Baby Sammin!

Back on December 23, Paul and I got the most wonderful Christmas gift- we found out I'm pregnant!  Baby is due around August 28th.  We decided to keep it to ourselves for awhile until I was further along in the pregnancy, and it was so hard to stay quiet, especially over the holidays!

At 6 weeks, in early January, I had an early scan, "just to be sure everything was where it was supposed to be".  At 10 weeks, the day before I flew to MN, I had my first full doctor's appointment and another scan- in 4 weeks things had gone from a ball with a movement that was the heartbeat to something recognizable as a baby!

The timing was great, as I was able to tell all my family and friends in MN the good news in person.  Margo and I had an elaborate plan to tell my mom at the airport via Freya, but unfortunately my flight was really early, and the glitter on Freya's t-shirt didn't dry in time.  She wore it later on though!

We're not going to find out the gender of the baby, so I stocked up on lots of yellow and green baby clothes- everything is so much cheaper in the States, so I took advantage of the shopping opportunity.  I also received wonderful gifts and hand-me-downs from friends and family.  Here's what the haul looked like when I got back to Ireland!

A couple of days after I got back to Ireland, at 13 weeks, I had a first trimester screening (a bit late because of being away in MN).  Baby was stubborn and kept his or her back turned the whole time, but the results were all very good.

I've been very lucky to be feeling pretty good- a couple instances of queasiness, but nothing too bad.  I was extremely tired at first, but am feeling much more energized now and have started doing a lot more walking.  I think the worst thing so far was getting a bad cold and cough while I was in MN and not really being able to take anything for it.  I will never take cough syrup for granted again!

I have promised friends and family back in MN that I will be better at keeping this updated during the pregnancy and especially after baby arrives- so stay tuned!

Minnesota Trip

Back on the 3rd of February I flew to MN for just over two weeks for my niece, Freya's baptism.  I had a wonderful time visiting friends and family and was able to spend a few days just hanging out at Margo and Justin's house taking care of Freya while they were at work.  It was fantastic to spend some quality time with my beautiful niece!  

Valentine's Day!

Second outfit of the day on Valentine's Day

All clean!

Kisses from Auntie

I got to be there for Freya's first solid food- sweet potatoes.  She loved them!  She would try to grab Margo's hand and guide the spoon to her mouth!

Freya's baptism- her godmothers are her two aunts- Justin's sister, Heidi, and me

I got this for baby shortly after Margo found out she was pregnant.  It finally fits!  And, check out those leg warmers!

2011 Wrap-Up

During November and December we:

-Hosted Thanksgiving dinner for 7 of our friends, complete with sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie squares.  It was fun to bring a taste of America to the Emerald Isle!

-I also spent a lot of time in the kitchen baking Christmas cookies.  Christmas goodies here tend to be of the fruit cake and mince pie variety, which I'm not a huge fan of, so I made my own favorites!

-Spent a weekend in Cork in early December as our Christmas gifts to each other.  We had a lovely weekend, checking out the famous English Market and also the Christmas Market, relaxing in the jacuzzi, and eating some great food.

-Took in the Christmas Market at the Docklands in Dublin again this year.  It didn't have quite the atmosphere as last year, as there wasn't any snow, but we still enjoyed drinking cider, listening to music, and browsing the stalls.

-Enjoyed Afternoon Tea at the Westin Hotel in Dublin on a December Sunday afternoon, then strolled along Grafton street, taking in the Christmas lights and displays in the shop windows

-Spent Christmas in Louisburgh with Paul's family.  We relaxed and ate way too much!

 Bubbles checking out her gifts before we left Dublin

 Paul carving the turkey

 Bridget, Marie, Brian, PJ & Paul

Brian & Marie, PJ & Bridget, Paul & Me

Great times with great friends!

I can't believe it's been almost three weeks since some of my friends arrived and we explored the country together!  Jessica and Sara arrived on Sunday, October 9, and we headed for Cork that day.  We also stayed in Tralee, County Kerry (thanks to Paul's mom- she has a house there), in Louisburgh, County Mayo with Paul's parents, and we arrived back at our place in Dublin on Saturday, October 15.  Some of the places we toured in just under a week included:

• The Rock of Cashel
• Kinsale, County Cork
• Blarney Castle, County Cork, including kissing the Blarney Stone
• Killarney, County Kerry- Muckross House and Gardens, Ross Castle, the views of the lakes
• Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry, including Dingle Town and a boat ride to look for Fungie, the dolphin!
• The Cliffs of Moher
• Louisburgh and Westport, County Mayo
• Knock, County Mayo

Heidi and her husband, Trevor then arrived on Sunday morning, October 16, and we all headed to Glendalough, County Wicklow for the day.  On Monday, everyone headed into Dublin to explore the city while I unpacked, did laundry, and repacked for another tour!  Jessica and Sara flew out on Tuesday the 18th, and Heidi, Trevor, and I headed west after a stop in Dublin.  We also stayed with Paul's parent's in Louisburgh and in Tralee.  The sights we saw included:

• The Jameson Distillery in Dublin- Heidi and I discovered a great new drink at the end when the free samples were given out- Jameson with cranberry juice and a slice of lime on ice.  It's yummy- try it!
• Achill Island, County Mayo
• Louisburgh and Westport, County Mayo
• Leenane, Kylemore Abbey, Clifden, and Aughnanure Castle, County Galway
• Galway City
• The Cliffs of Moher
• Bunratty Castle and Folk Park, County Clare, including the Bunratty Banquet
• The Dingle Peninsula

We arrived back in Dublin on Sunday, October 23 and enjoyed some music in a pub and dinner in town before Heidi and Trevor flew out on Monday, October 24.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Jessica, Sara, Heidi, and Trevor for coming to visit!  I had an amazing time catching up with you and sharing my new home with you!

Some photos from the two weeks!

Sara and Jessica at Blarney Castle

 Me, Jessica, and Sara at Muckross House with the lakes of Killarney in the background

 Jessica and Sara with Fungie the dolphin- we did see the real one in the harbor!

 Sara and Jessica at the Cliffs of Moher

 October 14 was Paul's birthday!  We all met in Louisburgh and celebrated with dinner.

 Heidi, Sara, Me, and Jessica on our last night all together at our place in Dublin

 Me and Heidi at the top of the Bunratty Castle

Trevor and Heidi enjoying the Bunratty Banquet

Freya

On September 15, my sister, Margo, and brother-in-law, Justin welcomed Freya Lynn into the world.  Paul and I were so lucky to fly over to MN on the 21st and meet her when she was only 6 days old!  I had the honor of taking part in a few of Freya's "firsts"- first doctor appointment, first Target/Starbucks trip, first shopping trip to the outlet mall, and first girl's brunch.  It was a quick trip- only 5 nights, but it was more than enough time for me to fall completely, madly in love with my niece.  She is such a sweet baby.  I'm already planning my next trip back to see her!

Bubbles

So, we've gotten a cat!  It's actually kind of a funny story.  I've been keeping the patio door open on our balcony in the sitting room while I'm home during the day.  About 2 weeks ago, a cat started coming up onto the balcony, and eventually she was coming into our place and spending all day with me.  We would put her out at night because we didn't have a litter box or anything.  She had a collar, but no id, and she was so well behaved that we knew she wasn't a stray or anything.  I put up posters all around the square we live in and put a little attachment with a note on her collar.  We went down to Mayo this past weekend, and so we put her out on Thursday evening when we left.  When we got back on Sunday she was laying on our doormat in front of our door!  So, I decided I'd go get a litter box for her.  While I was at the store getting a few things, I got a phone call from a guy.  He said that he and his wife had inherited her from another couple in the area that didn't want her after she had gotten pregnant.  She had her kittens and weaned them, but then she turned kind of aggressive with the kittens and left their house and won't come back any more.  They had her spayed and she's up to date on all of her vaccinations, and he said that she was a very good cat other than the issue with the kittens.  He said he was happy that she had found a new home where she was comfortable, especially with the autumn/winter coming.  So, we are now pet owners!  She's so good- sleeps in her bed most of the day, uses her litter box all the time, and (mostly) uses her scratching post to scratch.  She's named Bubbles, after a character in the TV show The Wire, which I have become addicted to.  

Bad Blogger!

Wow, over 5 months since my last post- I think that's my personal worst! Here's a quick re-cap of the past few months:

MARCH
-A group of 7 other girls and I began a series of dinner parties based on a tv show here called "Come Dine With Me". In the tv show, a group of 4 or 5 strangers take turns cooking a 3-course dinner each night during one week, and they score each other 1-10. The top score wins 1000 pounds or Euro. We did it a bit differently- we cooked in pairs, spread it out over about four months, and ended up not scoring each other. It was basically a good way to enjoy some good food, good wine, and good company!

-Started attending a weekly Pilates class- would recommend it to everyone!

-Spent a long St. Patrick's Day weekend in Louisburgh with Paul's family. Here's part of the parade:

APRIL
-We enjoyed a night away at the Lyrath Estate near Kilkenny- when we arrived we received an added bonus of a complimentary upgrade to a suite. We first thought that a piano in the room was a bit odd

but it turned out to be a bar!

-I made a trip to Minnesota for nearly two weeks over Easter and the May Bank Holiday (first Monday in May). I was able to see lots of family and friends, took in a Twins game, and did some shopping for my niece, who is scheduled to make her appearance in early September! I'm just realizing that I took very few pictures this trip, but here's one of Margo and Justin at the Twins game.

MAY
-The abstract that one of my colleagues and I submitted regarding a joint pulmonary rehabilitation programme between hospital and community physiotherapy services was accepted for presentation at the Rehabilitation and Therapy Research Society Conference, so I did a short presentation at the conference, which was held at the University of Limerick.

-The Queen of England and President Obama visited Ireland within a few days of each other, and the security was CRAZY! As you know, English/Irish relations don't have the best history, so the queen's visit was very significant, and security was extra vigilant. The afternoon before she arrived, there were members of the gardai (police) patrolling along the side of the motorway that I take to and from work, and this lasted until her departure. She wasn't ever really even on this road! Other roads, including pretty much all of Dublin city centre, were completely shut down. A few days later Obama made a very quick visit- he went to Moneygall, County Offaly, to where his ancestors have been traced, and a public rally was held in Dublin. Paul and I were in line for about two and a half hours, and we didn't even get through the security screening. We were roughly a mile from the stage, and it was solid people all the way. Luckily a large screen was set up behind us, so we all turned around and were able to watch his speech. Even though we didn't get anywhere near him, the atmosphere was great.

-The Mayo World Convention, a gathering of all the Mayo Associations in the world, was held in Westport at the end of the month. Paul (who has now been elected the treasurer of the Mayo Association in Dublin), was on the planning committee, and it was a great event. The Taoiseach (Prime Minister), is a Mayo man, so he was the guest of honor at the black tie dinner on the Saturday night. He made it a point to meet everyone there, so I got to shake a hand that within the past two weeks had also shook Obama's and Queen Elizabeth's! Here's Paul and I on the night.

JUNE
-Enjoyed some dinners and cinema trips out with friends

-Spent two weekends in Louisburgh

-I had surgery to remove a uterine fibroid on the 29th and spent 5 days in the hospital. The hospital experience was a bit different to those I've seen in the States. Because I have private health insurance, I was lucky to have a room to myself, but people without this insurance stay in 6 to 8 bed wards. Here's a pic of my room:

Paul said he kept waiting for sirens to go off or something because it felt quite war-era!

JULY
-I got home on the 4th and have been feeling better everyday. I can't drive or do any heavy lifting for 6 weeks, so I'm not scheduled to go back to work until August 17th. I've read a few good books (Tina Fey's Bossypants has been my favorite so far), and have become hooked on 30 Rock- I sense a theme here! Paul has been taking great care of me (and the house), and I've had lots of great visitors too.