00:00We were both victims of attacks that left us completely blind.
00:04We cannot see anything.
00:06I got tired of people saying they can't do this or people judging our parenting skills.
00:12He didn't have any doubts or concerns about being a blind parent, but I definitely did.
00:16You just find a different way to do things.
00:19Friends and family express concerns and doubts.
00:22How do you know if the baby is safe? How are you going to take care of this baby?
00:26How can they take care of them if they can't see?
00:30So we're just going to grab this one and we're going to do this one.
00:33I don't know if it's Mickey Mouse or Simba, but we're going to go with it.
00:37We don't know what matches with what.
00:38So we put the socks, a bib, and then the outfit on the safety pin.
00:43That way you can keep up with it.
00:46Me and my husband are both completely blind.
00:49We see complete darkness at all times.
00:52No shadows, no shapes, no blurs.
00:56The color is black.
00:59We both lost our sight in young adulthood.
01:02Two days before my 19th birthday, I was attacked.
01:06Instead of my life, he took my sight.
01:09I became blind six weeks before my 21st birthday.
01:13I was physically assaulted and it resulted in total blindness.
01:18When I met him, I hadn't even been blind a year.
01:20We met each other at the place where individuals with disabilities go to get training.
01:27And he was just showing me how to deal with that and how to process it.
01:31And I think that's kind of what made me fall in love with him.
01:34We just built our life together.
01:35Hello.
01:36You're laughing.
01:37I'm a big boy.
01:38When we learned you were pregnant, what were your emotions?
01:41Oh, I was terrified.
01:43A fear of the unknown.
01:45It was like, what did I do?
01:48You ready, buddy?
01:50You ready to get drinks?
01:51Yeah.
01:52He didn't have any doubts or concerns about being a blonde parent, but I definitely did.
01:57What if we're not good enough for them?
01:58What if we failed them as parents because we do have a disability?
02:05Feel the doctor.
02:06See how low that is on that booty?
02:08That ain't that low for real.
02:10In the back?
02:10But it is a low, but it ain't that low.
02:13When Anthony was born, I think I found the most difficulty with the diapers.
02:19We never truly know if he's clean.
02:22So I'm just going to wipe until I can't wipe anymore.
02:24And that's how we do it.
02:25It is different being blind.
02:27I can say that, but you just find a different way to do things.
02:32Good.
02:34Okay.
02:35There we go.
02:35Photo just came in.
02:36Okay.
02:37So this one is a, it says ultra thin oven roasted turkey breast, but that's also honey ham.
02:46So it'll be two individually wrapped pouches.
02:48So we both have that app.
02:49They do like the descriptions of food.
02:53They can let us know if something is cooking, if it's done or not.
02:57They can even like describe the room for us.
02:59There's a lot they can do.
03:01This is pretty girl, Alani, my oldest.
03:06We are currently in here making her some sandwiches.
03:10Alani is my firstborn.
03:12She's my daughter.
03:14Yes, he is a great cook.
03:16And my favorite thing that he makes is his famous hamburgers.
03:22With my dad, I help him when he's cooking.
03:25Friends and family express concerns and doubts.
03:28How are you going to raise a baby?
03:30How are you going to take care of this baby?
03:32And I'm like the same way that anybody else does it.
03:36You know, I'm just like, I didn't know how to even respond to the question.
03:41Hey, sugar mama.
03:42Hey, mommy.
03:43How are you doing?
03:46Good.
03:47That's been a challenge for me is like doing what's best for me and Harim and the baby.
03:54And then trying to take into consideration the opinions of family members.
04:00What's up, son?
04:02How are you doing?
04:03I'm good.
04:04Look at that big old boy.
04:05Look at him.
04:07Hey, big boy.
04:11Yeah, he getting huge.
04:12The biggest concern was how can they take care of him if they can't lose.
04:18I remember I was like around the corner every five seconds.
04:22I would hear the baby.
04:23Now, it's like I hear, oh, auntie got it.
04:26I sleep like a baby.
04:27Yeah, yeah, yeah.
04:29Those people that I know that I'm close to that have doubted, I put her in front of them and just,
04:36and they're in awe.
04:37Once they see her change the diaper, nursing the baby, and their worries are put to rest.
04:42So they're not worried anymore.
04:46We've had questions like, are you sure you should be raising kids?
04:50And how do you know if the baby is safe?
04:52People judging our parenting skills.
04:54A lot of crazy comments, like some stuff you'll never think you'll hear people say.
04:59People say that we were pretending.
05:02Like I wish I was making this up.
05:04I think a lot of people are like in awe, like shocked to see that we are doing it.
05:11Don't be too quick to judge a book by the cover and you never read a page of it.
05:15In the beginning, I think it was a little frustration, them not knowing them.
05:20Get to know what they can do and, you know, how they do it.
05:24Because there's a method to the madness.
05:26They have a system in place and they do it very well.
05:28I got tired of people saying that we can do this, we can't do this.
05:33Or just people thinking that we're lying.
05:36I just decided to just show people that we're really limitless.
05:40Like nothing can stop us.
05:42Welcome back.
05:43People have to see it to believe it sometimes.
05:46Anybody that's, you know, trying to do better, that may think they can't do something,
05:52we're here to tell y'all that you can.
05:54And we've been through some of the worst, but we continue to hold our head high and we
06:00doing whatever we got to do to take care of our family.
06:04They inspired me a whole lot because when I look at what they're doing and
06:09all the accomplishments that they done made, I ain't lying, I don't make no excuses.
06:13Because I say, if they can do it, I know I can do it.
06:21Goldfish.
06:21We hope that the future holds just more blisses.
06:25You took the words right out of my mouth.
06:28I pray that we continue to take care of our family the best way we know how.
06:32One more shape.
06:33You still do it.
06:34I would love to have more kids.
06:36Before I went blind, I used to want like a starting five or like a baseball team.
06:41But now I think we'll settle for maybe one or two more maybe.
06:46I can't speak for everyone, but I know my kids inspired me to want something out of life.
06:53I'm not going to be comfortable with being blind until we can live how we want to live
06:59and be the parents that we want to be.
07:00So far, it's turning out pretty good.
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