I bought my boys some magnetic tiles, a set I found at TJ MAXX now just have to hide it until then lol.
It sounds like you're doing great! Getting something smaller for birthday and big for Christmas is great, I lucked out because my little girl was born Dec 7th so it's plenty of time before Christmas and we have a big family birthday party to celebrate, and she gets a few gifts but the party is the main event 👍 My little girl loves to color, read, and play with little dolls, animals, and blocks. I love to get anything somewhat educational so she can learn at the same time!
I always try to think of things in advance. My boy loves dinosaurs. So dinosaur sticker book. A slide for the inside stairs. A baby doll. Not totally sure what else yet.