Aw, so cute! I remember so clearly when she was born
. I like Sebastian a lot, I'm sure the little boy in The Neverending Story was called that and he shortened it to Bastian which I like too. Elliott is only 13 months so not sure I can give any advice about her toys etc apart from that I got a cool book in a charity shop the other day about ideas for entertaining your toddler called The Toddler's Busy Book by Trisha Kuffner. It's a bit American in that some of the ingredients needed to make your own play dough etc I've never heard of but apart from that it's got really good, very cheap if not free ideas to amuse toddlers. I actually already had a copy I'd got through my library but it was so good that I didn't want to give it back so when I saw this copy for £1.50 I was very happy! Mel is a bit little for most of it but I did try giving him some cooked spaghetti to play with the other day and he was amused for ages. Also I saved a cardboard gift box from Xmas and put various bits and pieces in it everyday and give it to him to explore while he's in his high chair- things like little bottles, a single brick or wooden block, plastic trays from food, one of his socks etc. A couple of pots with a biscuit broken into lots of bits keeps him happy too as he puts bits in and out of the pots and eats as he goes! Pots and pans to be bashed, he loves rolling empty biscuit tins, empty tissue boxes stuffed with some of his clothes so that he can pull them out and put them back in- I'm basically trying to see what I've already got that is safe for him to play with- he spent two days last week on and off playing with an empty 2 litre coke bottle! Anyway, I bet your library either has this book or one similar or could get it in for you for some ideas.
As for her not finding you as funny as others Mel is the same with me, I have to go a long way to make him laugh as much as my OH does or anyone else for that matter but I think it's because we see so much of each other and so you have to do something out of the ordinary to make each other laugh (putting mixing bowls on my head usually gets a laugh!). Partly humour is about getting round people too or getting their attention and you and she are well past that stage- I would try not to worry about it too much or read too much into it hun.
Is she excited about being a sister? Could you play games together where you look after a baby together, putting it to bed, etc? I have no idea of when they can do stuff but can she draw pictures? Sorry if I'm way out- I'm only clued up on where we've got to with Elliott and he'd rather eat a crayon still!
Have you checked out your local library to see if they have a free story time for pre-schoolers? That might be something you could take her too to amuse her?
Nice to hear from you, take care
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