October 18
The Alexander Home Page presents
Alexander's Second Birthday

A new yellow slinky It's Woody! Favorite gift!
Due to a combination of circumstances, Alexander's second birthday party was a bit of a smaller gathering than the previous year. The party was attended by Alex, his parents, his paternal grandparents, and one of his aunts.

Alex received numerous gifts, including clothing, a Teletubbies book, and a yellow slinky. Each time he was handed a box that was a little larger than usual, he would exclaim with delight, "I got a big one!" Many of the gifts were unwrapped and then put aside. His favorite gift by far, however, was a Woody doll from his favorite movie, Disney's Toy Story.

He spent a considerable amount of time examining Woody's features, pointing out "Woody's eye. Woody's nose. Woody's hat. Woody's mouth." while his guests patiently listened. For nearly a week, Woody was almost constantly in Alex's grasp. Then life imitated art. About a week later, while in a local Disney Store with his father, Alex latched on to a Buzz Lightyear action figure. Buzz was the new favorite, and Woody was displaced, even scorned by a fickle Alexander.

This story has a happy ending for Woody, however. In subsequent weeks, Woody regained his position as Alex's favorite, and Buzz seems to have slipped back a notch to number two.

As the day wore on, Alexander officially began his "terrible twos" as he became rude to his guests and generally cranky. His parents managed to get him to pose in front of his birthday cake, but he refused to eat any. In the days to come he would also refuse to eat the leftovers. He never tasted his second birthday cake.

Birthday boy and proud parents Alex poses with his parents in a traditional birthday photo. By this point, Alex was in a bit of a grumpy mood, and never even tasted his cake.
October 18