Houses, friends, potties

Heard from our estate agent and the sale is 'reluctantly' going through on the house. They can be as reluctant as they like, just as long as they buy the bloody house. So we're progressing the buying of the flat in Blackheath. Moving date is 30 September! We're getting really excited and once we exchange contracts I'm going to visit the flat again and measure windows, check paint colours, etc. Ideally we'd like to paint most of the rooms and rehang the doors before the baby arrives. The doors are currently hung in that very old-fashioned way so that they open into the room rather than to the wall, which really cuts up the space. We'd also like to have a TV cabinet built and remove some cabinets and shelves in the third bedroom so Mom and Dad have somewhere to sleep when they come over.

So much to do! I wonder how much we'll actually accomplish before the baby arrives. For some reason the words 'sod all' spring to mind.

Had a lovely weekend. We're gearing up to finally get serious about Toby's potty training so we went out on Saturday and let him choose some new underpants. He picked Batman and Postman Pat and he's been wearing them over his pull-ups every day. I borrowed Gina Ford's book on potty training in a week and it sounds very promising aside from the bit that advises not to start potty training if a new baby is expected within a few months, you're moving house within a few months, or the child will be changing schools. Hmmm, a little worrying but it's time we gave this some serious attention so I've marked off week after next to get on with it.

I'm hopeful that Tobes will catch on quickly. He's been using his potty off and on for almost a year. He happily wees and has even done a couple of poos in it. He's even used a public bathroom before. The problem has been that I haven't been ready for potty training. I really dread cleaning up wet/pooey underwear and having the house smell like the stairwell of a tube station for a while. I've been trying to build up my energy for the challenge and I think the time is finally here.

On Sunday we went out for a very nice lunch with our friends Pete and Philippa. J and I are trying to eat out less often but go to nicer places when we do go out. On Sunday we went to The Chophouse which is a Conran restaurant overlooking Tower Bridge and serves good English food. J and I had the traditional beef roast with Yorkshire pudding, Pete had steak and kidney pudding and Philippa had pork loin. One of the problems of going to nicer restaurants is the lack of children's menus, changing facilities, etc. So Toby ended up with the largest (and most expensive) platter of fish and chips I've ever seen. He nibbled a chip, ate some batter off the fish and pronounced himself 'stuffed'. Will remember that next time.

Of course, since there were no baby changing facilities Toby took the opportunity to do a massive poo. I ended up having to change him in a stall in the ladies room with me sitting hunched over on the toilet with Toby standing up and trying to open the stall door. There were other people in the loos so I did my best to sound like Mother of the Year - 'Now, darling don't open the door... can you just let me clean your bottom... no, please don't touch that... please, don't touch Mommy's hair... etc, etc'. I'm sure I heard giggles coming from at least one of the other stalls. So much for an elegant afternoon out. I think it was when I was cleaning the poo out of my hair later that the sudden urge to get serious about potty training kicked in. Funny, that.