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TURN THE VOLUME UP AND DANCE!!!!!

Do you ever wonder what it's like to hang out with a blind person? Or how 'bout someone who is mentally delayed? I know I do. I mean really, I have found myself in some really uncomfortable situations since Ivey was born. When we are with other blind, hard-of-hearing, mentally delayed or physically deformed people I really don't know what to do with myself or how to act with them. What do you say to some one so different from yourself?

I guess that's how a lot of people feel around Ivey. I see it on their faces, read it in their eyes.

But I can't answer those questions when it pertains to Ivey.

She is the exception to the rule for me.

Tonight was a girl's night, just me, Ivey and Tara (our dog). All girls. The boys were away at wrestling practice. So we snuggled up to watch our rented movie "The Proposal". Nothing says girls night like a chick flick.

It hit me tonight, that even though we were doing typicall 'girl' stuff, nothing about our night said typical. I started thinking. Never have I put on a 'movie' for Ivey to entertain her for thirty minutes or so just to get something accomplished. Movies are irrelevant to her.

Personally I would love for Ivey to tell me her spin on movies. The boys love them. Does she think the characters of the movie are visitors in our house? Does she think the drama is really REAL? If so, we have the best house on the block….!!!!!

Obviously the above pondering is beside the point.

Though I can't tell you what it is like to interact with ALL blind people, or mentally delayed, better yet mentally delayed deafblind people – I can tell you what it is like to hang out with my favorite mentally delayed deafblind girl.

Ivey sat in my lap as we watched 'The Proposal'. I love Sandra Bullock. I tickled Ivey, counted her ribs (many times just to her that giggle of hers).

I sat in awe because I could. I watched her reach for my hand, when there was no reason for her to reach, except that she knew it would be there, waiting for her to hold. She reaches into thin air and kinda gently circles her hand around until she finds my hand. How does she know I'm there? She takes my finger in her tiny hands, and holds it. Finally, she, in her nonverbal way, tells me she wants to play the Indian Game. All the while, the movie rolls on.

I sit and twirl her curls around my fingers. Did you know that I have always wondered exactly how did I end up with such a curly haired girl? And over and over I sign on her face that she is 'mama's beautiful girl'. She smiles. I wonder what those three wonders mean to her.

But I saved the best for last. Ivey learned a new trick tonight. It was officially a girl's night. So for any of you who have watched 'The Proposal', you know there are a couple of good early nineties songs. My era. Well, my girl can now shake it! It is a sight to see. I'm posting the song on the blog. But to see Ivey dance to it, well, you'll have to come over. It is AWESOME!

So here we go….1, 2, 3….get loose now. …..it takes two to make a thing go riggght. It takes two to make it out of sight…..

And Ivey smiles because she knows…..her daddy probable wouldn't approve….

Fortunately, Ivey gets her dance rythm and moves from me......thank the Lord not from Matt....

(PS. I didn't teach her 'From the windows …to the walls………………' Matt's head would have snapped off of his shoulders!)

PPS...When things feal awkward...turn UP the MUSIC!!!!!