For the 8th time...............May Babies!

[egypt]

well hello

Got a list of childminder's through. How do I go about choosing one - Libb, Twiglett, anyone with experience?

God no, spots. I'll just be in awe of you

Bozza: relieved that ds2 isn't the only non-babbler - not that I was particularly worried about it before! Very impressed with the repertoire of finger foods. I just always feed the babe first while ds1 watches TV, then switch the babe into his stationary walker thing before feeding us.

Wouldn't mind a long list of finger foods actually, because that's obviously something I'm really bad at

mortgage extension has been approved and builder booked for our extension. Oh help. Now I have to go shop for a kitchen tomorrow. Someone tell me what I want!!

4th birthday present - has your ds got a Leappad, Bozza? We got ds1 one for Christmas undecided whether it would be used much and it's been a big hit. The other hit from Christmas was a Playmobil Rubbish Lorry - so I'd wholeheartedly recommend any Playmobil sets (although obviously an "upstairs toy" or wherever you keep your fiddly toys away from the baby!)

Just to add my thrupenny worth re: Playmobil. It crops up really often on Ebay and goes for bargain prices. We got the playground and the digger set for about £4 each (I was within a sniff of the rubbish truck and went to the toilet in the final moment, so confident was I, only to have been outbid when I returned!)

Me too on the Playmobil! I got a bus and an ambulance in a car boot sale, just for 'household use'. All the older children I know (2-5 year olds) are completely mad for 'em. Best car boot sale purchase ever. LOVE the idea of a rubbish lorry - I want one!

Bozza, I don't know if I have done my spiel on our wonderful new childminder. Don't think I have posted on same day as DD has been (?) -but she is so lovely. (Has anyone ever met a horrible person who has really brown eyes?) Anyway I had all the local c/minder details off gov.uk website (can't remember link but if nobody else can provide it I'll look it up) and rang around. A good few I discounted immediately on that basis. Then J's name came up in conversation with a friend whose daughter has been going to her for ages, so personal recommendations came through in the end I suppose.

Finger foods: well, torn up prunes are a biggy for us. All the obvious ones: breadsticks, rice cakes, bits of peeled fruit. Sometimes I give her a bread crust with fruit puree spread on it, or dip a crust in her sloppy food if she is in too independent a mood to be spoon fed. Or mix tons of baby rice in with it so that it can be rolled into balls and fingered. Meatball or felafel type things would be great if I could get round to making some.

Judd, will look forward to hearing all about the christening. What will he Wear???

Casmie, very excited about your extension. I will live out my own extension fantasies through you so pleeeease domestic detail us to distraction!

that is so stupid about the brown eyes

osama bin laden always looks like such a nice geezer..

Bozza .. about childminders go round and ask questions (there's a list somewhere) but really IMHO any childminder will have standard answers cos they've heard them all before ..

I personally think there's a couple of important things to do

go with your gut feeling .. if you are in any way uneasy then go with that feeling .. if you feel warm and comfortable and 'click' then that's a fantastic sign

follow up references .. call as many as possible

oh and once baby is settled in .. turn up unannounced (or late / early) a couple of times just to see that what you think is happening is .. I turned up late with DS one morning with my first childminder and found 7 other children there

but my second childminder was / is superb ..and she was quite shy when we met .. but she had older children (youngest was 16 and they were all lovely and polite which said a lot for her) and we still exchange christmas cards with her

HTH

Spots .. I'm still a hippy breastfeeder for the moment

And a happy one too I hope Twiglett!

Spots, DP and DS have brown eyes - I think they are pretty nice people. Although DP is pushing it a bit at the moment...

Bozza, to be honest I went with my gut instinct most of all when I met our childminder. She is Ofsted registered and she gave me a CV type thing when I first called round, I also made her hold DS straight away to see how she came across. I think I also asked every question under the sun. She also gave me a list of contacts so I could get references. Hope that helps.

As someone with 'really' brown eyes (like smarties I've been told) .. what's with the brown eye comments .. can't find the original post (haven't looked hard though )

POOR little baby is really suffering with his teeth at the moment He feels a bit warm to me, but not quite a temperature, bit of a runny nappy but not really runny, finding it really difficult to settle for naps/nighttime but happy enough in the day. One top tooth has cut through but the other is on its way. Feel like we should be buying shares in Calpol at the moment...

Ooops - omitted to mention that the childminder is for DS not DD for when he goes to school in September as DD is well settled in nursery. There is one who is a neighbour which I can't decide if that is good or bad will have to check out the colour of her eyes.

DS has got a leappad - got it last birthday and new books for it this Christmas. He's used it loads. Also got the bin lorry playmobile. We got him the aeroplane for Christmas and so he's getting the airport to go with that. Its more what to suggest when other people ask. But since I posted DH has spoken to his parents and they are getting the playmobile tour bus.

DD would not tolerate sitting in her stationary walker thing while we ate. Actually what I normally do is give her whatever is suitable off my plate (don't really cook with salt anyway but somethings with sacues/stock not so good). So she has peas, brocolli, sweetcorn, peach, pear, banana, strawberry, brab flakes (! dh's cereal), bread, toasr, cheese, cucumber, noodles, pasta, satsumas, apple, pear etc. some are more suitable than others.

Finished the shower last night so now need to clean the glass/perspex door.

Finger foods - some good ideas on this thread.
DS and dd have just had potato cakes - leftover mashed potato mixed with knob of butter, flour (about 3:1 potato/flour) - so it forms a stiff dough. Make into round cakes (or cut out shapes with cookie cutters if that will make your toddler eat better) and fry over a low heat with a bit of butter or oil. Ds just has them plain, dd is allowed to dip in ketchup, or spread pesto on hers. I slather with butter and black pepper.

Domestic detail - we have just bought an elliptical trainer, stepper and bike and will be turning our spare room into a gym. So instead of veggnig in front of TV in the evening DH and I will be working out in front of the TV. Sie 10 jeans here I come.

(And I'm still a hippy bf as well - just only twice a day. Not a happy one though - nipples still sore. I hate thrush)

Oh and forgot the exciting baby detail - ds managed to pull up onto one foot and one knee using the coffee table today.

You have a spare room
DH's office is behind the sofa in the lounge. Cramps my style no end when he works from home!

Spare room, guest room and a study downstairs - we didn't actually want so much space but there isn't much choice in the family home rental market round here.

proud daddy alert!!!! because i missed everything - again
ds is without his seat in the bath now, and we've got that funky bathmat (with blue shells) and ds well couldn't resist finding out what they are and stuck his head under water - poor him, came up really quickly again and looked all puzzled! but no cry whatsoever.
AND he managed to pull himself up using the railing - gosh, daddy is proud today

so, getting a glass of baileys now and some toffiffe and going to snuggle up on the coach with dp and watching tv

Bless him Susi! That's so clever!

Hmm, have I done the right thing, folks? Haven't cleaned ds2's teeth tonight and just given him some Teetha and put him to bed. His gum seems so swollen and sore that he wouldn't let me feel it with my finger - kept pulling away and crying; didn't think it was fair to subject him to a teeth clean.

Hope this tooth comes through soon. It's horrible seeing him hurt so much

OMG i've never cleaned dd's tooth which has been poking through for about a week. how am i sposed to do that and should i be doing that?! oh god, it's going to rot and fall out....shheeeeeettttt

anyway, apart from that, i have brown eyes. my nan used to call me blackcurrant eye...which is a worry i suppose as they are purple. hmmm

dd also pulled herself up today on one foot and one knee on her cot rails. bless - looked very proud but straining at the same time.

thats eyes - i do have 2

back again! just watched 'stars in your eyes' - sad, i know! but the only program we actually can watch at the time! the wind has blown our antenna over and it's hanging off the pole 45 degrees- instead of getting it repaired we've opted to get sky - next friday

dp's made some popcorn and i am still on my first glass of baileys - admittingly a quite large glass

ehm, still could do with a clue re 'brown eyes' ?????

oh my, teeth cleaning! i am glad if we manage once a day (evenings in the bath) - but over the last weeks the teeth are just coming like mad. can't touch it with that rough brush

agreed casmie, you feel just so helpless!

prufrock: well done on your personal fitness center! we've got one of them elliptic ones in our conservatory - guess i should 'de-spiderweb' it again

bozza: what age would you say the leappad is good to get? dp is a big techie and he's looking at them longingly already

ehm, how old are your children??? playing with playmobile already

casmie: wohoooo re extension! hope it won't be too dusty and exhausting

judd: hope you have a lovely christening

I can't do that proper teethcleaning that's on the leaflet the dentist gives you. DD would give you a dunt in the ribs if you held her like that. I have 2 toothbrushes and have to try and get toothbrush 2 in past toothbrush 1 while toothbrush 1 is being chewed to buggery and wiggle it furiously. I don't know if it even really hits the tooth but we call this toothcleaning in our house.

looove 'blackcurrant eyes'. Maybe I can call DD 'blackcurrant teeth' before long.

Prufrock what goes with the house moving? you are moving aren't you?

Helsy must be settling into her new one.

Susi and Twiglett it was me started the brown eyes stuff... I just had a moment of thinking brown eyes mean t you were a nice person. My Goodness how naive.

Prufrock that was a good thread link and you do sound like a magic cook.

I do feel chatty, is anyone around???

DD was singing today, it was so sweet. I always sing her to sleep but today she joined in! Not in tune obviousl;y... but quite different formm her 'speaking'voice and she stopped when I stopped. DH was next door in the kitchen and when I went through he was ending himself laughing because he could hear her.

I am in a good mood about fitness because some of the mums have a running group going during Toddlers and have asked if I want to come along. My brown eyed childminder goes to Toddlers and can mind DD so I can go... Hooray! I used to do quite a bit of running in my pre DD days but am a bit unfit now. Very actually. I tried last Sunday and was quite ragged by the end. Shall go again tomorrow.

And also, shut up spots.

The leappad we have for DS who will be 4 next month is from age 4 but he got it from his 3rd birthday. He has used it ever since but has been getting more out of it recently (bit tired of "Scar is a horrible king and he has ruined the pridelands" myself ). My friend got her DS one for Christmas and apparently her DD has been playing with it using the pen etc ever since so she is getting the baby one for her first birthday on Monday.

Casmie I would definitely have left the teeth tonight. DD's teeth are also a power struggle atm. We added cherries to the list of finger foods tonight although I have to say the stain they left might prove quite challenging. I'm considering investing in a pelican bib. DS's bit the dust when I put it on the stove without realising I'd left the gas on.

DD stood propped against the settee and clapped tonight.

Sorry spots can't chat because I need to go to bed. .

Going on ebay to chat to the unwanted christmas presents.