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September 2014 - Babies turn 1!

994 replies

lilone1234 · 12/08/2015 16:56

First birthdays are starting to arrive and our babies are becoming toddlers! What will the next year have in store?

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18
FATEdestiny · 01/02/2016 20:40

Yeah for your braveness Lilly! Super cuteness! Grin

My snugness at overcoming The Nose Wipe Wars was short lived. The constant battle is back on. She drops to the floor and hides her face at first sight of any tissue or wipe. Grrrr

Topsyloulou · 01/02/2016 21:41

I love seeing all the photos. Such a gorgeous bunch of toddlers.

Hope the nose wiping is almost at an end Fate.

DS has a new favourite toy, it kept him entertained for 30 minutes on Saturday afternoon when we visited my dad & he has been obsessed with it since. The thing of such fascination - a clothes peg! He loves it, he carries it around, has to show people it, likes me to put it on his finger for him to take off, desperately tries to open & close it but can't quite do it. As soon as we got home tonight he had to find it. Anyone else's child got an obsession with a household object?

ApplesTheHare · 01/02/2016 22:28

Hello everyone, I haven't been around here for a long time due to work plus taking on a few freelance jobs. All your photos are gorgeous, and I'd love to share one of DD with you all but I've definitely used MN in the past to vent AIBU type things that seem trivial now but I'd never want those involved to see - e.g. mil issues. Hope you are all OK?Smile DD is doing well. Her language has exploded recently so I've lost track of how many (hundreds of) words she can say. She's also started putting words together which is very sweet - e.g. mummy's shoes. Can anyone believe we'll have 18-month-olds soon?? For some reason that feels like a big milestone...

jaykay34 · 02/02/2016 19:47

Hello apples ! I also returned from a long break and wondered if you were still about.
I know what you mean about 18 months being a milestone - it feels more so than the first birthday !

I love all the pics, they are definitely all gorgeous little people !

J's talking is in fits and bursts - he can say quite a lot of words but goes through phases of saying them. He understands so much now, and has a real cheeky sense of humour. He's always laughing, and real good fun - I do love this age.

cookielove · 02/02/2016 20:46

My phone still won't let me upload a photo, so you will just have to trust me he is adorable Grin

We have words here but not alot, not worried at all though! He has started to eat new foods which is brilliant :)

polkadotdelight · 03/02/2016 09:59

We are away on our little holiday and its so nice to be with DS and DH instead of at work. DS doesnt say very much at all, especially compared to the rest of the posts here but he can make himself known and is happy enough!

CumbrianExile · 03/02/2016 10:14

Have a nice holiday Polka

I agree, we all have lovely little people Grin

Not many words here either, but he does make himself known and he is starting to pick up the odd word. I was convinced he said Thomas (as in the tank engine) the other day but he hasn't said it since so it must have been my imagination!

Has anyone else got a squealer? It has happened over the last few days, I think because he doesn't have many words, if he can't make himself understood, or he gets impatient waiting for a few seconds he squeals. It is very high pitched and goes straight through me lol. So I am hoping it is temporary!

lilone1234 · 03/02/2016 16:46

Where are you for your holiday polka?

Does anyone have any good indoor games/activities for your LO's that don't need too much prep/aren't too messy? I feel we rely too much on CBeebies!

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TeamEponine · 03/02/2016 17:50

Have a wonderful holiday Polka!

DD has learned to squeal, but it is more of the excited variety. Very high pitched and painful though!

We got DD some play doh for Christmas, and she loves playing with that. I just stick her in her high chair and occasionally help by making little balls she can stick together. Colouring keeps her quiet for a few minutes. She's also started to like cooking, so we have been doing some baking and cooking together. Quite into books too, and she still loves playing with her stacking cup. Oh, she's learned to kick a ball, so her and DH are playing "football"!!!

I'd love to hear other ideas though Grin

TeamEponine · 03/02/2016 17:52

Oh, colouring is strictly crayons only! Anything else is too messy for me Wink

polkadotdelight · 03/02/2016 19:18

We are near Stratford (potentially outing myself!). Its just so nice to be away from work, to sit and relax in the evening without thinking 'I should be doing.......'. We went to a butterfly farm today and DS adored it!

Sticklebricks/bristle blocks are good non messy play in our house and books, lots of books!

Zanashar · 03/02/2016 21:03

Polka - sticklebricks had been bugging me for ages as I could not for the life of me remember what they were called!! Thank you!
Butterfly farm sounds great for LOs. Will have to take DD to one soon.
Enjoy your break :)
DD is finally letting me wipe her nose - hurrah.
Bedtime and nap time has gone a bit strange lately though. Last night it took me 90 mins to get her off to sleep. An hour of that was spent with me actually in her cot with her ( yes I'm weird!) and each time I tried to escape she would be up like a shot. It was interesting to see her in her half sleepy mode giggling and chattering away to her bedtime friends though. In the end I had to take a backwards step and give her a dummy ( or Bobo as we call it) after almost two weeks of going without it Confused
Is anyone else noticing any changes?

polkadotdelight · 03/02/2016 21:14

Zanashar bristle blocks are the cheaper alternative to stickle bricks. DS cant get to grips with duplo yet but he is ok with these.

FATEdestiny · 03/02/2016 21:27

me actually in her cot with her

That's bonkers! Kudos to you for fitting in there though - no chance I'd fit even if so inclined to try.

lilone - what about singing? Teaching action songs is great at this age.

cookielove · 04/02/2016 07:10

I know someone else who climbs into their cot with their dd! I fear if I got in I would a) break it b) not fit or c) get stuck!

LillyBugg · 04/02/2016 12:18

I'm sure DS wouldn't be able to do half these things! Play d'oh I'm pretty sure he would eat. Baking, definitely not. But then he's not even walking so how would that work?! He has just learnt to throw a ball so we play with a ball a lot. And he does love books.

Tbh he spends most of his time at home just doing free play with his toys. Either with me joining in, or alone. We read books to. I do wonder if I should do more, but he has three days a week at nursery and we go to the park, swimming and play groups when we can. And the only tv he watches is night garden before bed. Does that sound ok? I have this image of other super mums in my head doing structured activities with craft and stuff and I really don't think that DS is capable of it at all yet. I guess he is quite babyish.

lilone1234 · 04/02/2016 13:21

My DD wouldn't be ready for crafty stuff either Lilly. Probably not cooking either, doesn't have the attention span! How do you do it Team? Is she in her highchair?

I need to get some crayons, she does like drawing but I've only been able to get colouring pencils but they're a bit harder for little ones to use.

We do all the action songs at groups and while the others happily play at being sleeping bunnies or rowing their boat DD does not care for them in the slightest!

Sticklebricks sound good!

I got some soapy bath foam on a whim and DD is loving that in the bath, holds her hand out for me to squirt some in, thought I'd share a hit!

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Topsyloulou · 04/02/2016 18:52

DS loves the aqua doodle. It has stamps,
a pen & a big brush so he can do all different things & it's just water so no mess to prep for / clean up. We either do it on the floor or at the dining table.

He also loves megablocks. I mainly do the building & he knocks them down!

Train set is another huge hit, he's got the happy land one at home & a wooden one at my mums which he prefers. He played with it all day today.

Cars are also popular, we race them up & down the hallway.

We sometimes put mtv on & dance round the living room together.

We tend to do lots of free play in the evening as he has lots of activities at the CM during the day & we go out a lot at the weekend.

jaykay34 · 05/02/2016 11:41

J loves cars/vehicles/anything with wheels. He would play with them all day if he could - he never seems to get bored of them ! He started off spinning wheels, now it's fill on racing game them across the floor saying "brrrrmmm".
He likes his shape sorters too and looks so proud, and claps himself, when he posts a shape through. He also likes stacking cups.
He also has some figures of In the night garden characters and the twirly woos and they often get to ride in the cars.
We don't really do arts and crafts at home as he still puts everything in his mouth. However, he does join in messy play activities at nursery.
He likes reading books - particularly if they feature a character that he recognises or have a "feely" page.
He has just started getting into dancing and his musical instruments - he likes music a lot.
He seems to love his toys. He has far less than the twins had - we have kept them to a minimum (although they have still taken over the house) - but he really makes the most of what he has.

MissMoo22 · 05/02/2016 12:03

Finally caught up on the thread! I've just not been over to this neck of the woods (on MN) for ages but it was lovely to see what your babies are all up to and I love seeing the pictures, they are all very cute. I am very jealous of the little girls with hair, M still has the same amount she had 6 months ago!

Our routine is a little bit 'routine' and a lot 'go with the flow' but 3 things we are sticking to is wake at 9am (yes, that's late but she refuses to sleep at night til 10pm), nap no later than 2pm and only for 90 mins max (try to have nap at midday but sometimes she just refuses) and then bath routine from 9pm. Meal times just fit in with naps/what we're doing etc. She really won't settle for bed any earlier and a few weeks back she was being a nightmare with not sleeping til midnight (sometimes later) then sleeping til 10:30 next day. We're night owls anyway but this is no good for a baby so had to start waking her. I'd rather she slept at 9pm and woke at 8 but this will do for now. She wakes in the night but I bring her into bed with me and she goes straight to sleep.

She has 11 teeth now, including 4 molars which didn't cause much of a fuss. She isn't a great eater and isn't fussed on bread products at all, maybe the odd bit of toast. She is quite big though and I sometimes wonder how she can be so big whilst not eating that much through the day. She picks at food and will try anything and everything but only eat a few bites of it. She is in 12-18 trousers but is quite boxy on top so needs 18-24 on top for comfort.

She is on the go all the time but would rather play with household things than toys. Her absolute favourite thing to play with is my box of nail polishes. She just loves rearranging them.

Good luck to the ladies TTC, I think the age gap would be lovely.

A 4 bed house round here with big garden and in a good area would only set you back £150-200K, I often want to start a thread asking what £200K would get in your area, I think I just might do this. I love a good nosey.

Loads of words coming from M recently, she likes to repeat the last word I say 'Will we make lunch?' 'Lunch!', so has quite a big vocab now. My older boys love teaching her words although they also love teasing her. DS1 knows that she gets upset if she hears her babydoll crying so he intentionally presses the foot that makes the doll cry just to see M's reaction. But he is also the one she runs to play with so she doesn't hold a grudge.

I am finding her very funny at the minute, she asks for Mick and I know she means she wants to watch Mickey Mouse, she adores that and Curious George so she will snuggle with me while we watch those.

lilone1234 · 05/02/2016 22:57

MissMoo I thought you'd left us for good!

Jay - my DD likes her cars too! And shape sorters but although I make a fuss when she puts one in she doesn't seem bothered but gets very frustrated and throws shapes when she can't get them in. Clearly a bit highly strung!

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jaykay34 · 06/02/2016 12:55

lilone Haha, J has got the "cookie" shape sorter, and worked out that if he can't get one in, he can just get the lid off and put them in the top. The only thing is he can't pull the lid off himself, but if he smashes it on the floor, the lid flies off so he does it that way ! He also knows that the circle is the foolproof option so likes to show off a bit with that one 😀

TeamEponine · 06/02/2016 13:05

Hello miss moo! Good to see you back.

Lil - DD is also quite highly strung. We now have full on tantrums. Lying on the floor and kicking her legs Hmm

When we cook together she's usually sat on the worktop next to me. She loves stirring, and I usually have a spare bowl and whisk for her as she gets quite enthusiastic! Her favourite thing, though, is to put the paper cases into the holes on the baking tray.

Very, very into books. She can say book very clearly now, and she comes up to you with one saying "book". She is also singing lots. Her current favourite is to sing the "eieio" from old mc Donald or the "roll over" from ten in the bed. Over and over...

We have a bubble machine and she loves trying to catch and pop the bubbles. That's quite good to wear her out on a rainy day.

Slightly stranger, she's very into cleaning the floor, so she has her own cleaning cloth. I'm not complaining!

DD has a bit of a temp today. Seems relatively okay in herself, but temp of 38.5+. Hope it is something that quickly passes.

Oh, recently we were talking about signs of being ready for potty training. DD has recently gone for proudly having a poo sat on my lap, or anywhere really, to going off in the corner to do it!?!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

lilone1234 · 07/02/2016 08:22

Team - I have known kids that are in the midst of potty training doing this?! Do you think you'd give her a try on the potty? Hope temp has gone down, DD has woken up with one this morning.

Had a little go at letting her join in with me making banana bread yesterday up on the counter. I don't think she's quite ready yet, but it could have been worse!

We did spend a bit of time sticking stickers into a magazine yesterday, she really enjoyed it!

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ApplesTheHare · 07/02/2016 19:59

Hi jaykay I wondered if you were still about too!

I didn't catch up on the thread enough to realise that some of you ladies were TTC. You're so brave! I'd love another but don't feel anywhere near ready to go through pregnancy or baby-hood again.

DD is super into books, animals and anything make believe with her soft toys. She loves feeding them pretend food, putting them to bed and dancing with them. Oh yes, dancing is a BIG favourite here!