I used to shower and get everything else done when she was asleep.

If she wouldnt sleep, I'd put her in the pram or rocker and bring it into whatever room I was in, or just let her sit on the floor of the bathrrom while I showered. I'm not sure why, but she has always loved to chat to me while I am showering. As like most other babies, she has always loved getting into everything and is not one of those babies that I can plonk infront of Hi-5 and expect to stay there.

She'll definately learn from you by watching you. When Claire was 8 months old, she all of a sudden started doing all this new stuff all in one week. I too was a tad worried as she hadnt demonstrated that she had learnt anything new for a while. When she was that age, I played with her, but I also let her play by herself. She loves books and songs and loves to be tickled and cuddled. I also talk to her alot and she thinks its great. Peek a boo games are a fave and she loves toys that make music. I play with her toys with her too and when she was about 9 months she loved keyboards (old computer keyboards) and dancing with me holding her hands.