I have no idea what his/her idea of fun is, but just to give a few ideas, miniature golf, dancing, an amusement park, a summer sport like water skiing or karaoke. You can also do something more simple which is making up a game for them. I find that that can be pretty thoughtful, very cheap, and makes a them feel special.

The theme could be something like true love, and the two of you try to compete till one will win his/her heart. And you can make little cards saying something funny like opps you forgot to give him/her flowers (go back one space). Or you took him/her out to a special candlelit dinner (go up one space). I think you get the idea. So if all else fails and you can't figure out what to do then be creative and create your own good time together.

You really don't need to spend much money to make someone feel special. Give them flowers, serve him/her breakfast in bed, take him/her out for a nice romantic walk, take him/her to see there favorite film. You know them better than anyone else, so just do whatever you know they'd enjoy! I'm sure that will make him/her birthday special and memorable.

Also, I think it is worth researching what it is about his/her birthdays that they don't enjoy so much. It will be better for you both if you know what it is and work around that. For example, you may tend to throw him/her big parties in your effort to make it special for them, but the fact might be that he/she doesn't like to see too many on that day.

There is a chance that you are being counterproductive in your attempts to make it better for them. This is information worth knowing. Just ask them.

I don't think the first one with the, I'll stand by you on it is too bad for this stage of the relationship. It's meaningful to them. It's not exactly saying that you don't love them, but it is saying that you really care about them and will always be there for him/her.

Anyway, I think it's sweet and I would go for your first one. About saying your special well I'm not really sure. I would give you a few hints, but if you want it to be funny then well usually I would add like little pet names in it or throw some inside jokes in it. Like for my boyfriend/girlfriend I usually call him/her sweetheart, honey, and daddy at each other.

He/she would probably love it if I threw one of those in there and said something like he/she means more to me than a cheesecake ever would. Now to him/her that's something special because it's a little joke you share.

So if you were going to say it then instead of a normal, I think your special just say the same thing, but make it different. You can always ask your friends to for some tips on this. But honestly I think the first one you put was really nice and you should go with that. I know that whatever you do he'll love the gift!