proud mama

i usually don't post videos on here, but i couldn't resist posting little m's debut singing at her end of the year school talent show.

two years ago, when m was three months old, we visited the graduation/talent show festivities at her school for the deaf for the first time. i remember holding her teeny little body in my arms as we toured the school that morning. we didn't know what to expect. we peeked into classrooms and interacted with children wearing cochlear implants and hearing aids. i remember a little girl named mia walked up to us and said, "is your baby deaf?" as if it was the most normal thing in the world. no one had ever assumed our baby was deaf before. mia was deaf, had two cochlear implants, and was talking and listening to us. then we went to the talent show; deaf kids singing, playing the drums, talking. it was amazing.

and now, our daughter is one of those kids who is learning to listen and talk. she got up in front of all of the teachers, kids and parents and performed. i'm so proud of her. at first, i sang a song she likes from school, "stepping in and stepping out." suddenly doing the motions isn't quite enough for her, so she motions to me that she wants to sing itsy bitsy spider, grabs the microphone, and proceeds to sing her very own rendition of twinkle twinkle little star. (she is kind of quiet so you may want to turn your volume up)

matt and i both got teary as she sang the first two lines of twinkle twinkle over and over. the past two years have been so much work, so much energy, so many emotions and as she stood on that stage it all seemed like a miracle.