Happy Birthday!

Yesterday, our little girl turned one whole year old. It is amazing how she has changed in the past year, and how much she has changed our lives. She is absolutely the best thing that has ever happened to us, and we enjoy every second with her. We feel so lucky to have her in our lives, and lucky to have so many people around us who care of her and for us. Thanks to all of you who made this last year so special.

The day she was born was the most amazing day of our lives. We were so excited and happy to finally meet our little girl. We couldn't wait to take her home to start our life as a family. Unfortunately, our first days at home were far from what we expected, and the day she had the stroke brought us from the highest point in our lives to the lowest. The week that she was in the NICU was the worst of our lives, as we just hoped and prayed that she would be all right. Thankfully, she proved to us all just how strong she is, and she came through everything micraculously healthy.

That week, everything in our lives was immediately put into sharp perspective. I had worried, like every mom, about things like getting her room ready, cleaning the house, making sure everything was perfect. I realize now that the only thing she needed was us, and that everything would be perfect as long as she was ok, and knew how loved she was. All of the other details seemed insignificant, as long as she was healthy. Now, she is healthy, and she just continues to amaze us every day. Her doctors and therapists have seen no signs of delay or of damage from the stroke; they have each referred to her as 'a miracle,' and I could not agree more.

That week, we also saw just how much we were loved, and how much our families supported us. People visited, sent cards, prayed, emailed, brought us food, and took care of everything that needed to be done so that we could concentrate on Mairead. Thanks to each of you for the part you played in getting us through all of that.

The rest of the year brought us so much joy. Her first smiles, her first laugh, her first World Series and NBA Championship. Her first time sitting up, her first time crawling. Her first words, pulling up to stand, and then cruising around the furniture. I know that we can look forward to many more 'firsts' this year, and we can't wait to see what each day will bring.

This week, I will post pictures of her birthday visit to the zoo, her birthday party on Saturday, and something special I have been working on. Thanks to all of you who check the blog and share Mairead's life with us. We hope she has made you smile!

Animal Land

As I mentioned in a previous post, one of our activities while in New York was to visit Animal Land. It's a great place for kids where you can see all kinds of animals, ride a pony, feed the deer, and several other fun things. Dave and I took Mairead with her Grandma and cousin, Rachael, and we had a great time! Mairead wasn't afraid of any of the animals. She called the little ones, like the monkeys, 'cat,' the bigger ones, like the deer, 'dog,' and any kind of bird was a 'duck.' I think that's pretty good for less than a year old!

These videos are of us feeding the animals. The slideshow contains pictures from the rest of the day.

NY Birthday Party Slide Show

Thanks to everyone who shared a great day with us!

A Trip to Grandma and Grandpa's House

We spent the last 5 days in upstate NY visiting with Dave's family there. We stayed with Grandma and Grandpa, and really had a great time. Mairead tried all kinds of things, such as riding a (pretend) horse, walking with a walking toy, swimming and playing with her cousin, Rachel.

While we were there, Grandma and Grandpa were kind enough to help us throw a first birthday party for Mairead so that the NY family could share in her birthday without traveling to Boston. The slideshow on the next post includes some great shots of Mairead enjoying her first birthday cake, opening gifts, and meeting some of her dad's cousins for the first time. Thanks to Grandma, Grandpa, Ry, Dave, and Rachel for a great time. And thanks to everyone who spent the afternoon with us on Sunday to celebrate our little girl!


'Toby' is Rachel's horse, but she was kind enough to share with Mairead.

Rachel was such a great cousin-- she helped Mairead drink her juice!



I swear, we don't make her pose for pictures like this. She LOVES books! Before or after a nap, she will sit in her crib and 'read' whatever book is in there. She looks at each page, turns the pages, and talks to herself. Her dad and I both love reading, so I guess she is catching on early!

We also went to Animal Land as part of our trip-- I will post those pictures later. I took so many pictures this past week that I need to spread them out over a few posts!

So Grown Up!

Now that she is almost 1, Mairead is getting so grown up! Her hair is getting long, and has been getting in her eyes lately so she needed some barrettes. She looks so cute and so much like a little girl-- she's not much of a little baby anymore! Although that makes me a little sad, I love how much fun she has become, and how many new and exciting things she is trying! She is standing quite a bit lately; I think that walking is not far behind. She loves talking- she may not say everything perfectly, but so far we have: cat, dog, up, dad, down, what's that (her new favorite), fish (sort of), and duck. She called all the seagulls at the beach 'duck,' and every bath toy is 'fish.' Today she told Ms. Pat (at day care) buh-buh! She says 'mum' on choice occasions-- mostly when she is sad and crying. Mostly it's 'da da da' all the time. It's very sweet- she loves her daddy!

These are just a few pictures of two of her favorite things-- eating cheese and looking cute!

Beach Vacation Slide Show

Life's a Beach!

This week, Mairead enjoyed her first trip to the beach! We had a great time and took lots of pictures. At first, she hated the beach. She didn't want the sand to touch her, the water was scary and too cold, and she was really unhappy. Then, one afternoon, she saw a seagull, took off crawling after it, and never looked back! Hope you enjoy the slideshow of the week-- thanks to Nana and Grampy for arranging such a great vacation!