May babies.... build an extension!

[GeorginaA]

There ya go

well done egypt!!!

We went to a one year old's birthday party today. Quite useful present ideas! DD went absolutely mad on the balloons, chewing them and sucking the knot (think that might be her breastfeeding fetish!).. in fact, she generally went a little mad, crawling around at a terrifying speed and making little whinnying noises. The best present I thought was these transparent Fisher price balls with little plastic animals inside, mounted on an sort of axle so that when the ball rolled the animal inside stayed motionless. Fisher Price are the geniuses of the plastic toy world IMO. Also ELC musical instruments, prob like your MIL has got Egypt.

We gave her a hat for the summer, which ws a mean present as no baby wants to wear one of those.

Wher e is Judd these days?

right behind you....BOO!
I've logged on a couple of times this week and caught up on the goings on, but haven't posted because I didn't know how to launch back in! Daft, I know.
Anyway, things chez nous are all fine. DS is cruising like mad and has got an excellent little route worked out all the way around the lounge. He can crawl as well but does it with a very bad grace and continual grumble which I interpret as something like "Two legs good, four legs bad...I wasn't destined to crawl, I'm better than all of this...I'm only doing it because somebody has shifted my squishy snail with the hoops and I need it NOW"
Also logged on eager as a puppy about a month ago to share my excitement at DS managing to eat fish fingers, grapes and some chips in McDonalds when we got caught short one Saturday. However, the whole world seemed to have turned into one big Jamie Oliver and I didn't dare post! Now I see that Egypt is bandying the words Corned Beef about and I feel able to share
Lots more I want to ask/tell about birthday prezzies - we are 11th May - and also send love to Libb, but I need to get off computer and spend a few moments with DH who has been working away for a while. Bye for now and thank you, Schpots, for noticing I wasn't around!

aww Judd, never be shy! you always make me laugh

And me. (laugh that is). LOL about the Jamie Oliver - have got a bit obsessed myself. But DD had 3 oven chips last night.

Was thinking about a doll's house but wondered if she was a bit young. Hmmm. Also won't fit in her bedroom. But the days of plonking her in DS's bedroom to watch him play are over. She's launching straight in and destroying his brio train track that is currently all over the floor at every opportunity. ELC musical instruments plentiful here too. although for some reason DD's favourite is underside of DS's keyboard. Its only family pressure that is causing me so much angst. If it was just us I wouldn't really care but my Mum expects me to provide her with a long list of ideas from which she can chose.

Hi everyone,

Controled crying commenced with gusto for my freinds dd last night. I stayed with her until 11.30pm and told her to call me if she got worried. I won't bore you with the details but while i was there the first 4 hours were hell and after that her dd got the message quite quickly. I spoke to my freind this morning and apparently after i left her DD slept solidly for 6 hours apart from very, very slight grumbles.
I am taking tonight off!

Judd- Lovely to hear from you! The bit about jamie oliver made me giggle too

Egypt- Would be lovely to see you this week but i can only do tomorrow now. If you do want to come zip onto msn tonight and we'll do directions that way, dp said it would be easier for him like that. Oh and congratulations on your redecoration!

Prufrock- We have a ball poperupper and Kiera loves it, definalty worth getting.

I'd love to get Kiera a dolls house (one of those "i ALWAYS wanted one when i was growing up and never got one" things" but i would want to spend a stupid amount of money on it that we don't have and she's not old enough for one yet according to dp.

Kiera and i have spent the day in front of our fire hiding from the rain outside and i have eaten a whole bag of garlic bites and a donut!

Hope everyone is okay
xxx

I know you have the ballpopperupper cat - it was seeing how much ds like dyours that prompted me to buy it!

What is a ballpopperupper? Please don't tell me it's a toy with balls that pop up.

DD very funny at bedtime. You can crawl in a running fashion, we discover. Halfway through the bedtime routine she decides to leg it and nashes off down the corridor clutching a clothespeg in one fist. Clack, clack ,clack, goes the peg. (DD looks over one little departing shoulder in minx like manner.) What little people they are.

It's an airtivity ball popper (Mumsnet Review Page - one at the bottom)

Dses both love ours.

Think prufrock linked to the ball popper upper this afternoon if you just go down a bit Spots. Know what you mean about little people - whenever DD is upstairs she always heads off towards DS's bedroom (even when he's still asleep) because she knows thats where there is most action and greatest potential for destruction. She did 3 shapes on her shape sorter tonight. Was feeling like a bad mother because I used to spend hours doing it with DS but haven't bothered with her. And we (DD and I) clapped when she did it. Then she threw the next shape over her shoulder, clapped and looked at me as though to ask why I wasn't clapping.

Cross posted Georgina. Have just been looking through catalogues for inspiration and have now come on the computer to have a look. Also got DS's baby book out to see what he got. We got him a trike, a couple of those wooden puzzles and some books. His definite best/longest lasting toy was the sand pit for any of you first timers!

And second timers - I haven't been brave enough to get a sandpit yet

Popular one for ds1 was the Fisher Price Ball Blast. He could pull himself up on it and drop the balls into it - adored it.

We had a sand pit in our garden when I was little. Cats from miles around used to crap in it for our delectation and delight. shame - I think DD would love one. Today I gave her a bowl of water and some little cloths so I could clean the floor without her interference. She was in heaven. Maybe we could just give her that?

or some ice cubes? (another great favourite)

ball poppper looks poppin' good tho.

spots: you can get sandpits with lids these days

We're looking at getting one shaped as a boat with a kind of canal boat play at the top (TP make it)

three seconds apart posting G.! That would be a game if one wanted a challenge ... Try and cross post at exactly the same time...

(can't be ars'd right now tho.)

oof!

good idea, lids!

two minutes...?

luckily dh wants computer. xxx

Yes I remember you recommending the ball blaster before G - thats partially why DD got one for Christmas.

Which reminds me, now ds2 is pulling up (and looking pretty damn smug about it...) I should get it down from the loft for him

Ball Blaster is fab - Argos £19.99 I think. Somebody said that ToysRUs had a sale on and they got one of the Little People sets at a knockdown price.
For a little present, I don't think you can go wrong with the Tomy Eggs. One of those things that always keeps 'em amused...DD still loves ours and laments the missing egg which is at the bottom of a duck pond
Oooh, I know what DD loved! The ELC "Pop It In The Post" game. It's about £12.50 and has only just been relaunched. It's a little post box with differently coloured letters, envelopes and stamps. Fit all the same colours together and post in letter box. Kicks in around 18 months properly but before that DD used to just post happily without caring about letters (letters are v. cute from Dog, Cat, inviting you to the park, hoping you have a lovely sleep!)
What else is going on? Tumbletots squared for us today (DS this morning, DD afternoon)which is always good fun. My problem with older child and moving baby is that DD is CRAP at playing on her own (I'm Mr Tickle, you be the postman and drop your letters in a puddle) and so she likes you to be near, constantly offering comments whilst holding back DS who is hell bent on sampling play doh, jigsaw pieces, small beads etc. When do they start to play together and let me mop the kitchen floor in peace??????

Just labelling up all DS's baby clothes for the NCT sale. So many outfits that brought back happy memories (and one that brought back a shudderful "poo up the back" memory!). So many too that he never even got his big toe in - namely the "Newborn" size!

Oh yes, those eggs are fantastic! Ds1 still plays with them now!

And you've just reminded me - I bought that pop it in the post game in the Jan sales and put it away for ds2's birthday!!! I'd forgotten... now where the hell did I put it?!!

OK... now you'll need to fill me in on Tomy eggs...?

Bright yellow plastic egg carton with 6 differently coloured eggs inside. All squeak when you press them down, have removable eggshell tops, different faces and different shapes on the bottom - DD still plays with them and matches up the faces and shapes (bordering on the obsessive though ). I found them handy because you could always just pop one in your pocket if you knew you might need a 5 minute distraction to gag down a coffee mid afternoon! Think ours were from Woolies.
Boo - crying child, gotta dash

Tomy Eggs (the top one)

Yes! I have seen these in other people's houses. agree they're great. on shopping list now.

lol well I've just written a huge long list for both children for rellies to pick one and not tell me (so I get a surprise too!).

Our list reads:

DS1

• books
• Leappad books (LEAP 1 (4-6 years) level)
• jigsaw puzzles - at least 50 pieces
• decent road mat for his cars (fabric, roll up, not going to fall apart after half hour's play!)
• sandpit (we think the one that's most practical is www.tptoys.com/prod_item.asp?itemID=45 ... both sandpit PLUS lid (lid is sold separately and too many cats around here not to get a lid!!!!))
• any boardgame marked suitable for 4+ (i.e. not heavily dependant on reading skills or very precise hand-eye coordination)

DS2

• books
• walker (we quite like this one from the ELC www.elc.co.uk/key-04500/sku-105264/p1-SubCategory/p2-48/SubcatProduct.do ... but more than happy with something similar/nicer)
• ride on toy (something suitable for short legs to minimize sibling disagreements in the garden!!)
• just about anything from the ELC aimed at 12 or 18 months+ as ELC seem to be particularly well made and good value.

Ds1 will be getting a playmobile set from us (not sure which one yet) and a Shopping List memory game by Orchard Toys from "ds2". Ds2 will be getting an ELC Happyland set of some description (not sure which one yet) from us and an ELC Pop It In The Post set from "Ds1".

PHEW... it's just like Christmas all over again, isn't it?!