AFC Champs!

Today we headed to the Estee household once again to watch the Pats game. Mairead definitely had her game face on, as well as her Brady jersey (courtesy of Matt Olsen-- thanks, Matt!).

She really got into the spirit of watching football, as you can see. Don't worry, no infants were harmed during the course of the game.

Mom and Mairead have matching shirts! We both love Tom Brady.

Mairead and Connor had fun hanging out on the play mat while wearing their Patriots gear.

They are really starting to try to communicate. They smile at each other and try to talk. It is SO cute!

Everyone was pretty excited to see the Pats win the AFC Championship and earn another trip to the Super Bowl. Needless to say, we'll be back at Chez Estee on Super Bowl Sunday!

GO PATS!

Bath Buddies

Mairead is getting bigger and stronger every day. She sits up on her own for short periods, and she is moving around pretty well on her tummy. I can't believe she is getting mobile already!

Lately, Mairead has had some company at bath time. We put Mairead's little tub in the regular tub, and the cat has come to find this whole process very interesting. Who says cats don't like water?

Go Pats!

Lounging Around

On Sunday, we went up to Lowell to celebrate my birthday, which was actually on Wednesday. Katie made a cake with a bee on it that looked just like the bees on my mobile when I was a baby. Thanks, Katie! My dad made dinner and everyone was very generous with their time and their gifts-- so, thank you to my family! Also, thank you to everyone who sent cards, called, emailed, and even sang for me on my birthday. I really appreciated it! Special thanks to Emily and Sarah who came over to babysit so that Dave and I could actually go out to dinner!

Before we went to Lowell, Mairead had to take a bath and get ready for her visit at Nana and Grampy's house, so she was just lounging around in her new robe from the (John) Larocques. As you can see, she was pretty amazed by the little frog slippers that go with it!

Game Day!

Mairead is definitely ready for the Pats game tonight...

She is SO excited about going over to Connor's house to watch the game tonight. She is definitely dressed for the occasion and is ready to cheer on the Patriots.

Go Pats!

Baby Steps

One of Mairead's favorite parts of the holidays was the wrapping paper. She loved crinkling it in her hands, and, of course, putting it in her mouth. In this picture she is 'opening' presents from Grandma and Grandpa.

While we were in New York, Mairead spent some time a walker and started learning how to make it 'go.' She seemed to be getting the hang of it and took a few little steps. While she was in there, she enjoyed her other new favorite activity-- shrieking. She has discovered what her voice can do and loves to yell. She also loves moving and is very independent. It's hard to believe she is doing all of this-- she is growing so fast!

Christmas at Iron Gate Farm

This past weekend we headed to New York to see our family up there. We really had a great time with Mairead's Grandma Dorothy and Granpa Ivan. We also got to see Aunt Ry, Uncle Dave, and Rachael. Even Aunt Kathy and Uncle Frank were there to see Mairead and to give her their generous Christmas gifts. She is a very lucky little girl to have so many Christmas gifts-- thank you to everyone who was so giving this Christmas! Mairead had so much fun playing with Grandma!

Mairead's Aunt Ryane, Uncle David, and her cousin, Rachael gave her this amazing Rainforest Jumperoo and she already loves it. What a great gift! Thank you to everyone in NY who celebrated Christmas with us this weekend, albeit a little late. It is always great to spend time with our family there. We hope to see everyone soon!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all of our friends and family, and thanks for everything you have done for us in the past year. 2007 was as eventful as one year can be, I think! Our lives have been pretty crazy since we got married in October of 2006. About 8 weeks after the wedding, we found out that we were going to have a baby, so that really sped up our house search! Luckily, we found one that was perfect for us, and we passed papers on February 1. We moved on the 18th, with much help from family and friends in terms of painting, cleaning, and carrying boxes. We needed all the help we could get since Maghan was about 4 months pregnant at the time. While Dave was working on the house, Maghan was finishing her Master's Degree, and finally finished in May. After the BHS school year ended in June, we had a little over a month to prepare for Mairead. We needed a break, too-- not too many people get married, get pregnant, buy a house, move, finish a Master's Degree, and have a baby, all within 9 months! Thankfully, Dave worked really hard to make things happen at the house, and we had so many people helping us. We couldn't have done it without all of you!

Obviously, the best day of 2007 was July 29th at about 2:17pm when Mairead came into the world. We were so blessed to finally meet our beautiful baby girl. The scariest moments of our lives came in the next few days, though, when she had the stroke. Again, we got through that week with the love and support of so many people. That event made us realize how important life is, and we treasure every day of it with Mairead. Since that day she has been amazing, always surprising us with her growth and her discoveries. We are very hopeful that she will not suffer any lasting effects of the stroke, and she is becoming a strong, smart, and beautiful little girl.

After Mairead's birth, we celebrated with Katie and Steve as they were married in September. We know that they had a tough year, too, and we wish them nothing but happiness in 2008. Also in September, we celebrated another wedding when Mom (Dorothy) and Ivan were married on the 22nd! There was definitely a lot of happiness and love around us this fall, and we were happy to share in that with our families.

The holidays were very special this year since Mairead was there to celebrate with us. We know how much she is loved, and we hope that this blog helps to keep you all involved in her life. We look forward to sharing her and all of her milestones as she grows in 2008. Again, thanks to all of you who have been so supportive this past year.

I'll end with an Irish toast for New Year's...

May you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessings, slow to make enemies and quick to make friends. And may you know nothing but happiness from this day forward