Lucy took dance last year and loved it. And she is an AMAZING dancer (okay--I may be a little biased. I am her mother, after all) But when all of the other 2 year olds were crying, Lucy was the lone-dancer, completing her routine like a pro. So, I didn't hesitate to sign her up for dance again this year. But this year, things were a bit different. Lucy used to attend dance at her daycare and she wasn't going there any more. So, if she was going to keep going to dance, she would have to do it in the evening. Which meant Imma would be able to go, too. Except, I didn't know if Imma could do it. I hesitated to sign her up because I just had no idea how she would react. We started off with a baby step, Dance Camp last summer. It was one day a week for four weeks. Imma complained sometimes ("We're not going to dance!") but she went and she liked it. So, I talked to her dance teachers last fall. Was she doing okay? Was she listening? Was she keeping her hands and her teeth to herself? They said she was struggling a little but she was trying. She wasn't always able to keep up. They didn't know if she could handle the class with the girls her age because they had all had dance before. So, we compromised. We put Imma in the 4-5 year old class. Some of these girls would be turning 6 and Imma is a little short so it shouldn't be too obvious that she was a little older. And then, I held my breath--for 9 months.
Throughout the year, there were a few incidents where Imma didn't listen. Once, she accidentally hurt a friend. And once she didn't earn a "smelly." I asked how she was doing and I was told she was doing "fine" or "okay." She was making it. You see, we aren't allowed to watch them dance. They are in closed rooms. We can only guess at how they are doing. Then, at Christmas, we were allowed to watch a routine. This was our present. She did really well! She hammed it up for me and the camera but I was impressed and a little relieved. Still. we had several months until the dance recital and I wasn't sure how she would do onstage. Though she did a great job as a dancing frog in the first grade musical this year, this was different. This was choreography! And I was reminded of a melt-down two-year-old Imma had when she refused to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star at a recital once. So, I still wasn't sure how it was going to go.
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| My two dancing girls |
And finally, the big day arrived. We were almost late! I hate being late but it was raining and I was struggling to get Imma's make-up right. When we finally got out the door, we had 15 minutes to make a 30 minute drive and we just weren't going to make it. Luckily, we got there in time to drop the girls off. The show started promptly at 6:00. My girls' routines were towards the end. Lucy's class went first. Of course, she did amazingly well, as I knew she would. The whole class did a lot better this year, only one crying child. Lucy looked gorgeous and blew kisses and did all of the things that make a mommy want to stand up and yell, "That's MY girl!"
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| Princess Lucy posing for the camera |
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| Who wouldn't be proud of this little cutie? |
Then, it was time for Imma's class. Imma had already torn her tights (Daddy was able to hide it) and her lipstick looked a little like we'd put it on in the dark, in a moving car, on a roller coaster. But you couldn't really tell from the audience. The curtains opened to Imma's class of girls sitting on little crates, legs crossed, shoes ready to tap. She was in the back--in the middle--right in the middle. My immediate thought was, "Why aren't they trying to hide her??" Well, they didn't need to. They started off with a cute little tapping, leg crossing, switching thing. Then, they were up and tapping, back down, one leg on the crate, then switch, etc. She was doing it! She was dancing! She was doing the same thing as everyone else. Then, there was a part when they shimmied to the right. She was away from her crate and the spacing was a little off. I was scared she would accidentally take the wrong crate! But, she didn't! When they went back to their crates, she found hers. She finished the routine and I was the proudest mama you could ever imagine! I remember thinking, "You can't even tell there's anything 'different' about her!" She was just like everyone else. Not perfect but perfectly wonderful. This was an amazing accomplishment for us. We had proved that Imma could do something just like other children. She was very proud of herself as well. And the first thing she said to me after the recital was, "No more dance. Dance over!" You bet, kiddo--until after the summer anyway.
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| After the recital. Imma was so happy and Lucy kept saying, "Okay, Mommy, that's enough!" |
As I am typing this, I'm thinking of the next challenge we would like to take on. I know that Imma would love cheerleading but we're not ready to tackle that yet. There's just too much dependency on everyone doing the same thing. That being said, I don't think it's too far off. I think she'll be able to do it very soon. In fact, I think there's nothing she can't do if she wants to.
This year, she's played basketball, softball, and danced in a recital. She's learned to read, done extremely well in math also, and made some great friendships. Her amazing teacher has taught her so much--not just academics but social and emotional skills as well. I am so very proud of her and I can't wait to see how she does in 2nd grade--but we'll be waiting until the fall on that one, too!
Our next adventure will be a trip to Mexico on a cruise ship. I know my girl can do it. She can do anything she puts her mind to!
What has your special kiddo accomplished that has made you extremely proud?
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