The Second and Third Gifts Were DOGtastic

The first gift was DINOmyte.  The second and the third gifts were DOGtastic, which isn't an actual word but sounded much better than BARKvelous (marvelous) or PUPational (sensational).  What am I talking about?  The gifts that I brought to a first birthday party.

I'll give a brief history of the first birthday party of which I'm referring:

1) Here, I pondered over what gift to bring.
2) Here, I pondered over what food to bring.
3) Here, I revealed the first gift that I brought.
4) TODAY, I'm revealing the second and third gifts.

Now that you're caught up, the second and the third gifts were from The Black Dog.  The Black Dog is a tavern that has become exceptionally successful at marketing it's apparel.  So much so that there are entire stores, separate and apart from the tavern itself, that sell The Black Dog sweatshirts and hats and dog collars.  I can't explain why the tavern is so great or why the apparel is so trendy because I don't know.  What I do know, is that it's indigenous to Martha's Vineyard where I recently visited.  A-ha!  Now all this rambling is making sense, sort of.

I like getting gifts for people while I'm on vacation.  Not I-brought-you-something-back-from-my-vacation gifts.  Though sometimes cool and unique, those type gifts are more often cheap and lame (for example, a t-shirt that reads "My mom went to Las Vegas and all I got was this crappy t-shirt").  I like getting real gifts (birthday, wedding, house warming, etc.) while on vacation.  Real gifts offer a bigger budget and vacation gifts offer one-of-a-kind status - a dogtastic fantastic combination.

Hence, while on my vacation to Martha's Vineyard, I bought a couple gifts from The Black Dog for my upcoming first birthday party - a sweatshirt and a stuffed animal.  I'll concede that The Black Dog products aren't quite one-of-a-kind, but certainly unusual enough for a 1-year-old from Brooklyn.  And, the stuff is so cute and comfy, perfect for fall.  I had been inspired by this jacket (below) from The Nutmeg Tree to give a gift of warm clothing.

by The Nutmeg Tree and 15% off
with the coupon code TATORTOT

Here is a cute sweater from The Black Dog.  This isn't what I got, but it's the only large image I could find for your viewing pleasure.  My purchase was the traditional sweatshirt, in pink.  Of course.

via The Black Dog

And, at last, I couldn't leave The Black Dog store without purchasing a black dog (stuffed not live, fake not real).  Head to The Black Dog website (here) to check out all the great stuff, including some stuffed, fake dogs. 

The First Gift Was DINOmyte

Last weekend, I attended my first 1st birthday party.  It was a blast, a blast in an apple juice glass...Jersey Shore anyone?  There was cake and singing and lots of clapping.

And now, the answer you've all been waiting for...the gift.  Remember my quest to find the perfect 1st birthday gift?  If not, click here to refresh your memory and then forget about all those options because I didn't go with any of them.  They were all great, but the winning choices were even better.  That's right, choices - three gifts.  Each different and each awesome.

This is the first gift.  You know I love dinosaurs (for more on that click here and here).  

via Amazon.com

Not only is the book about dinosaurs but it's touchy feely.  Not touchy feely in the prom night sense, but in the tactile sense.  Each page features a different dinosaur with a different texture - rough, soft, slippery, etc.  One year olds are all about their sense of touch.  They are learning about and fascinated by the way different objects feel against their skin.  And, with this book, they will also learn about and be fascinated by dinosaurs.  Double bonus.  

Stay tuned (next week) for gifts two and three.

A Gift of Wine and Animal Crackers

A couple weeks ago I shared my anxiety uncertainty about attending a first birthday party (post here).  I've never been to a first birthday party before (other than my own), so I wasn't quite sure what to bring by way of drink, food and gift.  I threw out a couple gift ideas and got some great feedback.  More to come on what I ended up choosing later in the week.

My instincts on the food and drink front pointed to apple juice and animal crackers, but before committing I consulted a friend with a two and a half year old.   I figured that after going through a first and a second birthday party she would have some practical advice.  And, she did:

Me - "Usually I would bring a bottle of wine to a house party, but this is a party for a one-year-old.  What do I bring?" 

My Friend - "A bottle of wine." 

Me - "Huh?"

Apparently adults who attend one-year-old's birthday parties still like drinking wine.  And, apparently, drinking wine is allowed if you're an adult guest.  Fantastic.  In fact, bringing apple juice to a one-year-old's birthday party could end up being an it's-the-thought-that-counts gift because it will go to waste unless there's a bunch of toddler aged guests.

Orange Juice + Champagne = delicious
Photo from Taste Spotting (cute blog). 

Then, my astute friend asked what time the party started.  I told her 11 am.  The record came to a scratching halt.  We both agreed that throwing back a couple glasses of wine at 11 am isn't standard good time behavior.  Keeping with the idea that alcoholic drinks are allowed at baby birthday parties, I asked whether mimosas, bellinis or bloody marys would be acceptable alternatives.  She suggested I go with mimosas - the orange juice could be enjoyed by guests of all ages and mimosas themselves are simple and celebratory.

The moral of the conversation is that the rules aren't all that different when it comes to baby parties and grown up parties.  The gift caters to the birthday girl/boy and the food and drink cater to the guests.  The difference is that common sense and moderation play a role at the baby parties, where as at some grown up parties...they don't.  A bloody mary while singing Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes is totally allowed, but a few tequila shots before pin the tail on the donkey would probably be inappropriate.

The following version of Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes would be inappropriate at a baby party or grown up party.  Watch at your own risk.