2011

I can't believe its 2011 already. Its been a while since we’ve blogged. No real excuses except that things have been really busy. Summer was good. We planned to start renovations in June but it got delayed until September. Nanna and Pa came to visit from Australia. We had a great time with them. Luckily the weather was good so we were able to get out and about including a trip to the zoo and to Powerscourt Gardens .

Before Nanna and Pa left we had Daisy’s christening which was a lovely family day. Then the renovations started. Noel and all his men came and did lots of work in our house. It took 12 weeks and we now have a nice new bathroom, downstairs loo, big open plan kitchen and family room as well as a nice warm house, thanks to the great insulation we got.
After Nanna and Pa left we went on holidays to Spain with Mammó. It was great fun as we had lots of friends there too and the weather was lovely. If only Daisy had slept it would have been the perfect holiday! We did lots of swimming, digging in the sand and playing in the playground. Mammó was great at playing with me and distracting me while Mum and Dad got some rest. Since holidays we’ve had my birthday, Ross’s christening, trick or treating for Halloween, 3 weeks staying with our cousins while our house was finished and a trip to Zurich to stay with Margo, Simon, Grace and baby Alexa.

Trick or Treating in Vergemount

Mum and Margo heading out on the town in Zurich

Hanging out in the kiddies lounge in Zurich airport

December was a hectic month – Dad went to India for 12 days for work, it snowed (lots) and then we had Christmas (and more snow).

And now its January – Dad went to India again, Daisy started in creche today and Mum is back to work next week (unless she wins the lotto between now and then!)

Summer Time

Since I last blogged it’s been busy as usual, we’ve had some great weather so we’ve been outside lots. We had a bbq at the McGraths’s a few weeks ago. I love going there because they have a trampoline and even though there is only meant to be 1 child in the trampoline at a time I usually go in with Ella and Ríodhna. Sometimes an adult also comes in to make sure that we’re not going too crazy, especially the older girls because if they jump too hard I can get hurt . The reason I like bbqs best is because there are always crisps at them. I can usually find the most highly artificially flavoured ones and eat as many as I can until Mum spots me and insists that I don’t have any more. I think Dad is a bit more lenient, only because I hardly ever have any junk (and because Dad has a weakness for crisps too) so it’s not as bad if he sees me eating them. I also like burgers and sausages too, especially when we sit on a picnic rug and have a picnic.

Margo and Rory Grace were home from Switzerland and we got to see quite a lot of them. We went to Emma’s house twice while they were home and all the kids were there (7 of us altogether) so we had great fun playing in their garden because they have lots of toys that I don’t have. I’m just starting to enjoy playing with other people but still quite like playing on my own.

I have to admit to the fact that I haven’t been in great form recently. I think it’s a combination of factors – it’s pretty hard when you’ve been the only one getting Mum & Dad’s attention for 19 months and now I have to share with Daisy, who seems to spend a lot of time with Mum. I do really love her but sometimes I do feel compelled to pinch her cheek/bite her fingers/bite her cheek. Mum is pretty quick at getting me away from Daisy when I do that. But it’s a good game to test Mum’s reaction speed to see if I can get to Daisy quicker than her. Also my ‘eye’ teeth are coming through so I’ve been in a lot of pain and haven’t been sleeping that well. Even though the teeth haven’t come through yet I’m sleeping way better but Mum & Dad know that it will get worse again when the teeth break through.

Our cousin Dominic had a Naming Day celebration last weekend. We had a lovely afternoon – Cava in Herbert Park followed by lunch in Roly’s. All the Dunphys and Jordans were there (although Uncle Ross couldn’t stay for lunch as he had to go back to work). The weather wasn’t great but we commandeered the band stand in the park which was very suitable to the event.The last (neé) Dunphy baby of the year was due yesterday, so we’re eagerly waiting for his/her arrival some time in the next week and we’re very excited about it. Will it bring the total grandchild count to 5 (girls) and 1 (boy) or 4 (girls) and 2 (boys). Our money is on another boy… watch this space.

Lots planned for the next couple of months – we’re off to Wexford next weekend, Nanna and Pa are coming to visit in August and hopefully we’ll go on holidays to Spain in September.

My Little Sister

Well it has been a while since I blogged but that’s just because mum was so busy. Well she thought she was busy, but she’s only realised in the last couple of weeks what busy is! March was pretty hectic – I was sick with a vomiting bug and then Dad got a really bad cold and then mum got the vomiting bug and then got the bad cold and cough. Mum was hoping that she would get better before she had to go into labour but things don’t always work out as you want them to. We did however have a lovely Easter weekend when we were all feeling ok and we went & had a lovely lunch with Mammó, Jill, Mark, Dominic, Ross and Brenda. I didn't really get to eat much chocolate but I think Mum and Dad did! We did have an Easter party in creche that was great fun. Of course the other big news that I didn't blog about was that I have a new baby cousin - baby Dominic. He was born in January and is really big already. I reckon it won't be long before he's as big as me!

So on Friday 9^th April we all got the best present ever…. a little baby sister, Daisy Sarah Rickard. It was all very exciting as I got to stay in my cousins’ house and play with Ella and Riodhna and then Mammó came up over the weekend and helped look after me. Uncle Paul and Auntie Lisa were away for the weekend so Johanna helped to look after me too. Then after the weekend mum came home with baby Daisy. She’s tiny and does a lot of sleeping. Mum is always telling me to be gentle with her and I am but I just can’t stop myself from swiping at her face/head and then mum gets cross with me but that really doesn’t make any difference.

Dad has been off work so we’ve been having a lot of fun at home. I was out of crèche for a few days last week because I had conjunctivitis but I’m better now. The weather has been getting better so we’ve been to the playground in the park quite often. Mum was ‘home alone’ with Daisy & I on Sunday for the first time while Dad played golf. We all survived it, mainly because Daisy and I slept at different times so Mum didn’t have to spend too much time pulling me off Daisy.

So we’re all looking forward to the summer when we can do lots of playing together and go to the playground and have lots of fun with mum & dad and our cousins.

Christmas 2009

Well its been a busy Christmas. It was really cold in Dublin before we went on our holidays. I had a great time going on the Santa train in Dundrum. Also Santa came to the crèche but myself and all the wobblers agreed that he was a bit scary and really didn’t want to sit on his lap, which was fine because we didn’t have to.

We went on a lovely sunny holiday over Christmas. It must have been very far away because it took us 3 eight our trips to get to our destination. And after the flights we still had to drive for nearly 2 hours. Anyway, it was well worth it because I got to spend time with my Nan and Pa and my Australian relations. It really was very hot there, even first thing in the morning, so we did spend quite a lot of time playing inside but I loved going outside and playing with the ball there. I did get a chance to get out for some walks.

My cousins Joel and Liam came up to visit along with A. Renae, U. Lee and Great A Dorothy. We had a barbeque and lots of fun and we had great time swimming in the pool. We had a lovely time on Christmas Day. We went to the beach for a walk in the morning and then I even had some ham and turkey after my mid-day nap. On Boxing Day we went to Bribie Island and had another great day, with even more food this time. There were 2 doggies there and I really liked them as long as they didn’t come too near me.

After Christmas we met up with more people. Cousin Dan (who is having a baby in 6 months), Great A. Gill and Great U. Wayne came up for a bbq and to visit me. While I do like bbqs, the only problem is that people want me to sit in my high chair and eat, but I much prefer to run around and throw the ball and have people chasing after me. I get the feeling that those activities aren’t always the perfect ingredients for a relaxing adult bbq.

The Binghams called around another day for a bbq – now it was fun to have 2 other children to cause some mayhem. But why do you think it is that all children want to play with the same toy at the same time, even when there are plenty to choose from? Anyway, it was great to see them all again and we also managed to have breakfast with them one morning on Hastings St.

I was very sad to leave Australia and to say good bye to everyone there. I was even sadder to spend 40 hours travelling home. Just when I thought we were home, we had a diversion to Shannon (Co Clare) because Dublin airport was closed. It was my first time in Co Clare and it seems quite nice. We then had a 3 hour coach trip back to Dublin. Boy were we happy to get into our beds on Saturday night!

Zurich, Halloween and other news…

So October has been very busy. We had a long weekend where I had an extra day off crèche and we went to visit Margo, Simon and Rory in Zurich. I had so much fun. And believe it or not the fun started in the airport. It wasn’t very busy so I was able to run around everywhere. I think Mum and Dad were both exhausted by the time we got on the flight because they had been running around after me so much. I heard Mum telling Dad that she’s going to buy a harness for me so she doesn’t have to bend down and hold my hand all the time. Dad isn’t a big fan cause he thinks harnesses are for dogs but Mum doesn’t seem to care. Anyway I had great fun hanging out with Rory Grace. We didn’t so much play with each other as around each other. Ryan was very patient having 2 little girls messing up all his toys. So of course we did the usual of spending most of the weekend in Zurich eating but we also managed to go into Zurich on Saturday afternoon and then to a pumpkin farm on Sunday afternoon.

We had a great party in crèche for Halloween. We all dressed up and then had a party in the afternoon (and I got some chocolate for the first time). I reckon I my lion outfit was the best one (probably the warmest too!) Lots of houses in our estate had great decorations. I think next year, we’ll have to decorate our house. I’m hoping that next year I can go ‘trick or treating’ with Raji and Baj next door!

Mum wasn’t in great form for a while but thankfully she’s better now. She spent a lot of time during August and September sleeping but she seems more normal. I’ve noticed that she’s started to put on a bit of weight – her tummy is getting a bit fat. I’m not really sure what’s going on except for the fact that I’ve been told that from mid-April I won’t have Mum and Dad’s undivided attention and that I’m going to have to share them with a little baby. To be honest I’m not too keen on that but they haven’t asked for my opinion, so what I can do! I’m just going to make sure that between now and then I get my full share of attention while I still can.

Happy Birthday to Me

Well I’ve been very busy, as usual. Nanna and Pa have been visiting from Australia. We’ve had a great time. Unfortunately they were both sick during the trip but in between their sickness we had great fun. While they were here I got my first pair of shoes. I did take most of the pairs of shoes off the shelf and try to eat them all but eventually I settled on these ones (they tasted the best).

We also went to Wexford – we didn’t stay with Mammó this time because it was a full house but we stayed in a lovely hotel instead. I don’t think Mum and Dad will be rushing back to a hotel with me in the same room. I just love when I wake up in the middle of the night and see them in the room with me. Surely they understand that even if it is 5am, as far as I’m concerned its playtime.

Other highlight was my birthday. We had a great day. We went to the zoo in the morning – Nanna and Pa, Lisa, Ella, Riodhna, Jill, Mum and Dad. It was a pity that it rained a bit but we still enjoyed it and had a break in the café when it was too wet to be outside. Then in the afternoon we had a party. All the family (except Mammó who was in Italy on holidays) and Emma, Sophie and Christopher came over. We opened all my great presents and had cake (well I didn’t have cake but everyone else did).

I love being 1. I’m now in the wobbler room in the crèche. I was sorry to leave Tana, Sarah and Claire in the baby room, but I still see them sometimes. Anyway Jenny and Andrea are great at looking after me too. I don’t get into a high chair for my food anymore. Instead we all sit down at the table and eat. And I have snacks that I feed myself. Also we all have our nap at the same time and sleep on little camp beds in the room instead of going into cots in a special room. All my old friends from the baby room are now in the wobbler room too so we have great fun. I hug them all quite a lot, which is fairly easy cause lots of the boys can’t walk yet so they can’t escape from me when I go to hug them.

Busy Walking

Again, its been a while since I blogged. I think its mainly because mum hasn’t been taking very many photos recently and also she’s been a bit out of sorts, but she seems to be in better form the last few days so hopefully her good form is here to stay. As usual I’ve been pretty busy. I’m now the oldest baby in the crèche baby room so I’m showing all the other boys and girls what to do. A lot of my friends (Daniel, Dylan, Daragh, Jamie, Rebecca and Can) have all moved to the wobbler room, but I still get to see them for a while in the mornings and I’ll probably be moving into the wobbler room in a few weeks time (after my first birthday). For the first time there are more girls than boys in the baby room so that’s a nice change.

There are 2 pieces of big news – the first one is that Nanna and Pa have come to visit. Its great to have them around, because there is nothing that I like more than getting lots of attention and I’m sure you can imagine how good it is to have a 1:4 child:adult ratio in our house. They haven’t been here that much but they are due back from their tour around Germany, Austria and some other places on Tuesday so they’ll be around for a couple of weeks then.

The other big news is that I’m walking. I’m pretty sturdy on my feet. I do lots of independent walking in the crèche but at home I tend to hold on to things more (like the sofa) but that’s just because in our house there’s always something nearby to hold on to. We went to the Clark’s shop in Dundrum today and I got my first pair of proper shoes. I love them. They are the same as my friend Rebecca’s so we obviously have the same great taste!

There have been lots of parties recently – all the Dunphys went to Ross's for a lovely lunch for Mammó's birthday (Brenda's a great cook), the crèche was 1 year old so we had a party and Rebecca was also 1 year old and I went to a party in her house. Its my birthday in 2 weeks and I hear whisperings that we might go to the zoo. Also we’re off to Wexford next weekend – we’re staying in a hotel. I haven’t stayed in a hotel in ages (since we were in Australia) so I’m looking forward to that.

Will post again after my birthday with all the news and some photos.