Our little girl

I remember when Maisie was three weeks old. It’s when I stopped breast feeding her. I was pumping milk and trying to get her to feed from a bottle and it was exhausting. My wonderful public health nurse told me to stop, I think I needed someone to say that I had done my best and that I also needed to look after myself. At three months old we were preparing for Maisie to have her heart surgery…a scary and worrying time. And I look at her now as she approaches her third birthday and all I feel is love, pride and excitement for her future. She is the most beautiful, busy and clever little girl. It’s hard to put it into words but I don’t worry about Maisie’s future. Of course I want her to have access to any therapies she needs and I will advocate for these, but knowing how healthy, happy and communicative she is gives us reassurance.  As a parent of a child with additional needs, it can be challenging especially around communication but I am putting the work in, through Lámh signing and attending courses, knowing that Maisie will be receptive to it all. 

A lot has happened since September in terms of Maisie’s development. She started a special needs playschool part time and it’s been wonderful to watch her become more confident. She loves going and her teachers are amazing. They send us a photo of her and a little blurb on what activities she’s done that morning. I get to have a break and it takes the pressure off me as home life is very busy. 

At home Maisie loves playing with her dolls, feeding, washing and hiding them. Hide and seek is her favourite game, it’s something we’ll all join in with. She’s becoming more and more independent and has been putting on some of her clothes with ease for months now. Recently I put a step by the sink so her bedtime routine now includes her washing her hands and face, followed by a brush of her teeth. It’s so cute to watch and I’m bursting with pride at the same time. Maisie loves singing and dancing, as does her big sister. We’ll all watch Strictly Come Dancing, dancing in the kitchen as it comes on and Maisie will clap away.

 I use Lámh with Maisie and it’s really paying off now as she knows dozens of signs. The cutest over Christmas was her signing Santa. She’s still signing Santa and I tell her he’s gone home! Sometimes, Maisie will be signing and it takes me a while before I understand what it is. When I do, we’re both delighted. It’s a wonderful way to communicate and the kids get involved and use Lámh with her too. She has some words, mama, daddy, bye, more, but the best one is “Tom”. She says it a lot!! He is delighted too. Their bond is really strong and built on love and fun. It makes us very proud of him. Evie who is 6 will want to play on her own a lot but this morning she played with Maisie for ages, getting out the animals, the play doh then doing music with her. It was so lovely to watch, and then I disappeared to get some bits done around the house..magic! 

This is the gang on a recent trip to Cork where we stayed in a cosy farm cottage. More hide and seek, watching movies and a magical visit to Fota Wildlife Park. It’s New Year’s Day 2023 as I write this and thinking ahead to another year that’ll be full of ups and downs (only little ones I hope) and feeling so very lucky to have my wonderful kids and husband Caolan. I wouldn’t change a thing.