Some diary entries … June to August 1992

1/6/92 – Sean is now clapping his hands – he’s very cute and clever.

2/6/92 – We bought a ‘car’ cum baby walker for Sean.

4/6/92 – Sean slept right through till 9!

7/6/92 – Sean slept right through till 8.45. Bliss, especially as it was my turn to get up with him. It was a beautiful day … in due course we all went to the Marist Fathers’ and sat on [a mat on] the grass, then Pauline got a 7 to the market and Sean and I went home … [later] Pauline and I had good games with Sean, bouncing on the spare bed. He eventually went to sleep.

10/6/92 – Rang Pauline [in Warrenpoint] … Sean had been swimming in the swimming pool, and loved it.

11/6/92 – Met Pauline and Sean off the train at 7.35, and we got a taxi home. Sean had grown, and was swimming again today.

13/6/92 – In the afternoon Maureen called and took Pauline and Sean to Marley Park and the adventure playground.

14/6/92 – Tony Whelan called, and was here for 20 minutes or so. Good chat. I cooked a fry for my dad and myself, and we took Sean to Belfield for a walk.

15/6/92 – Got a bus home at lunchtime – sat opposite Francis Stuart, who spoke at a press conference against Maastricht this afternoon … [later] Sean took his first couple of steps (excellent!). He stands up from a sitting position, takes one step with each foot and then flops forward.

16/6/92 – Sean took some more confident steps.

17/6/92 – Sean was walking five or six steps at a time.

18/6/92 – Pauline and I carried Sean to St Columbanus Road and cast our votes on Maastricht (yes and yes).

19/6/92 – Watched some TV, played with Sean a good bit. Pauline bought him a very good set of blocks in town today.

20/6/92 – In the afternoon we all went to Dundrum. It was sunny, and Sean was asleep, so Pauline and I sat outside Uncle Tom’s and had a drink. We did a lot of shopping in Quinnsworth; Sean sat up at the back of a normal trolley – he’s such a big boy!

21/6/92 – Pauline left for the market. I took Sean to the Marist Fathers’ and we played in the grass. It was a nice day, with cricket being played.

28/6/92 – Sean 11 months old today. He is walking around very competently, and dancing to music. Pauline and I sing him our ‘Oo – oo – oo’ football chant and he reproduces the first few notes, so you could say he’s started to sing too … [later] Sean and I spent an hour or so in the Marist Fathers’, with him walking distances of five yards or so on the grass.

30/6/92 – The three of us got a bus to Ballinteer. Pauline and I took turns to carry Sean. Had a look around the house [that we had bought that day], and were pleased.

2/7/92 – Pauline set out for Mount Temple, where she was due to teach today. I collected Sean around 3 – his last day at the Twinco crèche. I did some more packing while he slept, and Pauline arrived home at 3.40 – she hadn’t been able to teach as the students were off orienteering. She still gets paid. We did some serious packing … When Brendan arrived at 7 Pauline left Sean in to Barbara to be minded, and Kent gave us a hand with loading and unloading the School & College van. It took three trips to Ballinteer and back … on the third trip Pauline and Sean joined us – we’d said our goodbyes and shaken hands with Tom and Barbara. They were good neighbours, but we weren’t the least bit sorry to leave Olivemount Road. Arrived at our new home around 10 – it had been raining almost all the time we were loading … Pauline and I ate some biscuits and drank herbal tea. We were shattered. There were bags and boxes everywhere. We slept on the mattress on the floor of our bedroom.

3/7/92 – Sean joined us during the night. I had to go to work.

4/7/92 – Sean has settled in well already. We are very pleased with 62 Broadford Lawn. I cooked a big pasta and veg dinner, which we ate with champagne supplied by Peter and Nuala … drank a bottle of wine, then Peter and I went out and bought two more bottles in The Coach House. All chatted and laughed, and Pauline and I finished things off with our second can of Budweiser each of the day.

5/7/92 – Sean left us in peace quite late, thank God … Pauline says that she loves the house, so that’s great: I’m very happy with it too … Everybody seems very friendly, and there are lots of children about … [later] Three kids called – Andrew from next door and Heidi and Sinead from across the road. They came in and made themselves very much at home. Sean liked them.

6/7/92 – Sean now claps and cheers when we do.

10/7/92 – I left my bike at work and met Pauline; we got some wood in Mulvey’s and carried it home under Sean, then fixed up his stair gates.

11/7/92 – I took Sean out to buy a paper, and read it while he slept. After he woke we played around and then went to the Nutgrove Centre … It was a good hard push back, and the heavens opened as we got into Broadford. Approaching from an unfamiliar direction, I took a wrong turn and got soaked. Sean slept on regardless.

14/7/92 – Sean went to sleep around 11; we’d all been out for a walk – Sean can actually go for walks now, on his harness … he can also make marks on a sheet of paper with a crayon, obviously trying to imitate children he’s seen drawing.

16/7/92 – Maureen called around 8, and stayed chatting until 10.45 or so – we had good crack with her. She is very fond of Sean … it was late by the time Pauline got Sean to sleep – he really fights it these days.

20/7/92 – I eventually got Sean to sleep. He’s making very good progress. Throwing a ball well – always with his right hand; if he picks it up with his left he passes it to his right. So we know he’s right-handed.

21/7/92 – Ruth dropped off Sean – he’d been in the park with some other children and had had a great time. Pauline and I are pleased that Ruth is minding him now –he seems very happy. He’s learned how to build bricks.

28/7/92 – Sean is 1 today! The birthday boy slept through till 7.30 or so, so we all had a good sleep.

30/7/92 – Sean has taken to showing off flagrantly to visitors on the musical mat.

1/8/92 – This morning I was able to look out the window and see Sean dribbling the football around the back garden.

2/8/92 – Pauline cycled to the market and I took Sean to Marley Park, where he did a great deal of walking around on the grass and we had good fun. This tired him out, and he fell asleep on the way home … [later] Sean is now playing the melodica.

5/8/92 – Played football with Sean in the back garden.

10/8/92 – Peter, Pauline and I took Bertie and Sean for a walk, and fixed the melodica, which Sean had broken.

11/8/92 – Sean can now walk backwards.

14/8/92 – I cut the grass back and front, Pauline and Sean watched and Sean gambolled around. It was Andrew’s birthday and there were a good few kids around. Pauline had Sean in the park today – he’s in great form.

15/8/92 – We bought two mousetraps.

16/8/92 – Pauline says that Sean said ‘doggie’ after hearing a dog bark on television. His first proper word.

17/8/92 – The mice are winning the war of nerves so far.

19/8/92 – We’ve still caught no mice. One sat and stared at Pauline in the kitchen this morning.

20/8/92 – I watched TV and watched the mouse, which proved to be so brazen that I feared it might walk up inside my trousers. I set up an elaborate humane trap, but failed to catch it. If I had I would have taken it a little distance and released it … [later] Sean woke around 1.00, and wouldn’t go back to sleep. Mary, Anna and Pauline arrived around 1.30; Pauline took Sean downstairs for a while, and it seems that the adults watched in amazement as the mouse strolled unabashed around the living room.

21/8/92 – Pauline had had a bad night with Sean. I was tired too. The mouse had had the worst night of all – it was lying dead on the kitchen floor, a foot from the trap.

23/8/92 – We all went to Marley Park – Sean again walked long distances and intercepted other kids’ balls. It was a lovely day.

29/8/92 – Pauline, Sean and I went to Marley Park, looked at the ducks and so on. He walked round a lot and we played with his ball.

30/8/92 – We had baked potatoes for dinner and played with Sean. He is now doing things such as sitting in an armchair on his own, sitting on the work surface watching us cook and so on. Very cute.

31/8/92 – We both read to Sean in his cot.