I got this in the mail last week. Not easy. Maelee should be here, turning one in less than two weeks. We should be celebrating her glorious first year, all the milestones and cute red-headedness and victory as parents for making it through the sleepless nights and crazy feeding schedules. We should be celebrating this life that we were given.So how do you celebrate a life that was taken away?
Opinions and experiences abound from other baby loss families out there. Some people have a big party, some people let balloons go, others take a vacation, others hide away 'til the dreaded week is over. Greg and I are figuring out what will be right for us and most honoring to Maelee, without freaking people out.
And I think I've figured at least part of what we can do...
Have cupcakes.
We had cupcakes at our wedding. My mom made and decorated them all. They were delicious. I think I saw one friend's husband eat 10 of them. I really like a good white cupcake with a not-overpowering-with-sugar frosting but a simple light vanilla or almond frosting. My guess is that if Maelee were here on earth for her first birthday, I would have made cupcakes. And they would have been really cute. We would have put one candle sticking out of hers. We would have those photos where she gets to sample one and get it all over her adorable face.
Instead I'll make cute cupcakes and share them that week. And if you want, you can make or buy a cupcake and eat it sometime that week in honor of her, too. And if you are really ambitious, you can take a photo of the cupcake or you eating it and I'll add it to her book. My plan is for her scrapbook/album of all things Maelee from the last year to have the end pages be her "birthday" cupcakes. I would be happy to add your Maelee cupcake photo to those pages. It will be hard to have an end to her album, but it will be sweet.
This way our family and friends can take part in celebrating Maelee with us, no matter where they are. And who doesn't enjoy a good cupcake? I saw some in Publix yesterday that made me drool. And this amazing place in downtown Columbia has over 45 flavors! Check out that Mocha Chip or Red Velvet! My plain-white preference goes out the door when I glance at these... perhaps Maelee's little brother will celebrate her by having me stop by that place. YUMMY!
So to those that would like to, please enjoy - really enjoy to the fullest - a good cupcake the first week in April and think of our daughter.
-Heather
3 comments:
Ali just said last night "who's birthday is next?" I said Maelees. We then talked about how she is in heaven, we miss her, and how we are excited about her brother. Then she asked if we could have cake to celebrate Maelee. Perfect! The Lipperts will be making cupcakes and thinking about Miss Maelee. (they won't look as good as the one on your post)
Sweet cupcakes - what a good idea! Cupcakes was my theme for Sophia's nursery. On her first birthday we kept the same traditions we do with our older boys' birthdays - special supper and birthday cake with the grandparents over. It was a difficult day, but it seemed more normal for our boys when we did normal birthday things. We took a family picture that day while holding Sophia's picture. I plan to take a family pic every year on her birthday and then add them to her scrap book.
Our boys, Rick, and I will be excited to have cupcakes in honor of Maelee's birthday :)
Thinking of you! Lisa
I hope you don't mind that I will checking out the bakeries in Bismarck to find the cutest, girliest cupcakes they have! Grandma K is not the best cake decorator in the world. Hopefully the Lindvigs will be here (weather permitting) so we will honor Maelee together. Oh to think of the celebration we will one day have together with her in heaven.
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