WASHINGTON — They grow up so fast, don’t they?

Giant panda cub Bei Bei celebrated his second birthday Aug. 22 by noshing on a few bites of “panda-friendly cake,” playing with several new balls he got and squeezing his now somewhat-hefty 150-pound frame into a small box labeled “birthday boy.”

The special cake, whipped up by the National Zoo’s nutrition department was made up of frozen diluted juice, apples, pears, carrots, sweet potatoes and leaf-eater biscuits.

The panda cub was successfully weaned from his mother Mei Xiang earlier this year. He has grown more independent and has turned into an avid climber, zoo officials said earlier this year.