Gina's birthday

I had so much fun shopping for my 2-year-old niece's birthday present this morning that it should have been outlawed.

I began at KayBee Toys in Manhattan Mall. After I talked myself out of the Prince Charming Ken complete with white horse (I can still dream, can't I?), I came upon a sweet little vanity with mirror and stool. I called my mother, who thought it might be cute for Gina, but something told me to keep looking. Then came that famous board game, Candyland, only it was the Dora the Explorer version. That would surely go over well.

But something pushed me onward. Maybe clothing was the answer. I headed to H&M and found myself laughing out loud like a loon. I can see me in a light pink corduroy blazer this fall, but a 2-year-old? So I was off to Macy's. I went from one designer to the next -- Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan -- but wound up drawn to a light pink ultra suede set for a steal. My sister will be so delighted that I've introduced her daughter to ultra suede.

There's a McDonald's on the children's floor at Macy's, so I dashed in for a rest and a Diet Coke. When I sat down I noticed two little toys sitting on the table. They looked like the prizes from a Happy Meal that someone had opted not to take. They were Barbie branded bracelets in their own little dome boxes -- one for me, one for Gina.

Yeeha.