MN Girl in Eire: March 2013

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day was fairly quiet for us this year. Louisburgh did not have a parade due to a death in the community, and the weather was pretty awful, so we spent most of the day in the house. We did make a quick trip out to Paul's aunt and uncle's house to say hello, and after we got Gemma to bed we met two of our newly engaged friends for a couple of drinks.

Just because we didn't do much didn't mean Gemma didn't have a celebratory outfit!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Gemma's Christening

On Saturday, March 16th, Gemma was christened at Paul's home church in Louisburgh. It was a long weekend for the St. Patrick's Day Bank Holiday, so we took advantage of that. I was a little nervous about the trip down, as we hadn't done any traveling or staying away from home since we did the sleep training. The journeys up and down were a bit rough, and the first bedtime was also a bit tearful, but by the time we left, Gemma was sleeping great at Paul's parent's house.

Gemma did great at her Christening too. We had to wake her up from a nap to get ready to go, and once we gave her one of her new shoes to chew on, she was a happy girl! She didn't cry or fuss once. The dress that Gemma wore was a gift from Gran Sammin, and Paul wore the cardigan at his Christening. Paul was christened when he was 2 weeks old, so his gown didn't quite fit Gemma!

After the service we had a lovely meal at the hotel/restaurant in Louisburgh where Paul and I had our Irish wedding reception. One of the owner's wives took Gemma and gave her her bottle so that we could all enjoy our meals while they were hot. She even got behind the bar! Paul and I took her back to the house and put her to bed, then once she was asleep, Paul's mom stayed with her so that we could go back and socialize for the night. It was great to have a night out! We had a wonderful day celebrating Gemma's Christening.

Gemma and her shoe!

Mom, Dad, and Gemma

Love this pic of Gemma!

With Godparents, Brian and Marie

With Gran and Grandad Sammin

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Mother's Day

Today was Mother's Day here, and I had a wonderful day. Being a mother has been the best thing (and the most challenging!) that has ever happened to me. A friend of mine once described motherhood as walking around with a piece of your heart outside of your body, and I would have to agree. I give thanks for Gemma everyday.

Gemma is a very talented little girl, and gave me wonderful gifts yesterday (a bit early). I had a fabulous massage in the afternoon, then got flowers, a chocolate cake, and a card yesterday evening.

Today Paul got up with Gemma, so I got to relax in bed until after her first nap- nearly 11:00! It was wonderful!

Me and my girl today-

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

7 Months!

Every month it is getting harder to get a picture with the lion! Gemma celebrated her 7 month birthday today! On Tuesday we had a developmental check with the public health nurse, and Gemma weighs 21 pounds, 6 ounces and is 29 inches long. Both of those are above the 95th percentile. In the last week I cleaned out her dresser and closet and put most of the 9 month clothes away, as she is wearing mostly 12-18 month clothes now, especially pants! The rest of the check with the nurse, including a hearing test, went very well, and Gemma passed everything with flying colors!

At 7 months, we can tell Gemma wants to be on the move more than she's able to, and she can get frustrated with this. On her tummy she can move herself in a circle and also backward a small bit. She has also attempted to bend a leg up to push herself forward, but no up on hands and knees yet. She can sit with her hands propped in front of her for support for awhile, and she now loves to throw herself backward when sitting on laps to hang upside down! She also likes to stand when we're holding her, and she can support herself quite well when we hold her at her waist.

We've started to introduce finger foods and continue to work on the sippy cup. Gemma loves her breakfast of a mashed up half of a weetabix (a cereal kind of like shredded wheat) mixed with formula, a small bit of prune juice, and some pears. Sweet potatoes and cottage pie are other favorites.

Gemma is starting to show a little independent streak and is showing and 'telling' us what she doesn't like. She likes to use her cup and sometimes her bottle herself and will let you know if she doesn't want help! She's had a bit of a stuffy nose the past week also, and when I try to put saline drops in or wipe her nose, she pushes me away a lot more than she did the last time she had a cold.

Her naps are becoming longer and a bit more predictable. She usually has her first nap between 9 and 9:30 and sleeps around an hour. Her second nap is usually between 12 and 12:30 and can last 45 minutes to an hour and a half- that one is a bit more variable. She has a catnap of 30-40 minutes between 3:30 and 4:30, then goes to bed between 6 and 7pm. She then sleeps until between 7 and 7:30am! Our hard work with the sleeping is definitely paying off!

As Gemma has been more rested, she's gotten happier and happier. She is such a fun, smiley little girl. I think the stranger anxiety that she was having a bit of last month was more due to being tired during the day, as we've been out and about seeing more people this past month, and Gemma has been great. The first thing she does in the morning is give a big smile, and it makes my day!

Here are some photos from the past month!