The Small Things

I can't explain it. It shouldn't mean as much as when she started walking, or when she was able to use her PMV, giving her a voice. But it does. It means as much, if not more. It makes my heart soar every time I hear her utter the word.

Marissa is finally saying "Daddy" correctly.

Oddly enough, she was saying "Da Da Da Da" as early as 14 months old, as shown in this video:

This was after being able to use her speaking valve for only about 3 months! She would only say this when she was looking at her Daddy or sitting in his lap, so we knew it wasn't just babbling. She even wowed her geneticist two months later when she said "Da Da" as she climbed into his lap.

But somewhere along the way, she forgot that she knew how to say her d's. While she was babbling, she would pronounce the "d" sound but when asked to say a word with a "d" in it, she pronounced it as a "y" instead. So "Da Da" became "Ya Ya" and then morphed into "Ya Yee". We were only slightly concerned, as her speech therapist said that some kids do this, for some unknown reason. It was not exactly a regression, more like a temporary blip. Her therapist had confidence that her d's would come back, so Jeremy and I felt we had to have confidence as well. She called Jeremy "Ya Yee" for the longest time.

Until the beginning of last week.

It started out as "Da Yee". Jeremy and I looked at each other in amazement when we first heard her say it. I wanted to cry. I was overjoyed at just this small amount of progress with just this one little word. Then, by the end of last week, she was saying the full word, "Daddy"! Now she says it all the time, with great love and gusto. Like I said, my heart soars every time I hear her say it.

What a cute, wonderful, precious little teacher Marissa is. It is like I was blind to the world before she came along and now I see everything more clearly; especially things others may brush aside as ordinary, typical, or no big deal, as I had for so many years. She has taught me to appreciate the small things.

And for that, I am forever grateful.