January 2009 - New year, new buns in various ovens and time for our not so little ones to turn one!

[SherryMerryLennipillar]

Happy 2010 everyone! Cast your mind back to this time last year... [soppy]

Too much wine - excuse for thread title should it be shite rubbish when I read it tomorrow. Thought it was time to wave goodbye to the festive one, although perhaps we should have waited for epiphany?

Lenni- we have pinata (pull one, not hitting as the bloody things never break!!), bubble machine, pass-the-parcel and musical bumps. Plus food and plus a bit of free-play in the playroom with the tunnel and shop and dressing up out I think that is more than enough!!
Treasure-hunt sounds fab, we have loads of gold coins from xmas so I may just pinch that idea! I did once go to a party where they did a draw-the-nose on igglepiggle type thing as a young kiddies version of donkey.

Sorry about your deliveries fecking snow!! And DS had a few nights of this a while back and it turned out to be back molars, all 4 of them!

Lenni, I've just been through a month of that with H. between one and three hours every night of him pulling my hair and going round and round in circles on the bed. I found he had to be in our bed because otherwise he would wake DD. I came to the conclusion it was developmental as he woke and was too excited to sleep. He is mostly through it now but it drove me insane. Actually, two things did help. Doing lots of physical excercise during the day (like crawling up stairs lots of times) and pulling his afternoon nap, or making sure it was over before 4.30. Good luck.

Dog, where is the meet up? I'd love to try and make it. HZ... fancy a jaunt with me and H?

Lenni- bunch of no-marks!!! Love the fact that they don't recognise each other either! They must be saving some good ones for later, either that or I am completely out of touch and need to start reading heat again!

Dog- Yes to meet-up! 120 and HZ, where could you get to?

ooo lots of chat. Too much! I missed forst half of Agath Christie and hadn't asked sky to tape it! Argh!

Well, our ginerbread has been open since before Christmas and is still lovely Hoping it's stil ok on 23rd

Haven't seen EPPM at all tbh.

Have lots of glass jars for same reasons Moose, so might so something similar

Lenni - hate to say that dd1 wa the same. We stuck it out and settled her every evening like that. Took between 1 - 3 hours. Till she was about 3. The pay off is now we have a ss who goes to bed on her own pretty much. Just tuck her in and leave her to it.
I ate many a dinner in the dark in her room for that.
DD2 on the other hand is cuddled to sleep. Mainly owing to my complete lack of sleep and motivation in the 1st 6 months of her life. Dunno if you heard, but she was rather unsettled sue to intolerance? I may have mentioned it.......a bit.....every hour or so.

Am sure your ds will be different though. Need Moose to get the weeks book out!

Am really really glad the infection is sorted and she is home. Must have caught it early and got the right AB's in, which is brill. Hope she feels better soon. Poor poor thing.

No you never mentioned the sleep thing before Tree - sorry I know I shouldn't moan. DD was similar to your DD1 it seems, she is a fab little sleeper now, but it took 18 months of at least 3 hourly feeding to get a single unbroken night.

Am loving the blatent self promotion on this show! No-one there to sell records then!

Hi Lenni, when I did the boys joint 2nd/4th party we did craft stuff rather than party games. It was an easter party and everyone got to paint a hard boiled egg, decorate a wind up egg and decorate their own party bag and a bunny ears hat. For ds1's 6th we did a space party and all the boys made and decorated alka seltzer rockets that we 'launched' in my Mum's back garden along with about 5 million screaming rocket balloons (rather her neighbours than mine ). I also bought one of those cardboard eco rockets and a space pod tent (ebay cheapie) and they spent a good deal of time charging around the garden eating home made rocket ice lollies. In my experience 3 and under they tend not to really 'get' the games and like to spend ages eating, playing with whatever toys are available, dancing and batting balloons around.

Dd will be the only baby at her party with the next youngest being 3 and the others all aged between 5 and 9. I would be in biiiig trouble if there were no sweets in the party bags.

I actually did discuss setting up a party planning business with my sister a couple of years ago. I have millions of ideas and love the idea of spending other peoples' money on extravagant party set-ups, but don't think I have the confidence to make it work in practice.

Dh always gets a bit twitchy when there's a birthday coming up because he knows I like to really nail down the details and make sure things are nicely co-ordinated etc. Unfortunately for him that means I tend to buy things that he would deem unneccessary.

Can't believe they let him do the Thong Song, how funny.

now TWO of Jordan's ex-shag partners in there, how depressing!

Moose- you should sooooooooo do that, you would be great as you have a great eye for details. I heart alka-seltzer rockets and agree that craft type stuff (make own hat/party-bag/placemat) is great for the over 3's.

Wouldn't be all that hard to round up a whole house of Jordan's shag partners (love that description ). Hope we are upping the viewing ratings between us Pat! I do actually recognise the last guy. I am such a loser when it comes to slebs, I know no one.

Moose - I think you would make a wonderful party planner.

Think I'll do the crowns then, thanks for that.

Of course you should moan Lenni, blimey if you can't mention sleep problems on a postnatal thread then bugger! I only meant that I may have made your ears bleed in the summer, with my dd2 exploits

Moose, I am constantly being told to go into party planning. And not just by people who like me We shoudl do it together. I bubble with ideas too, especially on weddings.
I'd be just so gutted if someone didn't like something. Or complained over silly things. I might find that annoying.

Just popping in to say hi and sorry for crap line up ... no-one wants to do it, they all want to do strictly or something else nice. Better get back to it... [takes deep breath]

OOOOo are you there now!? And here too. Wow how exciting.

Lenni- v.true!!
I just have this nasty image of her sat at home all self-important going 'oh, my god they are so obsessed with me that they even put my loser ex-boyfs in the house. I must be so goddam famous.....blardy, blardy. blah'. Sorry, but she is just so vile and (I'm not one to gossip but) what she did when pg with that first child will forever make her lower than a piece of dirt in my opinion!!.

yes, crowns sound fabulouso by the way!

Yay to Tree and Mooses new business!!!!

OOOOoooooo!!! The last guy was hot - I wanted to call DS Jonas. Good luck!!!!!

MissJ- No need to we LOVE the crapness of some of them! I also LOVE LadySov and Sisquo, and Stephanie B will be solid gold I reckon!

That good luck was aimed at MissJ, not Jonas, although he may need it.

Not a Jordan fan then Pat??

How did you guess .

Who was that last bird??

Oooh a famous person!

No idea on last bird - Vinnie is famous person.

Right laydeez, after hobbling up the stairs (lord knows how I'm going to manage when dh goes back to work tomorrow) to find the book I now give you the follow quote from, Wonderweeks:

"Between 49 and 53, you child begins to perceive that her world is changing again. While she is sorting out this new complexity, she will need some extra comfort and support, and this makes her appear fussy and demanding for a while. This fussy period will often last for 4 or 5 weeks, but it can be as short as 3 weeks or as long as 6. If your baby is cranky, watch her closely. There's a good chance she's attempting to master new skills."

Fussy signs:

Cries more often and is more often cranky or fretful

Is cheerful one moment and cries the next

Wants you to keep him busy, or does so more often

Clings to your clothes or wants to be closer to you

Acts unusually sweet

Is mischievous

Throws temper tantrums, or throws them more often

Is jealous

Is more obviously shy with strangers

Wants physical contact to be tighter or closer

Sleeps poorly

Has 'nightmares', or has them more often

Loses appetite

Sometimes just sits there, quietly daydreaming

Sucks his thumb, or does so more often

Reaches for a cuddly toy, or does so more often

Is more babyish (?)

To paraphrase (a lot) Basically up until now the babies have perceived the world in terms of sequences, ie what steps are involved in carrying out each task. This leap will enable them to see things in terms of programmes rather than sequences. Programmes are things that we do regularly, but not necessarily in the same way, the stages are flexible rather than fixed. eg Counting to 10 is a sequence that never changes, things like dusting, laying the table or even going shopping are programmes as they aren't necessarily done the same way every time. Apparently we will see evidence of the leap in their play. They may become interested again in toys they had lost interest in but play with them in a more imaginative or complex way.

Blimey that took a long time to type. Apologies for any typos, I haven't proof read any of it.

Thank you very much Moose. It's really kind of you to do all that. You could tell us to bug off and get our own

Sounds like they are turnign from babies to infants/toddlers. SOB!!!!!

Wow, cheers moose. Lots of those behaviours are evident in DS recently (although strangely NOT loss of apetite). We have had lots of sngry outbursts today and lots of insistent pointing at something but not really wanting what it is when he gets it!

Thank you so so much Moose, that is really reassuring.

How many brain cells do you think they have between them?