Two!

Gemma turned two on Sunday! Where have the years gone? If I had to use one (non-superlative!) word to describe Gemma, it would be independent. A new favorite phrase is 'Gemma do it!' She wants to do everything herself and can get quite upset if she can't do something. But, don't even think about trying to help her! Gemma is also a sweet little girl- generous with hugs and kisses! Here's a summary of Gemma at TWO! 

- As I mentioned in a previous post, she is 1/4 of an inch shy of 3 feet tall, which puts her in the 90th percentile for height. When she went back to creche today, both of the main workers in her room thought she had grown so much in the week that we were away and were wondering what I was feeding her! I haven't checked her weight recently, but Paul and I both agree she's losing some of her baby belly!

- Gemma is chatting up a storm and repeats pretty much everything we say now. 'What's that?' is asked countless times per day. She also says 'I don't know' in a really cute way. When she really wants you to listen to her, she'll come right up to you and talk to you with her head tilted as far as she can to one side! It is so funny! And, if she's requesting something kind of special, she'll do that and whisper the request, usually 'Stickers?', 'Yogurt?', or 'Chips?'

- Gemma counts to 20

- She can recognise and name quite a few colours- red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, and black

- We're still waiting on the arrival of the 2 year molars!

- Gemma loves her time in bed! A lot of nights when we're putting her to bed, she doesn't even want stories or songs, she just says 'cot!' (which is what a crib is called here). And, after nap time and in the mornings, she doesn't want to come out of the cot, even though she's awake. She'll ask for her books, then lay and look at them! She averages 12 hours of sleep at night, going to bed between 7 and 7:30, and she takes a nap around 12:30, which usually lasts 1-2 hours. 

- Gemma got a dollhouse for her birthday, and she LOVES it! She also likes feeding and giving hugs to her 'baby', Barney the dinosaur, bubbles, kicking and throwing a ball, trains/cars/airplanes/motorbikes/tractors,making 'coffee' and 'tea' in her kitchen, stickers, Peppa Pig, and Sesame Street. 

- She continues to clap and cheer and say 'yay Liffey Valley' when we turn into the carpark of our nearest shopping centre. 

- Gemma still loves her books and reading. For her birthday, she got Richard Scarry's Best Storybook Ever from Auntie Margo and Freya. It's a huge book filled with tons of stories and pictures. I had the same book and spent hours reading it when I was around her age, so it's been great to read it together. 

- Singing and dancing are favourites too. 'Mr. Sun', 'The Wheels on the Bus', 'Baa Baa Black Sheep', 'I Love You' (the Barney song), 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star', 'Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes', 'Itsy Bitsy Spider', and 'If You're Happy and You Know It' are most of the songs in her repertoire. 

- When she gets upset, she sometimes hits out at us, but more often than not, she'll say sorry right away, then lean in and give a hug and kiss. Unfortunately it may be more of a game for her at this stage!

Gemma makes us laugh and brings us so much joy (even with the occasional tantrum)!  Happy 2nd birthday our dear girl! 

Most of the pics from the month have been covered in all of the other recent posts, but here's a few more. 

There is a train at Liffey Valley shopping centre that runs from one end of the centre to the other and back. Here's Gemma the first time we took her on it, waving to everyone!

Barney! 

On one of the warmest days of the summer, she insisted on putting this on over her clothes after her nap one afternoon. 

Reading in the cot

Another ride on the train at Liffey Valley!

Giving a hug to the big ice cream cone outside the shop in Louisburgh! 

Gemma's 2nd Birthday Party!

Paul's sister, Marie, and her husband, Brian, joined us for the weekend on Friday evening, and on Saturday we had Gemma's birthday party. It was a small, Peppa Pig-themed affair with just the 7 of us in the house (and some international skyping and facetiming!). We opened gifts, barbecued for dinner, then enjoyed the cake. After dinner, Gemma went to play outside with Brian, who is her best buddy at the moment. Both Marie and I were told to 'go inside' and 'shut the door' when we tried to go out and play with them! We had a really nice, relaxed day celebrating our two year old!

On Sunday we headed back to Dublin after a wonderful week plus in Louisburgh. Before we left, we marked Gemma's height inside a closet door where Paul and Marie's heights were marked as they grew. We had also done it just two months ago, and I couldn't get over how much she had grown! She is now 2 feet 11 3/4 inches! 

One more picture of the birthday girl before we hit the road back to Dublin! 

Summer Vacation- Part 3

The morning of Wednesday, August 6th was a bit rainy, so we spent the morning at the house, but it was bright and sunny in the afternoon. We went out to a playground in an area near Louisburgh called Killeen, very near where Paul's dad grew up. We had the playground to ourselves with the sea on one side and Croagh Patrick on the other!

We visited Paul's aunt and uncle after our time at the playground, then spent the rest of the evening at Paul's parents' house. 

On Thursday, August 7th we spent the afternoon cycling on the Great Western Greenway, an off-road trail intended for use by cyclists and walkers. It follows the route of the former Achill extension of the Westport railway line, which was constructed in the 1890s and closed in 1937. We rented bikes and a trailer for Gemma and cycled from Westport to Newport and back, 22 km round trip. We stopped in Newport for a bit of refueling! 

That evening, Paul and I had a delicious dinner with a friend at one of the new restaurants in Louisburgh. 

On Friday, August 8, Paul and his mom went to Westport in the morning, so Gemma and I went to the playground in Louisburgh and out to lunch at one of the cafés in town. 

After Gemma's nap that afternoon, Paul's mom, Paul, Gemma, and I went to Carrowmore, a beach very near the house. The sunshine was fabulous!

Summer Vacation- Part 2

On Tuesday, August 5, we spent the afternoon and evening at Westport House and Pirate Adventure Park. It is a 480 acre estate in Westport, the centre point of which is an historic home built in 1730, the ancestral seat of the Marquesses of Sligo. The estate now houses a park with rides, a campground, a pitch and putt course, a cafe, a bar/restaurant, and more. We had a great day touring the house, going on some rides, eating dinner, playing on the playground, and taking a tour on the new Westport Tourist Train that runs through the estate and also tours other parts of Westport. 

Summer Vacation- Part 1

For our vacation this summer, we decided to spend the week in Louisburgh with Paul's parents, taking advantage of everything there is to do in the area that we don't get time for on a weekend trip. We had great weather all week- it only rained in the early mornings before we went out or in the evenings after we got in for the day. We had a great time! I'll recap in a few posts. 

I worked a half day on Friday, August 1st, then went home, got the car packed up, and Paul met me there. We collected Gemma from creche around 2pm, just after nap time, and headed west. We got to Louisburgh just in time for dinner and for Gemma to have a bath and head to bed. 

On Saturday, August 2nd, we spent the morning at Paul's parent's house, then when Gemma went down for her nap, Paul and I headed into Westport for a few errands and coffee. After we got back from Westport, Gemma and I had a picnic snack in the back garden and watched Daddy and Grandad repair the roof. 

After dinner, the three of us went for a trike ride/walk before Gemma's bedtime. 

On Sunday, August 3, Paul and I took the train back up to Dublin for the day to see Mayo play Cork in the All-Ireland Senior Football quarter finals while Gemma stayed with Granny and Grandad. Paul and I made a day of it- taking packed lunches with us on the train. Mayo won by one point in a blood pressure raising match! 

Monday, August 4 was a bank holiday, and Paul's dad, Paul, Gemma, and I went to the Bonniconlon Show, a large agricultural show in North Mayo. It was a bit like a county fair in the States. There were animals on display, kid's rides and games, food stalls, items for sale, and more. Gemma loved looking at the animals, seeing the tractors, and going on a few rides. 

Paul has given sponsorship to the driver of this racecar!

Dancing in the carpark before heading back to Louisburgh!

Weekends in Louisburgh

The past two weekends we travelled to Louisburgh to stay with Paul's parents. Paul's sister and her husband were there too, as they spent the entire week there, so Gemma had an even bigger audience for her antics! 

The first weekend we left Dublin early Saturday morning (July 12th) and arrived in time for lunch and Gemma's nap. The weather wasn't the greatest the rest of the day, but we visited Paul's aunt and uncle, so Gemma got to see the sheep and hens! 

On Sunday the 13th, Mayo played Galway in the Connacht Senior Gaelic Football final in Castlebar. Paul, Brian, and I went to the match, and Gemma stayed with Granny, Grandad, and auntie Marie. Mayo won- the fourth time in a row! 

When we got back to Louisburgh it was a gorgeous evening, so we spent it in the back garden. 

We headed out Monday morning, going back to Dublin via Galway to visit some friends who had a new baby. 

During that week, Paul took the Nestor Cup (the trophy that the Connacht champs are awarded) to a Mayo Association event in Dublin, so we got some quick pics with it!

Last weekend, I took a half day on Friday (July 18th), so we picked up Gemma from creche in the early afternoon and headed west. On Saturday, Paul and I had a wedding in Mulranny, County Mayo, so Gemma spent the day playing ball, blowing bubbles, getting driving lessons, going for ice cream at a local cafe, etc with Granny, Grandad, auntie Marie, and uncle Brian. Apparently she had such a good time playing in the garden with Brian, that she would only let him feed her her bedtime snack!

On Sunday, the annual horse show took place at one of the beaches in Louisburgh. Before we went to check it out, Gemma helped to water the flowers

and ran through the clothes on the line. 

She loved the horse show (there were sheep and dogs too)!

After visiting the horse show we headed back to Paul's parents for lunch and Gemma's nap. We headed back to Dublin that afternoon after another great summer weekend!