guess her first Christmas, they stayed home, and it was just last Christmas they came to see us).

Her gift is ready to go. She's getting an "R is for R2D2" t-shirt (which is also blue, her current favorite color) and six Beatrix Potter books, in the traditional little Frederick Warne format: Peter Rabbit, Squirrel Nutkin, Tale of Two Bad Mice, Jeremy Fisher, Jemima Puddleduck, and Tom Kitten. Those are the ones that either were my favorites (Squirrel Nutkin, Two Bad Mice, and Jeremy Fisher) or the best-known ones.

I ran out to one of the local chain drugstores to get wrapping paper and a shipping box after lunch today. It's funny how although I barely know her, I try to do things I think will amuse or please her - she is currently starting to learn her letters (which makes me feel like a relative sluggard; I learned to read at 4 and I remember when people were impressed by that. Now, having learned to read by 4 seems to get a "wow, that late?" from the alpha-parenting community). But anyway. I found wrapping paper with HAPPY BIRTHDAY written on it in big, block, primary-colored letters. And the card I got her is the kind I would have loved as a kid: a drawing of a pink kitten with "real" flocked fur on it. (The only way it could have been better would have been if it had had glow-in-the-dark on it, but it didn't)

It looks like some of the local places are bracing for the "holiday season" to start up. This one doesn't normally carry much in the way of toys, but today they had, along all the tops of the aisles various toy items. Including those MLP stuffed animals that some of the Bronies call the "spaghetti hair" ones - these are the bigger ones (I've seen the little "spaghetti hairs" for a couple years). They only had Applejack and Rainbow Dash and Pinkie. And I know some of the collectors kind of hate the spaghetti hair but I will say these toys had nicely done eyes, and I'd much rather see a Pony with properly done eyes, that are pretty and look friendly but have spaghetti hair, than have one whose hair is show-perfect but the eyes aren't right.

I admit, I was tempted by the Pinkie Pie. (Of the three, she looked most like "herself.") But I told myself: you don't need another Pinkie Pie. You have the little figurines and a beanie baby one and the one you made. (And no, I didn't get the Pinkie Pie - I got my mailer and my wrapping paper and just that).

But I admit, I did think, "But if you had another Pinkie, you could keep Pinkies stashed all around your house, in case of a Pinkie emergency."

(Heck, if I have an especially bad day one of these days soon, I may still go back and get her. I have no idea what they were charging.)