"Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be." - Shel Silverstein

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Talkin' About Talkin'

Below are pictures of just one of the many pretty outfits Grandma Utah sent to Marissa for her birthday. She sure has great taste! Thanks Grandma for all the cool clothes!











Marissa has been trying to develop words for a long time now. She has been able to tolerate her speaking valve (PMV, which is the purple piece on her trach) for just over a year now, which means that for nearly the first year of her life, she had no voice. So, considering that, she is doing really well at talking. She can say many simple words clearly and really does attempt to say almost everything we say. She has gotten very good at mimicking. So good, in fact, that mommy and daddy are really having to watch what we say! For example, the other night I said "crap!" and I heard a little voice behind me call out "rap!!" Oops!


It seems as though her speech has really taken off in the last week or so. Her speech therapist was here on Monday and she and Marissa read a book together. The therapist would say a word and Marissa would repeat it, not in perfect form, but she was still speaking. I love hearing her attempts at speech. It really touches me that she tries so hard. One of the most heartbreaking things we had to realize when we were told she needed the trach was that she was not going to have a voice. At least not until she was strong enough to use the PMV, and no one could give us a timeline for that.


Parents of a typical child might occasionally want a mute button for their child (believe me, I know what that is like, having grown up in a family of seven kids!). Marissa has a mute button, but I refuse to use it (simply taking the PMV off). Her voice and attempts at speech are just that precious to me. I get sad when she gets sick because she is not strong enough to use her PMV and I miss hearing her sweet little voice.


I shot this video this morning to try to demonstrate some of the words Marissa can say. Some of what she says is hard to understand, but the try is definitely there. I tried to shoot several different videos to demonstrate all the words she knows, but she got to a point where she was tired of performing!

12 comments:

Momof5 said...

The sweetest sounds I've ever heard! So that's what angels sound like?! Awesome! Big hugs and kisses!

Nana and PaPa said...

Oh my gosh!! I'm STILL laughing over Marissa saying "poop"! lol She is just so darn cute!! Love you guys!
Love,
Nana & PaPa

Hope said...

WTG Marissa! I love her sweet voice! (I gotta say her grandma has the best taste in clothes! Ava has the same outfit. LOL Great minds..........)

The VW's said...

Great job Marissa!!! I think she talks excellant!! How fun to hear her sweet voice!

John and Jenna Gensic said...

It's so nice to hear her talk. Seeing Marissa makes me excited about what Mikan may be able to do next. He knows the "up" sign, but that's all now. She is adorable!!!

Anxious AF said...

Good job Marissa!

Michelle said...

I love how she talks!!!! What a great voice she has! The words will start to come more and more! Remember a while back when she would say, "ba ba ba" for bye? She says it very clear here!! Good job Marissa!

Grandma Utah does have some good taste in clothes!!!

Love,
Auntie Chelle

angie said...

She is doing FANTASTIC!!! Thanks for sharing the video with us....it made me smile!

Kendra said...

So gorgeous in the new duds! And, she is talking really well! Thanks for giving us "noise-overwhelmed" moms a good dose of perspective.

Queen Mommy said...

That is so sweet! I love how I could hear her signing puppy as she said the word. So cute! What a blessing that she tolerates her PMV so well. Lily used one too, for a few months before she was decannulated, even though she was still pretty little and not really saying many words yet. It's always nice to hear their little voices!

Tara said...

Way to go Grandma Utah!! Love the new outfits. :)

Anonymous said...

I just love watching those videos!
Marissa has grown up sooo much.
Her speech is great and her clothes are too cute. Janice did a great job!! Love Aunt Teri and Uncle Norm