We went shopping for a friend’s child’s birthday yesterday. A sure sign of turning old if there was any. Earlier a party meant hanging out with friends dancing the night away, now a party means the stodgy office get-togethers mostly farewells or promotions; the only ‘informal’ parties are the birthdays of your colleagues’ children. Considering it would be the first of many such birthdays in years to come, I decided to plunge right in. What do you get a one year old, and a four year old? I tried to revise the baby milestones while thinking out loud “ Does a one year old understand colours? Is a squeaky toy too kiddish for a one year old? Have they outgrown the quacking of the duck, and are they ready for the mechanics of a toy car? We decided to go for the sensible gifts. The kinds which the parents appreciate; after all how many of us remember what we got on our first birthday, or for that matter what we got on the fourth birthd...