Oh jeez, sorry babe. It's still up and down around here too....

In desperation I called the parent helpline. They suggested she doesn't feel secure enough to sleep (well they put it a bit better than that). We read one or two books in the lounge quietly then I take her off to bed. I give her a song and a book but I started (on advice from parentline) to sit in the room with her quietly and ignore her until she goes to sleep.

That actually worked really well after a few nights she realized I was going to stay with her until she fell asleep. In fact once or twice I had to go to the loo and she didn't call me to come back and fell asleep fine.

This has been working quite well (except for the past 2 nights), I haven't needed to be in there longer than 30 minutes, sometimes only 10. I also noted Christy does the sameish thing and mentioned that the time needed to settle decreases.

DS has also learnt to be nice and quiet for me during this time so not to set her off. I think she starts to play up because she want to come out. Her stupid father would let her sit up and watch telly with him sometimes so I think she occasionally still pushes to see if thats gonna happen. WHICH ITS NOT. I feel she is well old enough at 2, to be able to understand what bedtime means and to learn that it isn't going to change. At the start I was not looking forward (at the end of an always long day) to have to sit there for an hour, but I changed my perspective at bit and it hasn't seemed so bad at all.
Its a matter of working out her bedtime routine and sticking to it rigidly. I suppose you have to work out what works best for you. I have also recruited the teen DD to put DS to bed if it takes ages. I am now working on the stupid father scenario, he is only here 2 nights a week and manages to keep giving her inches (im gonna give him a frypan to the head soon), and its enough to ruin all my hard work.

DD is still in a cot, and wont be coming out of it until she gets what bed is for....