On the 9th September, when one of Maisie’s doctors started suggesting a ‘bucket list’ for her, it slowly began to sink in how ill she really was (or would soon become).
In many ways, the idea of a bucket list for your baby daughter is obviously extremely sad, and part of me didn’t like ticking off a list of ‘to dos’ in a slow count down to an inevitable end. But it gave us something really positive to focus on – and it really did help us to concentrate on the important things: living, having new experiences, spending quality time together and enjoying each others company.
When we first wrote this bucket list, we had no idea her life would be cut quite so short. We were hoping for at least a year, but unfortunately that wasn’t to be. Luckily, we did manage to complete most of the things on her list – but the final few, we hope to complete for her in her memory over the coming months.
So this is Maisie’s bucket list – we wrote it for her, as her own probably would have consisted of: breast feed, sleep, cuddle mummy and daddy, watch brother, play with toys, listen to mummy sing, bath, repeat (all of which we gave her in abundance).
Here are the things we managed to complete:
Sing and dance together
Listen to Mum and Dads favourite songs
Read books
Do some finger painting
Beach trips: dip toes in the sea and the sand
Go swimming
Take a train journey
Go to St Ives
Go on a slide
Go in a ball pool
Baby yoga
Hold a boy’s hand!
Go to a wedding
Take a ride in Daddy’s Land Rover
Stay in a hotel
A baby sensory class
Sign classes
A baby music class
Hand a feet casts
Climb Tregonning Hill
Thanksgiving
Visit Mummy’s home town of Shropshire
Go on a picnic
Go to the cinema
Watch fireworks
Enjoy Halloween
Dressing up
Wear a band t-shirt
Go to a farm
And those we are going to finish for her:
Get professional photos taken:
We didn’t manage to find the time, unfortunately, as she was in hospital on the day we hoped to shoot on the beach. But a lovely photographer took some beautiful photos of Maisie’s funeral service which we’ll treasure forever.
Go on a bike ride
Go on a swing
Get a Valentine’s card:
We made her some Valentine’s cards in November – and we will write them for her this February.
Go on a cliff top walk
Eat birthday cake:
She was never old enough to eat solid foods (one week too young!) so all she ever ate was breastmilk (and horrible tasting medicines). But she had two birthday cakes, and we continue to bake and sing for her birthday each month.
Paint nails
Have a girls night
Try a pasty / chocolate / ice cream (all our favourite foods!):
Again, she sadly never got to taste all these foods – but we’ll continue to enjoy all of these for her!