Up Down Tales

Post Christmas can usually feel a little glum but we had Maisie’s birthday to celebrate at the beginning of January. Sproutings of snowdrops and daffodils gave me joy throughout some of those dreary days and then we were lucky to go on a sun holiday in February. Today is March 1st and the sun is out. I hear more birds singing in the garden which is abundant with swaying daffodils and narcissi. Maisie is loving playschool and she’s busy at home too, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of two older siblings making for a busy, noisy, sometimes stressful but generally fun and loving home.

Another birthday is approaching and soon Maisie will turn 3. I’m glad she’ll be in the best form for it as Christmas was full of illnesses! We were all sick from one thing or another except Caolan but he was shattered due to all the sleepless nights. This Christmas Maisie knew all about Santa and the excitement of Christmas(we had been playing Christmas songs since November😬) so I’m pretty sure she’ll have a blast opening her presents, eating her birthday cake and singing happy birthday to herself.

It’s summer and Maisie has just turned 2.5years. She is such a character and goes between being very clingy to fiercely independent. It’s a busy time with her siblings at home over the holidays but the weeks are flying by already and come September Maisie will be joining Tom and Evie on the school run, attending a special needs preschool, for one year only before she will begin Montessorri. She is very sociable and I know she will love it, as much as I’ll enjoy some time to myself and returning to work in my garden studio.

One of my first posts was about Bailey, our small fluffy, loyal, lovely Bichon Frise. We had him for over 13years, and so much happened in that time. He was there for all the important life stuff, meeting Caolan, moving house, having kids, getting married, and all those trips back to Donegal. His first few years were spent in Donegal, where most of his adventures happened and then he settled into city life although with a big garden and huge park on our doorstep he lived a happy, fulfilling life🐶🐾

It’s our last day in Lanzarote and I’m relaxing on our balcony feeling the warm heat on my face, looking out at gently swaying palm trees, the blue sea in the near distance. The chirping of birds overriding any noise from the pool. I feel good. My knees aren’t sore. I feel genuinely relaxed, savouring each moment before everything gets busy again. Maisie is napping, Evie is at a kids luncheon and Tom and his dad are at their favourite café. I started to write this post a day into our holiday and whilst I was enjoying the same view, I felt a bit uptight. It can take a couple of days for everyone to settle in and the only way we’ll enjoy the holiday is if the kids are happy. Even when they are, it’s never plain sailing but the good memories usually outweigh the tricky ones and we’ll go home yearning to return.

Our darling girl turned 2yrs at the start of January. Another wonderful milestone celebrated in our family! There was a time when two weeks or two months felt like an age when our newborn Maisie struggled to feed due to her heart defect..but these last twelve months have flown in and our teeny delicate baby has become quite the little lump!

Maisie will be two years old in January. Her second year has been much easier than her first. I love tiny babies but Maisie was tiny for too long and I’ve already spoken about how challenging the first months of her life was as we prepared for her heart surgery. But one of the reasons life with her is more enjoyable is down to our acceptance of Maisie’s Down Syndrome diagnosis..to the point where it doesn’t matter any more. She makes us happy, it’s as simple as that. And we celebrate all her achievements of which there are many! She signs, she loves imaginary play and joining in with her siblings. She applauds herself when she stands, her way of saying “hey, look at me”! She loves to “read” her favourite books pointing to the animals or objects she is familiar with. I could go on… It is so rewarding to see the progress Maisie makes. Perhaps, the slower the pace means that we’re more fully engaged with her. And we see how capable she is, and so in writing this blog I am advocating for our daughter that there is nothing wrong with having a learning disability. It’s not what we see but how we see things and our attitudes towards people that are a bit different. Look beyond the disability and see a beautiful girl just being herself who just happens to have Down Syndrome💗

Compared to a year ago, Maisie is a different child..no more Ng feeding tube or restrictions associated with that. She is an explorer and is curious about the world around her. This summer was filled with adventures at home and away, and watching Maisie grow up makes us so proud of her. She has a sweet personality, lets us know what she does and doesn’t like and is very fond of her siblings, and our dog. In fact her first sign was “dog”!

May 2022..two years without a sun holiday abroad, first world problems I know but I was never more excited about a holiday than this one. Lockdowns and Covid restrictions had meant that at the height of the pandemic we couldn’t go beyond 5km from our homes, and although we enjoyed the odd trip to Donegal it’s wouldn’t be the same as packing a suitcase and venturing off to a warmer climate with the pleasure of being somewhere different to switch off from the hum drum of family routines.

Maisie didn’t cry in the first few months of her life. If she wasn’t happy she’d let out a little “eh” and we’d know to pick her up. Her first cry was after her surgery. When we arrived home with her Tom became really upset as he had never heard her cry. I reassured him that crying is what babies do! Having said that, Maisie was obviously still in pain following her heart surgery but I do remember with fondness what a sweet temperament she had in those first months.

Tom was my surprise baby, Evie my rainbow baby and Maisie was my miracle baby. I was very happy with two, one of each but perhaps with Evie being such a joyful baby, yearning for a third was no surprise. That and the full knowledge of my biological clock running out of ticks.

I’ve got three kids under 8 and even though I loved the baby stage, there were times when I felt trapped and isolated or just a sense of “here we go again”. Constrained by nap/eating times I wouldn’t always be spontaneous either. With Maisie I also need to fit in daily physiotherapy so unless we are away or on holiday is it any wonder I tell my husband that I still feel like I’m in my own lockdown!