My Cute Little Navya

Happy Republic Day!!!

2012-01-26T00:30:00.000+05:30

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-24T22:15:00.002+05:30

Navya's Therapy Schedule

2012-01-16T17:30:00.002+05:30

Too hectic :( ???

Sports Day Fun

2011-12-17T17:30:00.000+05:30

Can you spot her???

Center of attraction??

She had a blast

All are winners :)

My brothers came down specially to attend this event.

Milestone Diary - Brush your teeth

2011-12-07T18:13:00.000+05:30

Toothbrush- Initially we tried Piegon toothbrush with less bristles.
Then we moved to use the regular children toothbrush.

Toothpaste- I hate those sweet flavored toothpastes.
After some trials I settled for "Miswak" toothpaste.
It is non-fluoride and it's not sweet. You have any better suggestions??

How we do it?
Initially I use to brush her teeth.
Then I started singing "AA AA AA , EE EE EE" while brushing so that she understands where the brush goes and how it moves.
Now she insists to brush on her own.
She understands that she needs to spit it but at times she gulps it too :( yucks..I think we will get there soon..

Brushing along with her helps as she tries to imitate every action you do. Right from washing your hands to wiping your face to checking your breath after brush :)

How is our teeth condition?
Only a doc can say I guess. Navya has these little shark teeth. Small and sharp.
With a small mouth, reaching every corner is a tough task.

Adults with autism are hired to test software :)

2011-09-22T13:24:00.000+05:30

How cool is that?
Please read the full news here http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/jobs/aspiritech-hires-adults-with-autism-to-test-software/articleshow/10065089.cms

Aspiritech is doing a great work. Please check the company website here http://www.aspiritech.org/

Weekend pics

2011-09-14T12:51:00.001+05:30

We had been to Pune over the weekend... Navya had great time with her young friend "Thia"... here are some pics... Enjoy !

Presenting "THIA" - another angel :)

Too much of love can be painful at times :)

Can you see the insecurity in Navya's eyes ?

3 years back today (post from daddy)

2011-09-06T09:29:00.001+05:30

3 years back an expecting father was waiting eagerly to his wife's ceaserian operation to get over safely and to see the face of their baby... at 10.15 am the doctor arrived with a cute little baby and declared in a low voice that here is your baby girl and they think she is a case of Downs syndrome, will have to do some tests to confirm the same... the newly become father didn't know what DS means but he surely knew that something was wrong... but he was too keen to see his wife back from the OT and to inform the world about the arrival of the little princess... born on the auspicious day... the angel has arrived on earth...

Few minutes later his wife comes out of the OT, her eyes full of the sleep induced by the sedatives... smiles at her hubby and goes to sleep.... thousands of thoughts start pouring into father's head... some negative some positive... but somehow he chooses to keep the faith... and starts believing that the tests will prove the doctor wrong...

The girl is brought home and named NAVYA (meaning fresh & new) and life starts afresh for her parents... more than a month later the father gets a call from the hospital to come and collect the reports... father is worried but he still believes that the reports will come out to be negative... but his faith was to be tested further.... reports are positive... now he cant hide it any further... the mother is in deep shock and denies to believe it.... but the faith is reinstated and they decide to do their best and leave the rest to the Almighty...

And the Almightly and little NAVYA keep on building their faith stronger and stronger with each passing day... they start experiencing the blessings and the joy which has been specially sent for them... they start loving it... they start living it... they start sharing it...

Their family and friends also reposed the faith time and again... the going hasnt been easy always but they kept faith and some or other door of opportunity opened at the right time...

NAVYA is a special kid in many ways and we are blessed to be chosen as her parents... and wish to be her parents everytime she decides to... however yesterday night we decided to swap the roles in the next life... so Ashish becomes her mamma and Pallavi becomes her baba...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NAVYA.... YOU ARE OUR WORLD !!!

Happy Birthday Princess

- mamma

Body Suit Makeover

2011-08-27T15:29:00.000+05:30

To add some fun element to the boring body suit, we painted some of Navya's fav. things on it.
This is how it looks now

Two most fav. things on the arms(someone is going to turn 3 very soon)

Time to Lick :p

Mamma Fish and baby fishes

Pajama Party in School & Update on body suit

2011-08-26T12:28:00.000+05:30

That sounds so cool.

Navya has Pajama Party today. We were asked to send a baby pillow, baby blanket, night time book/toy and toothbrush. And of course the kid in night dress.

Hope her day is fun filled.

Update on Body Suit: After initial disliking, now Navya insists to wear it for long time. This girl amazes us.
Not sure what has worked. But looks like the suit has become little loose, so she is more comfortable.

There have been suggestions that we paint it so that it looks more interesting to her. Nice Idea, might just work on it this weekend.

Wordless Wednesday: Expressions

2011-08-24T17:36:00.000+05:30

Milestone Diary: Speech

2011-08-23T19:08:00.001+05:30

Ok, I don't even want to measure the gap here. But we have made some serious progress here. Till the age of 18 months Navya was not even babbling.

Navya has below words in her dictionary now.
Mamma (She started calling me 'Em' then 'Mumumma' and now the real clear word 'Mamma' :))
Baba (this is for Ashish)
Didi (this is for her Nanny)
So, all three members in our house have names now.. Yay..

Plus we have some names for relatives too
Kaga (pls read as KAKA which actually means Uncle in marathi, but she uses it to call her aunt(kaku). :)
Aaaji (Grandma)
Mama (my brothers)

Boaht (Boat)
Baaal (Ball) <-- L is silent here
Bebhie (baby) <-- again E is silent here
Bhor (more)
Naah (no)
Haaaaay (hi)
BaBabay (bye)
And for anything else she says 'Mamma' repeatedly, then you have to ask questions and see if she says 'yeaah' as an answer to any of those if you are lucky.

Hey, that's a long list; just realized after listing here.

There are many words which she has said clearly but only once. We could not get her to repeat it.
Her therapist says words will come and go. But it's a good sign.
She has asked to use the above words in different different contexts and more number of times. E.g. she has asked us to make a photo album of above words and ask her to teach those words to Teddy Bear. Plus we have to add couple of words to pretend play; decide which words we will introduce and use those words repeatedly during a play. The other instructions are i) stretch a word ii) Speak slowly and clearly iii) use as short sentences as possible. Preferably just two words with action.

I have got the straw and jabber kit from Talk Tools. How I ordered it ?<- that will need a new post all together. Her therapist thinks we don't need a jabber kit. And regarding straw kit we have been asked to use it in any sequence for drinking thin liquids, no special instructions for that.

Now coming back to today's achievement.
August 23, 2011: After brushing her teeth, she said 'DooDhoo'. I thought she is saying 'DiDi'.
I said 'Didi'
She said "Naah... DooDhoo"
Ah got it. I repeated "DooDhoo??"
She smiled and said "yeaaah"

So we have a new word for Milk :) ... Yaay

Rains... Cold... Cough and Ah that Whizzing

2011-08-22T19:27:00.000+05:30

I hate you rains... I hate you...

Seriously, it doesn't take much time to catch cold in this season. No matter how much we protect, Navya catches cold instantly.
And with cold comes the running nose then blockage of nose and in the end that scary whizzing sound. I say scary as it is a real scary one. You see that your baby is not able to lie down, and that breathing sound is so loud that makes you feel your baby is grasping for breaths.
Hush...

And what does your pediatrician say? A usual answer "Her nasal passage is narrow. So if a typical child takes 4-5 days to recover from cold she will take 8-10 days."
"Her tonsils are big. With the infection, they enlarge even more"
So he prescribes the usual cough and cold medicines. And if you again go back with same symptons chances are high that you will get an Antibiotic prescription.

We have had above sessions n number of times. God only knows how many bottles of Allegra and Ascoril syrups Navya has consumed till date.
Those white antibiotic doses give me chills.

The only solution to above problem seems to increase immunity. Alopathy doctor thinks, you gain immunity only when you face such cold/cough attacks. Seriously, I don't think this logic has worked for us.

I have heard how Homeopathy works well with young kids. We had a failed attempt some year back. Navya was on homeopathy for a year with a very well known Homeopathy Clinic. But it did not work out for us.

Some 3 months back Navya had a real bad infection. Whizzing sound + fever.. That was the only symptom nothing else. We were told to take 5 days of antibiotic dose. Fever will subside in 5 days and whizzing will go away slowly in 10 days.
This time around I was adamant that I will not give her another antibiotic dose moreover I was not convinced with the recovery timeline.
I decided to take a chance with Homeopathy. Homeopathy doctor gave an assurance that Whizzing will subside in 2 days.

We kept the faith and continued for 4 days and seriously whizzing did go away in 2 days.

Navya is on chronic medicine to increase her immunity now. We have had 2-3 incidences of cold/cough. But not seen the allopathy doctor yet and keeping faith in Homeopathy.

I really hope there will be a day soon, when I will not worry when it rains. When she insists to eat ice-cream. When she sits in her bath-tub longer. When she gets drenched in rains.
I really hope so. I am keeping my faith.

P.S: I checked with this Homepath doctor about removing tonsils. She is dead against it. She says tonsils are very useful. They take all the infection and don't let it go inside our body. So incase you don't have tonsils there are high chances that infection will go in to other body parts like chest etc. And Homeopathy has excellent medicines for tonsils, so not to worry.

And a very handy tip, after having ice cream give a little warm water to your child. This will avoid enlargement of tonsils. I learnt it just today :)

Is your child Left Handed?

2011-08-16T16:30:00.001+05:30

Did you know, till the age of 5 years children use both of their hands?
And forcing your child to use right hand instead of left can cause developmental delays.
I did not know, find out more in Sunday's Mumbai Mirror or please read here
Interesting Article :)
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/9/201108152011081503342145527a54a17/Left-behind.html

Nice things people say

2011-08-05T11:09:00.000+05:30

"Ya Allah, ye baby kitani KHUBSHURAT hai" <-- try reading it in typical Urdu tone..

Autowala asked Navya's Nanny "Ye aapki baby hai?"

She said "Nahin, mere madam ki hai"

again he said "Ekdum foreigner lagati hai"

LOL.....

Anybody for Scuba diving???

2011-08-02T14:11:00.004+05:30

No. That's not a scuba diving suit. :)

That's a special body suit to help Navya build better muscle tone. Our tummy is still a big concern, it gives stress on her backbone and also causes balance issues. 2 + years into PT, we are still called Marshmallow :).

Navya is supposed to wear it 6-7 hours daily. I was worried and I quickly asked the doc "Can she wear it when she is sleeping?".
"NO". Of course no, she has to wear it when she is physically active. The material of the suit is lycra+COTTON <- so thankful for this one and it's no more humid hot here, so I hope my little baby will get adjusted to it comfortably.
Today is the first day of this experiment, we are starting with 2 hours. Hope all goes well.

**********************UDATE*****************************
This body suit was suggested by Navya's PT. It is a pressure garment, we are told that when you wear a compression garment and do some physical activity in it, the blood pressure increases and your muscles work thus gain some strength.
We have a orthopedic doctor who makes our orthotics, he got it stitched. Please let me know in case you need the details of the doctor. I guess you will have to come to the clinic to give your measurements, as detailed measurements are taken. The measurement and cutting of cloth is done here in Mumbai and sent to Delhi for stitching.The body suit has internal padding for zip area and they have put in all efforts to make the suit comfortable.Do write me on pallavi1609@gmail.com to get the doctor's phone number

Navya's adjustment Period
She could wear it only for 1.5 hours yesterday. Will post here once she gets adjusted to it

Trapped in a slow motion race?

2011-07-27T16:07:00.000+05:30

It's something like I am in a race, initially quite ahead of everyone and then I see one by one my friends crossing me and taking over, moving so fast that I loose their sight and no matter how hard I try I cannot keep pace with them, meanwhile more people join in and they too move way past ahead of me. It's like those dreams wherein you are trying to catch someone or trying to scream but you can't, you try very hard but all in vein. I guess you know what I am talking about.

Fashionable Friday

2011-07-21T22:36:00.002+05:30

When Silence Can Kill... Defend Down syndrome, defend Adoption, Break the Silence

2011-07-20T18:20:00.001+05:30

Copying a post from Stephanie here. Stephanie thank you so so much for writing this.
-----------------------------------------------

When Silence Can Kill... Defend Down syndrome, defend Adoption, Break the Silence

Teri Lynn... beautiful Teri Lynn. Abandoned by her family because she has Down syndrome, exiled by her country because she is thought to be defected and an invalid.

Teri Lynn who is waiting and wondering, WHY?

Why do people look away from me, why don't they put their arms around me, why am I shunned and treated with such loathing.

Teri Lynn , is just a little girl. WHY ARE SO MANY PEOPLE AFRAID OF HER! What is to fear!!!! WHY are entire countries afraid of children like Teri Lynn? So afraid that this is what they do to them!

LOOK AT HER! Don't look away, let your eyes settle on her for a minute. Look into her eyes. Feel her fear! Her despair! She looks like she's in a concentration camp! Where is she? She is in EE , she is in a mental institution where she will live until she can't take it anymore. There she will die ... Alone!

Teri Lynn a little girl who just wants some love, a kind word, a gentle touch. Teri Lynn who has nothing, but the same monotonous routine day after day. Teri Lynn who hears the same pitiful cries and screams from the other souls being detained by hatred and ignorance in a hell on earth.

I post these pictures not to make you feel bad, not to make you cry, but to open your eyes AMERICA!!! This is what's going on out there. Yes out there in EE, out there, there is a Holocaust going on!
Out there this is LEGAL?????? This is a child!!! An innocent child! Being shaved and tied to a crib, barely fed and eventually overcoming to the abuse! YES, I said abuse!! This is not how you treat any human being!
You would be arrested here in the States if you did this to a DOG!!!!

The animal rights activists would be on you like flies on SH&T! And you know it!

We have a right and a responsibility to stand up and scream for these children. WHO THE HELL ELSE IS GOING TO? Not Their country, not their parents, not their government! They have no one but the few of us who know the truth.

If you know and say nothing, if you know and turn away, if you know and wash your hands of it, than your silence is killing these children.

We have the ability to spread the word and the truth like wildfire. We have blogs and FB and the world at our fingertips. With a press of a few keys on a computer a post appears, the truth revealed, the ugly truth that has caused so many little ones to die waiting. They are dying!!! They are waiting to be saved, to have a mama, and,they are dying as they wait!!!!!

What triggered this post was one I read by Lera's mom, Diane. Who has had to defend the reason of international adoption. Defend?? Defend saving a life? Hmm.

Let me get this straight. Could there really be such ignorance in my country? Ignorance that says take care of your own, to hell with" the rest"? Could my country, which is made up of "the rest" actually think that? May I remind anyone who calls themselves Americans, unless you are a 100% Native American, you came from somewhere else!You're ancestors paved the path to a better life for you. Had they not you might find yourselves in a completely different situation and lifestyle.

There are no boundaries when it comes to saving a life. Jesus didn't hang on a cross just for His "own kind".
He didn't say let them get their own Savior, I didn't come to save them. He came for all of us. Who are we to draw boundaries, when the son of God didn't!

These children need our voices. Teri Lyn is one of THOUSANDS!!! she is not an isolated case.

Teri Lynn... in a nutshell needs a family or she will die. I will speak for the children til I draw my last breath! Hopefully before that there will be change within these countries and they will learn the value of these children. But I won't stop and if you are just learning about this I hope you too will commit to being a voice for these children. Don't be silent, don't be afraid.

If you are interested in adopting or donating to Teri Lynn's adoption fund you can find her here.

I wrote this post for anyone new stopping by. Anyone who doesn't know the truth about these kids, or didn't even know such atrocities existed. They do and it must be stopped. Education is the best defense. Please go out and educate others. Down syndrome isn't a life sentence, but to these kids it's the death sentence!

* And just a note to any animal activists out there I'm not demeaning what you do.You are much needed to animals being abused. I am just trying to make a point that we don't allow animals to be treated the way these children are being treated because it is so inhumane.
---------------------------------------

UPDATE :)

I checked on RR site today that Teri is adopted now, "out of RR"

So happy to see it http://reecesrainbow.org/?s=Teri+Lynn&x=0&y=0

Thank you so much for praying and donating money

Introducing Angie and her Warrior

2011-07-15T14:37:00.000+05:30

Her Reece's Rainbow profile says

Angie 4F

Girl, born February 2009

Hazel eyes

The nature of the active, lively, well played with toys, malokontaktnaya, few emotions

----------------------------------------------------------

Now this little girl has a Warrior.

I am so proud to tell you that

She is barely 27

She is NOT married

She doesn't have anybody in her family who has Down Syndrome

BUT She is MY BEST FRIEND ( so now you know the link)

When I first introduced her to Recee's Rainbow, she was moved. Scrolling that list of waiting children makes her uncomfortable. But she is keen to make difference in someone's life. Help that little girl to get what she deserves.

Please drop by her blog and give her a word of encouragement. If possible suggest her ways to help Angie.

http://helpangie.wordpress.com/

Milestone Diary: Self feeding

2011-07-05T15:38:00.000+05:30

5 July 2011
Today, Navya had her breakfast all on her own :)
She ate a bowl full of sprouts with SPOON without spilling, without any prompting from me.

I wish I had recorded it. It was so cute to watch those two little hands coordinating to make sure nothing falls out from the spoon and the spoon goes straight into the mouth.

Navya you rock!!!

Our progress on Self Feeding
Navya had been eating on her own from at least 1 1/2 years now.
1) First we started with eating dry items using hands; chips,biscuits, puffed rice(murmura) etc
2) Then we started giving her Paratha with pickle; initially we had to make pieces for her, now she can cut-dip-eat on her own.
3) Then we practiced eating with fork; fruits, brownies, pasta etc
4) Then eating with spoon(mostly dry items); it takes lot of patience to practice this. We have tried it occasionally. That's why today's milestone is worth celebrating :)
5) Next we want to practice spoon feeding with bit messy items like dal-rice, pulav etc. Let's see how it goes.

Navya has a strange way of eating certain items like puffed rice/cheeselings. If you give her a bowl of puffed rice, within two mins she will spill the entire thing on ground and then pick up and eat. She loves puffed rice (I find it absolutely insipid)
Last year, her playschool teacher had tough snack time. We are still working on this thing, hopefully this year will be better.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Navya has a habit of holding the handle towards the end. No matter how many times we correct it she prefers holding it that way. So we got a pair of spoon/fork with short handle(Brand-Nuby), now she has no option ;)

Back to school :)

2011-06-29T13:09:00.000+05:30

Update on schooling: School Principal and class teachers are saying they want to see Navya in Nursery class and not in Playschool. If you remember we wanted Navya to repeat her Playschool but I just had a chat with her Principal and she thinks Navya is at par with other kids and very fit to go to Nursery. And for them Navya's delayed speech is not an issue. Oh yes and she also said, in areas like dance, creativity in crafts Navya does better than other kids. Oh, I am one proud moma today. :)

So Nursery here we come..

A girl can never have enough clothes

2011-06-22T15:52:00.000+05:30

Some Inspiration

2011-06-15T14:12:00.000+05:30

Look what I found :)

http://www.dnaindia.com/health/report_kids-with-downs-syndrome-make-great-employees_1522699

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/life-of-dignity/746709/1

And some amazement :)

http://ijpos.com/eJournals/ShowText.aspx?ID=764&Type=FREE&TYP=TOP&IN=_eJournals/International%20Journal%20of%20Infertility%20and%20Fetal%20Medicine.jpg&IID=70&isPDF=YES

Note: Please ignore the wording of the reporter.
Seriously words like 'suffering from down syndrome', 'down's syndrome boy' irritates me to the core.

Fashionable Friday

2011-05-27T10:04:00.000+05:30

Playschool Convocation

2011-04-25T18:58:00.000+05:30

Graduated from Just Kiddin' Playchool Year 2011

Navya had great time in Just Kiddin' last year. Her Teacher N has always given her extra attention and we are really grateful to the Principal and her class teacher for the encouragement and equal opportunities they have provided to my child

After much thoughts we have decided to repeat Playschool for Navya, her teachers and Pricipal are all praises for her but we want to give some more time for her physical development and speech.

I am sure this year she will enjoy even more(hope she doesn't get bored with similar activities :p)

P.S - In India we have Playschool-->Nursery-->Jr.Kindergarten-->Sr.Kindergarten-->Stand I(age >=6)

Nice things people say....

2011-04-20T13:11:00.000+05:30

Life is worth living when I see Navya. Thank you for sharing her :)

Summer Camp in Niraamayaa, Powai

2011-04-07T12:49:00.000+05:30

Yes :) enrolled Navya for 3 weeks of fun.

Fashionable Friday

2011-04-01T01:00:00.000+05:30

P.S someone had gifted this little frock to Navya when she was 6 months old. Now we wear it as a top. :( yeah she still fits in it.

Happy Holi :)

2011-03-19T18:40:00.000+05:30

HAPPY HOLI !!!!

Leaving you with few pics of Holi Celebration in Navya's School. You hardly see any colors here ( I am in a way glad for that), they played in their splash pool.

The pics are not great, you can imagine my position when kids were aiming me with their pichkaris.
Navya had great time as usual, she is a water baby :)

Pony Illusion

2011-03-17T12:48:00.000+05:30

What do I do that with those silky/super straight/thick black hair this summer???

The front portion hair just refuse to come backwards and opposite is the case for the back portion... So tried a new style. But I know it's not gonna work out. This kid chews on all her bows/clips/rubber bands.. and going by the speed of her hair, we need haircut every fortnight.. Tried few haircuts from professionals but that made her look like a boy plus the silky texture was lost..
I usually give her a haircut(haircut=cutting the length and keeping her ear clear from those black strands). But looks like even that too is not going to work with temperature already risen above 41 degrees. Looks like we will have to go for the Boy cut again :(
Javed Habib we are coming this Saturday....

This one is for Devasena :)

2011-03-09T11:58:00.000+05:30

First of all congratulations to Devasena. She is been blessed with twins; a boy and a girl. WOW :))
On your request Devi, here is Navya's header photo. Please click on the photo to enlarge.
This one was clicked by a professional photographer in her playschool for some event.

Niraamayaa : A Waldorf Inspired Center in Powai

2011-02-14T17:06:00.000+05:30

I got to know about Niraamayaa when I was school hunting for Navya. I have been there twice till date, frankly speaking I loved the Ideas and thoughts Nirupama Rao has for this center. You can listen to her on Powai Info, here is the link

I would love to put Navya into a school based on Waldorf Education.

Currently there is just one school in Mumbai called Tridha.

Nirupama intends to start one in Powai. Fingers crossed :)

Currently she takes one on one session with kids of various abilities of the age group of 0-7. But this year she plans to start her Nursery & Kindergarten (Jr. Kg/Sr.Kg).

So if you are a parent who is looking for an alternate education system, Niraamayaa could be the place.

Please spread the word. If you live near by please go and see this place, talk to Nirupama.

Useful Links

Waldorf Education

Tridha School

Facebook Page of Niraamayaa

Niramayaa Center Details

Plot No.113, Ground Floor, Paradise 2, Opp. Mukteshwar Ashram, Nr. IIT Market, Powai, Mumbai-400076

INTERESTED? Please contact Nirupama Rao at niraamayaa@hotmail.com or 9987653780/25780867/30500305

Timings: 10am to 1pm and 3.30pm to 5pm Mon to Fri, by appointment only.

Here are the screen shots of the Niraamayaa Brochure, please click on the image to zoom

Handpainting is so much FUN :)

2011-02-09T16:28:00.000+05:30

On 14th Feb, Navya's school has a 'Lion n Cub' party. Mommies are not invited :( (Only daddy )

So, this weekend we tried to make some Valentine Cards. I am sure Navya had fun, check out her pics :))

Oops, I did that.

Final product

I love this one

2011-02-04T11:49:00.000+05:30

Sweet Lois fought Leukemia bravely, yesterday she left us to join HIM in heaven

Please keep her family in prayers...

Happy Makar Sankranti !!!

2011-01-14T12:14:00.000+05:30

Wordless Wednesday : Sketching

2011-01-12T11:45:00.000+05:30

What do you think???
(Ok. Had to edit this, Navya has drawn her baba. I can see his spikes in the drawing and may be his specs too.. :) )

Happy New Year 2011

2010-12-31T19:57:00.000+05:30

WELCOME NEW YEAR IN STYLE

We are back :)

2010-12-28T17:14:00.000+05:30

Hope everybody had great Christmas. We were at our hometown for my sis-in-laws wedding.
It was great fun.Navya too had great time with all her cousins.
Few pics of hers from the wedding..

At the Reception with Aunt Teena and Uncle Sameer :)

Navya surely knows how to pose. Notice the different poses

With Aaba(grandpa)

Our new Dholki :)

With cousins

Oh, I felt like a celebrity's mom :)

2010-11-24T12:27:00.000+05:30

Last Friday Navya's school had a Fancy Dress Day; for Navya's batch the theme was 'Farm Animals/ Underwater Animals'. Interesting part was the moms were suppose to design the outfit, no ready made costumes were allowed. So quickly I thought Navya can dress up like a Rabbit.. The costume would be easy to make and Navya would be comfortable in it. So we came up with this one.

Navya loved it :).

We did a small photo session at home before leaving for the school.

Notice the tail. It was a detachable tail :) ha ha.

Now, the most amazing part - we reach school, I put her ears in the hairband and get her ready to enter.
School had arranged chairs in the indoor play area for the parents.The moment we enter (I am holding Navya's hand and Navya walking slowly), I hear such comments
"Oh Look at Navya, so cute"
"Achha ye hai Navya??" (Ok, that's Navya?)
"Navya, cutie pie"
"Oh Bunny she is so cute" :)

Then we move to the classroom, Navya's friends were excited to see her, they wanted to click pics with her.
One boy came close and gently touched her cheeks.
Navya was happy to model for the photographer mommies and to show the 'hop like a rabbit move'

Then it was the time to move to the open area, one by one, to show off your costumes. One by one the kids go there, some feeling shy, some were not ready to put on their costumes, some were happily showing off teir cool costumes. Now it was Navya's turn, she refused to go with her teacher so I accompanied. The teacher announced that Navya is a bunny and asked her to please smile. There you go, this little model smiled and so all the cameras flashed.
Oh I felt like a celebrity's mom :) Loved every bit of it.

Later when Navya's Nanny picked her from school, she told me Navya was very happy today. I am sure Navya too enjoyed this event.

Happy B'day Dear BABA

2010-11-23T17:19:00.000+05:30

We love you so much

Navya's Diwali Preparations

2010-11-01T14:44:00.000+05:30

Fashionable Friday

2010-10-29T12:07:00.000+05:30

(Old Pics though)

Fashionable Friday - Cute Feet

2010-10-22T00:53:00.000+05:30

Beat the October Heat

2010-10-18T23:19:00.000+05:30

with this new cool haircut :)

Wordless Wednesday : A sack full of happiness :)

2010-10-13T13:30:00.000+05:30

A gift from Navya :)

2010-10-10T12:24:00.000+05:30

"This child will have this problem"

2010-10-08T12:51:00.000+05:30

Do you hear this from your Pediatrician?
I hear this many times

Navya is having cold from past 2 weeks, no fever but just the runny nose.
Finally we saw the doc yesterday, he prescribed the usual medicines for flu (actually on all his previous prescriptions we have the same medicines scribbled, as we see him for vaccines and cold/cough)
After all was done
Me: "Doc, Navya is catching cold very frequently. Rainy season has been the worst."...
He interrupted me
Doc: "This child WILL have this problem"

Me: "Anything you can prescribe to improve her immunity?"
He was nodding his head to say NO, then he gave up to me and prescribed an Ayurvedic Syrup
Doc: "Give this syrup for 3 months. It usually works with other kids"
(oh that means, it may/may not work with my child as he has DS ???)

Some other day,
Me: "Doc she has gained just over 1 kg in past one year. I am bit worried"
Doc: "This happens with kids with DS"
Me: "And Doc her height? Is there anything we can supplement to help her grow?"
Doc: Nothing. This is also because of DS
(Look I know, she would be short, DS + Mommy is short, but does that mean you would not suggest anything, would you not suggest anything to a typical kid?)

I don't like the fact that the Pediatricians are not open to think about more options.They want us to accept what it is.
Sure we have accepted what it is. But it is my every right to find out what can benefit my child.
Just because she is born with a condition which can not be altered, I am not gonna sit and watch whatever comes to me.

The most disturbing thing is, had some other mom asked above queries I am sure he would had prescribed 'n' items for the same.

I feel frustrated.

Navya’s 2 year Assessment Update

2010-10-05T18:03:00.000+05:30

Every 6 month we get Navya assessed by the Developmental Pediatrician. We see a specialist from Ummeed.

The list of checkups/tests we do every 6 months are
1. Blood Test - Thyroid (T3, T4, TSH)
Our kids tend to have Thyroid abnormalities, either Hyper or Hypo Thyroidism. One needs to get this Test done periodically , as the child grows the time interval can increase;may be yearly for older kids
2. Total Blood Count
This test helps to identify if there is excess/less of Haemoglobin. Excess of Hb is not good for our kids.This test also helps to see if there are any abnormalities in other blood cells, as Kids with DS have higher chances of Leukemia compared to typical kids.
3. Eye Checkup – To make sure everything is all well in that area
4. X ray of entire Backbone – We have been asked to get it done this time. We have one done for the Neck area. It was good. This one is probably a routine checkup

Coming back to the Assessment, the doc assessed Navya with a set of activities. Some of the activities I remember were
Pretend Play – Doc. observed her playing with doll, the Roti/Belan
Shape Sorting – Without any hints, doc gave her shapes and she had to put it in matching slot, no prompts- She did it. My OT had hard time teaching her this, but on the assessment day she did it like she knew what was coming
Block Stacking - Navya was asked to make a tower of small blocks.- This was a bit tough for her tiny fists/fingers. But she did it again :)
Imitation – Doc showed how to fold a piece of paper, Navya was handed over one paper to do the same - Again she did it no promts again.
Object Recognition – The book had 2D black/white images of common object like, shirt/book/apple/dog/cat. Navya was asked to point to these objects - She could recognize all known objects
2 Step Instruction - Doc asked her to 'feed the baby and pass the Pen to mommy' - She did it again. I was surprised, I never gave her 2 steps instruction. Something we need to start doing
(Actually in this assessment Navya did everything that was presented to her :) )

Then doctor asked me questions about
Her Language Development- 6 months back Navya was not even babbling, our Speech Therapist gave us some oral exercises. We have been doing that. Looks like it has helped. Now, Navya can say 'MaMa', "BaBa',"Bebi". Occasionally she says ' Bhu bhu' (dog), 'bhae' (bye), 'Gigi' (Didi/sissy), 'Goo' (good)

Her receptive language is awesome, I feel she understands almost all the things we talk to her. She can sign lot of things, nod her head to say YES/NO. She can communicate using her signs, pointing, with her various sounds associated with the objects.

She has her own preferences for things like which dress to wear/what to play/where to go/what to eat/what not to eat. A long list there.

Does she walk with support - Yup, she can. In fact she has already taken few steps independently, she needs more confidence. Has started to stand on her own from sitting position. Looks like she is almost there, but seriously we are very much delayed in this area, Navya started to crawl some 9.5 months back.
Navya's progress in school - I had two Parent-Teacher meetings with her teacher. And I was SURPRISED.
Meeting 1- Teacher said "Actually Navya is doing much better than other kids. She listen patiently, follows all the instructions, participates in indoor/outdoor plays/craft activities, knows all the rhymes/actions.". "She has two friends, she chats with them and prefers to play with them"

Meeting 2 - "Navya is doing very good". Teacher handed over the craft she had done and said "You wont believe she has done everything on her own. We had to help other kids, but Navya did everything on her own" . "Navya enjoys Water Play and dance to the max. For the Dance class Navya does all the steps, doesn't get tired of standing, even if she falls she stands up again" . "But she is getting naughty, during snack time, she takes out all the stuff from other kid's bags" (it confuses teacher as they don't know what belongs to whom).. ha ha ha.. I think I quite liked it
And no surprises but Navya is very popular in her school. All the teacher/Helpers adore her. One friend of hers cries if Navya is absent from class. Infact for her b'day celebration in school, all the kids from all 4 classes had gathered (according to her class teacher it's very rare scene)

Potty Training - Looks like we are quite successful there, Navya can sign. We still use Diapers at night and when we are out. We had started with potty training when she was 6 months, started with the regular Potty, now we are using the Potty Seat which can be placed on the toilet directly and it is easy to carry while travelling.

Does she have her own gestures - A lot, she is a little Drama Queen. She can show you how she cries (all crocodile tears). She also copies dance moves from TV, would upload some videos soon

Does she understand and follow 2 step instruction - We did not work on that. Not sure
My concerns - These days Navya is not ready to eat double textured things. E.g. You have green peas in Rice, she will not take it. Plain dal rice is ok.

After the Assessment Doc was very impressed.
Assessment Result: Intellectually Navya is just like any other 2 year old.
Expressive Language is lagging, we have improved in that area from our previous visit, but we need to work more on it. Navya's Receptive Language /Understanding of language is excellent.
We have been asked to continue with the Physio Therapy /Occupational Therapy /Speech Therapy and get the above mentioned tests done.

The language delay was something we knew about, but there is 'no developmental delay' was something I wanted to hear from the very first assessment. We saw the Speech Therapist and she thinks that may be Navya is taking a bit more time to process words. So she has asked to STRETCH the words. And has given one exercise for that 'Double Texture Problem'

My practical mind was not ready to accept that there are no developmental delay. But then on our 18th month assessment same doc. had told me that Navya's developmental age is 15.5 months.
So, that means we have clearly moved forward with a faster pace.

I really wonder what has changed since then,
Play school - Yes Navya started her play school roughly 3.5 months back
Nutrivene D - Yup we started her on this program some 3 months back
Your Baby Can Read Program - Started some 4 months back, I feel this is a good stimulation for her and exposes her to new vocabulary
Or may be she is just growing with her age :)
God knows, but we are not going to stop whatever we are doing currently.

Health Insurance Policy

2010-10-05T16:33:00.000+05:30

Do you have a Health Care Policy for your Kiddo with special needs???

We dont have one yet, as I can reimburse the medical bills from my employer upto 15,000 and rest my husband can reimburse.

Off late I had been thinking of taking one, came across this helpful article.
http://www.dnaindia.com/money/comment_benefits-for-people-with-special-needs_1396423

If you have a medical policy, could you please put a comment here about the details of the same

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-29T14:00:00.000+05:30

Fashionable Friday

2010-09-24T21:30:00.000+05:30

Fashionable Friday

2010-09-18T01:55:00.000+05:30

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-15T19:22:00.000+05:30

Birthday Pics (School + Home)

2010-09-09T17:56:00.000+05:30

Ready for the Big Day

In the School with her favourite Teacher and her Nanny

(check out her stuffed mouth in the first pic- that's cake lol)

Snacks Break

With Her Best Friend

With her Nanny Sapna :)

We celebrated at home too with Navya's Friends in our Apartment

B'day Party Pics

2010-09-07T13:33:00.000+05:30

This celebration was organised by our friends in TheVillage. It's a Rajsthani Theme Restaurant. We had great time. Here are few pics.

I had to put it in collage,as the image uploading in blogspot isn't very user friendly, please click on the picture to enlarge

Cake.. Yum Yum

Navya had great time here...

Here she is enjoying her food/Kulfi, Butterfly Tattoo and the Buffalo Ride(dont worry, it wasn't real :))

Some 'Gana Shana', 'Dhol Tadaka', 'Gol Gappe' and lots of Chatting with friends

Happy Birthday to my Kitten

2010-09-06T23:23:00.000+05:30

This little Stinker turned 2 today :)

Birthday pics coming soon....

Why Me???

2010-09-03T15:34:00.000+05:30

That's the question which haunted me for almost a year after Navya's DS diagnosis.

And here I am with my soon to be 2 yr old. And I still wonder WHY ME???
Only the tone of the question is different now :)

During the initial days I read all these wonderful blogs; wherein people had told how they are gifted and happy with their kids. The immature ME thought it’s just a way of consoling so that you don’t miss what you don’t have.

I was wrong. I was so very wrong. My own daughter has proved me wrong.

If there is any new Parent reading this now, trust me you will feel the some if not already in few days/months. Just hang on there.

Today,
When I look in those Mischievous Eyes

When I hear her Laugh

When I hear her calling me Mimi (oh I love this one so much. First EM.. then MaMaMa.. now Mimi.. Loving everybit of it)

When I see her engrossed in her Play

When I see her giving someone generous warm Hugs and Kisses

When I see her Waving to Strangers

When I see people Waving and Smiling back at her

When I see her Praying

When I see her Smiling

When I see this little doll Dancing

I wonder WHY ME???

God, do I deserve so much of Love and Joy?

Happy B'day Lord Krishna

2010-09-02T00:49:00.000+05:30

Hello All,

Today is Lord Krishna's B'day.

We celebrated in school today; all my friends and teachers had come in traditional wear.

My MiMi doesn't want to miss any chance of clicking cute pics of mine. Here are the pics from today's photoshoot.

Thanks to Teena Aatya(my aunt) for this cute dress.. I love RED :)

Hair Style : My Nanny 'Sapna Di'

and

Behind the Camera : Mimi

And THE SUPER CUTE Model is ME - Navya Joshi

Jai Jai

Flying Kissi to Lord Krishna

MiMi Loved this pose

This is my school

Check out my Kanahya Belt..

Chota Pujari

2010-08-28T00:03:00.000+05:30

Yes, Chota Pujari (small priest) that's what we call Navya. Reason - she loves to perform the Puja. Loves to ring the bell (ghanti), take Aarti, clap during Aarti and loves to do Jai Jai..
After shower and in the evening she will keep on reminding you by signing Jai Jai.
Here are few pics from Thursday's Aarti.

It's time to ring the Bell

now flowers

Mala Jaap

Hare Rama|| Hare Krishna

p.s. - This is Navya's new night dress. Isn't it cute? I bought it from a local market of Pune for 90 bugs ;)

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-25T00:20:00.000+05:30

Book Review - New Language of Toys

2010-08-19T15:37:00.000+05:30

I got to know about this book from Navya's Speech Therapist. She felt that we were not playing enough + not in a correct way. So she suggested this book. After a lot of search in Crossword/Odyssey shops, I ordered it online.

The book talks about the

Stages of speech development.
Age appropriate toys (0-6 yrs) with photographs
Sample Dialogues while playing with the toy
Checklists to track the progress

I think there is information for over 60 toys.
Most of the toys are available in India. Even if the branded ones are not available, I am sure the Indian/Chinese version of it would be available. And the interesting part, for every section there are some Home Made toys :). Yes they are quite interesting and innovative, and simple to make.

Lot of time I don't understand what kind of toys are useful and most importantly how to play with Navya.
This book surely helps me with that. I am sure you will get an idea how to talk to the child. I haven't finished reading it yet, but I am convinced it's a very useful book.

Price: Rs. 900+ (I had ordered on Infibean.com and there was a huge discount on it.)
Actual Price: I think the actual cost is 1400+ (not very sure though)

PS: Just noticed it is listed on Downsed Shop
Ria has already posted the review of this book, here is a link to that post.

Happy Independence Day !!!

2010-08-15T10:09:00.000+05:30

Wordless Wednesday : Favorite Pics from Singapore Trip

2010-07-07T12:50:00.000+05:30

Singapore - Day 3 & 4

2010-07-04T15:29:00.001+05:30

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Singapore Pics - Singapore Zoo

2010-07-02T14:03:00.000+05:30

We were so thankful for this stroller

I think it was real

I don't remember it's name

Ah White Tiger

Ferry ride to Kidz world

Never mind, Navya was not interested

I like this one

Kidz Splash Pool. Navya enjoyed it thoroughly..

We had not carried her swimming costume.. sorry ppl

Elephant Show

Feeding Banana

Monkey.. Not in the background but in foreground :)

Fish therapy = Pedicure by Fishes :)

Wordless Wednesday : With few words :)

2010-06-30T15:25:00.000+05:30

Quick Update

2010-06-25T13:46:00.000+05:30

First thigs first.. :) Navya is doing quite good in 'Just Kiddin'.. Her teachers/Principal adore her, that makes me feel GR8.. But I hate that 'Of she is so small ' glance, which I get ocassionally from few parents.
School first day pics/video are there, but I am not getting time to upload here.

We have travelled to Ashish's native place last week. Ashish's Sister Teena got engagaed on 20th June. :)

Now tonight we are off to Singapore. It's my first International Travel alone (me + navya), getting nervous.. Ashish is already there in Singapore for official work. We are joining him there and will be back together on 30th June.

Oh one more thing, till date Navya has not cried in her playschool. Isn't it interesting..
Somehow I don't feel good about it :(

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-16T09:18:00.000+05:30

Tell me Mirror

2010-06-15T12:58:00.001+05:30

Mirror...
Mirror...
Tell me Mirror...

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

That was not the one..... Got into 'Just Kiddin'

2010-06-09T15:59:00.000+05:30

That was not THE ONE :(. Even 'My Little Company' refused to take Navya. The Branch Head had seen Navya and had no issues admitting her. But one of the Directors had issues, again same reason was given. We are not well equipped to handle her. We had sent a request mail too, but they haven't got back to us yet. I think that's the easiest way to avoid further fights.

So we started searching again, found 'Kidzee'. We liked the place; they were fine with Navya's gross motor delays. We had not mentioned anything about DS. But our PT told me Kidzee takes kids with special needs. The only issue was - it was bit far from our house. We had kept it as an option.

Today around 1pm I checked one more place called as 'Just Kiddin'.
I explained what kind of delays Navya has and all. So she wanted to have a look at Navya before saying yes. I told her I will get Navya back in 30 mins. This time too, the felt they are going to refuse. The Head suggested me to wait for another 6 months and then try saying 'let her be independent first'. But getting admission in Nov session would be tough, so we will have to wait for another year.
This time I pushed and mentioned I can provide the personal care taker for her. But then again the Head said 'Let me have a look at the child, as most of the times kids are very smart and they are above our expectiations'. Then we agreed to meet within half an hour as there was just one seat left for the afternoon batch.

We went there again at 1:30. Navya was dressed in pretty Blue dress.
As soon as we entered the Head and other staffs smiled and said 'Hello Darling'.
Navya smiled and waved back. I made her sit on the table. Navya was very curious, was busy checking the place. Then she noticed a 'Ganesh Idol' and she started doing 'jai jai' (praying).
By this time the Head was impressed. So in just two minutes of our arrival, she said 'Her refluxes and understanding is perfect. We will have no problem admitting her'. :)

Hurray!

School is starting from 16th June. Timings: 11 am to 1 pm.
It’s within a kilometer range from my office and home. Fees are also less compared to other play schools.
Hopefully this is the one we had been looking for.
I am super happy today, as we did not have to convince anybody, nor have we hidden anything from anybody. It was Navya's Maya (magic) which worked. :)

Found one :) and Life Begins at 30

2010-06-04T16:55:00.000+05:30

"My little Company" Yes that's the name of Navya's Office (Ashish has asked me not to call it a SCHOOL, he says call it Office, Navya is too young for school. :))

We got a warm welcome from the team there. Navya liked the place a lot; she wanted to play there right away. I am sure she will enjoy there.
I had seen the place a year back, we were thinking to put Navya there for Day care, but things did not work out because of my odd office timings.
The admission process will be done on Monday. Navya will join her office from June 16th. :)

There is one more news - Ashish has started writing his own blog. Its name is 'Life Begins at 30', pls. check it here http://maverick2311.blogspot.com/

Play school update

2010-06-02T17:30:00.000+05:30

Well, we haven't got into any yet. Collected info on various other play schools close to our place. Will visit one by one.
I spoke to one mother yesterday; her child with DS was going to Tree House. Her experience was bad. I really wonder how they can do this to such a small kid. These days lots of private playschools are coming up with various promises, we parents fall for those big brand names and pay heavy tuition fees. I wish there was some regulations on these private playschools.

I was very angry yesterday; I knew I will have to fight. But at playschool level????? I was angrier with the remark of having a Special Educator for Navya at such early stage. She doesn't need any special educator right now.
At this stage I just want my child to go to an interesting place, play there, and interact with other kids. That's all. I wish Navya had a sibling.
The mother I mentioned above also said 'Put Navya to a playschool where they will take her happily. We can certainly send a notice to the school. But it's just the beginning and we will have to fight at school level too, so reserve energy for that'. I see a point there.

And thank you all for your comments, I think I am not going to tell everyone right in front about Navya's DS. Let them ask questions. Will try and find a place where Teacher:Kids ratio is small.
The session would be starting by mid June, need to finalize before that. Will keep you updated.

Bye the way below playschools happily take kids with special needs and they have special educators. Unfortunately we don't their branches near our home.
Kangaroo Kids
Tigger Kids

And the battle begins...

2010-06-01T11:41:00.000+05:30

Just got a call from 'Tree House' that "They can not admit my child to playschool, as my child has down's syndrome and she needs to go to a special school. Whatever the teacher will teach (????) in school my child may not understand it and they don't have any special educator with them. So we can not take her"

WHAT THE HELL?????
Have they seen my child? how can they say she will not understand whatever is taught in the class???
Bye the way what do they TEACH in class???? in a pre school playschool????
By law they can not refuse admission to my child?
Why the hell they don't have any special educator?? They are there to make money, aah I missed it.
Pls don't ask me to mind my langauage, hope you understand how angry I am.

But seriously, what can I look forward? Getting into a mainstream school would be just a Dream?????

I think I should stop writting now.. I am just too angry and disappointed right now. They said NO for Playschool... this is just too much to take..

Any lawyers out there???? Mommies did you face this issue?? Anybody from Mumbai out there????
Are there any other playschools, which happly take differently abled children???
Please leave a comment here....

Dance Video

2010-05-22T17:03:00.001+05:30

A month old but worth watching her moves :)

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I wish....

2010-05-21T15:35:00.000+05:30

I wish I had told ALL my dear and closed ones about Navya's diagnosis on the very first day.

I don't know if I have ever mentioned it here - Navya was born on 6th Sept and we got the chromosomal results on 14th Oct. Meantime Ashish did not tell me or anybody that Navya was showing symptoms of Down's Syndrome. He kept it to himself with the hope that the results could come back negative. So when I saw the reports, I was shocked, I had never heard of the word DS, my doctor did not even mention it to me, forget about tests. I googled on it and was in terrible shock. I was so fearful that my parents/relatives will not be able to take this, we were not sure how our relatives would react and thought our parents will not be able to face our relatives remarks. How silly!

Me and Ashish decided to get STRONG enough to face everyone and all their queries and then only tell people openly about it. We did not want anyone to feel sad for us and most importantly treat Navya any different way.

BUT

I wish I knew, we have a very supportive and understanding set of relatives and Friends.

I wish we would have told them on the very first day; the healing and acceptance would have come easily.

I really wish......

THANK YOU ALL for showering our baby with so much love and care. We feel truly Blessed.

Posting some old pics (Nov 2008). Pics from Navya's First Diwali. There were just three of us that time.

Product Review Monday - Your Baby Can Read

2010-05-17T18:23:00.000+05:30

Starting from this Monday, I am planning to write the reviews of things we have tried and been using. Hopefully this is useful.

Product - 'Your Baby Can Read'

Why to Introduce?

There are varous claims from Dr.Tizer who invented this program, you can check them here.
I clearly remember the day, it the first time after receiving Navya's diagnosis I met my Gynaecologist, she was feeling very sorry for me. She was willing to prescribe some anti depressant tablets for me. But that was not all I wanted from her. I asked how would be my baby. She said 'your baby would be mentally retarded. Meaning she can walk and play but she will never be able to read or write'. I felt terrible that day.

Thankfully, in few days I met a wonderful lady Mrs. Noni Khullar'. She runs a wonderful school 'Akshar'- the first fully integrated school in Kolkata. Her first child 'Dhruv' has 'Down's Syndrome'. I remember Noni Maa'm telling me to introduce Flash cards to Navya at the age of 15 months. And at that time she also told me teach her the words in whole as in teach 'cat' as 'cat' and dont separate out the letter as C A T.. CAT..

So as soon as I saw the ad of this product, I knew this would be useful. The other thing which she has mentioned is Stimulation. Stimulate as much as possible, the neurons in brains should burn (if thats the correct word). Take her wherever you go, shopping, restaurants, malls everywhere. Dont loose a single opportunity to show her something new. So that more and more numebr of neurons burn/light up and connect. I believed it in as Mrs. Noni has raised Dhruv so well, at the age of 16 he can speak fluent english, plays golf better than his father, a computer savvy and into many more things.

To summarize I Introduced this program to Navya

1) For Stimulation
2) To introduce New words
3) For my child to read - any reading is good as long as it benefits my child. I know there are somem oppositons to this approach. but as we have been told that there could be problem in reading area then why not introduce this.And eventually the child will learn the phonic reading. Dr. Tizer has mentioned that on this website too.
4) And these days Navys demands to watch TV wherever possible - so we introduced these DVD. This keeps her busy and I can take care of my cores SOMETIMES :)
Our Experience
It's been a little over a month we have introduced 'Your Baby Can Read' (Starter Level )Flashcards/Picture cards to Navya. within a weeks time she started recognizing 'hi' word. We continued showing her falsh cards. Now she can recongnize and sign for all most all words from Starter Level. Now we have introduced Level 1 Flashcards/Picture Cards to her.

She can recongnize and sign below words (actually I could remember only these words)
hi
nose
toes
clap
arms up
elephant
mouth
wave
tiger*
eyes
Gorilla*

* I am not sure if she understands it. As I don't know how to sigh this. Navya knows sign of 'Monkey' but this DVD sets has all 3 words Monkey, Chimpanzee and Gorilla.. :(
Will try to post a video. Btw we purchased a Sony Handycam on the eve of 'Akshay Tritiya' (It is supposed to be an auspicious day for purchasing valuable items/gold)

Product Details

To Purchase in India

I ordered from here http://www.tbuy.in/yourbabycanread.php

Cost: Rs. 5000/- Inclusive of Shipping charges (shipping charges are less in Tamilnadu state)

Is anybody else using this program.What do you think? Let me know your views about the program.

Pray for our Sweet Ella Grace

2010-05-08T22:48:00.000+05:30

Just got to know that Our Sweet Ella Grace is beginning her battle with Leukemia.

Please Please Please pray for our sweet girl and her family.

Indian Summer !

2010-04-29T20:35:00.000+05:30

Summer season is heating up India nowadays with mercury soaring to 40 degree centrigrade in many places.

Navya anyway wants to be in cool places, now she enjoys her bath even more. You can easily make out how happy and engrossed she is with water. This pic was taken at one of our friend's place at Pune.

Its simply outstanding to get the superb support from each and every one... We are really happy and acknowledge the feelings... Thanks a lot everyone !!!

Take care.

- Ashish on Pallavi's behalf

19 Month Assessment Updates

2010-04-17T01:14:00.000+05:30

Navya's 18 months assessment was due for over a month. We got it done 2 days back. Well we haven't received the copy of assessment yet. But the Dev Pediac discussed the concerns and her progress.

Navya's 18 months assessment was due for over a month. We got it done 2 days back. Well we haven't received the copy of assessment yet. But the Dev Pediac discussed the concerns and her progress.

Before that let me put some updates here , I haven’t posted about Navya in a long time. Before I get into the Guilt mode. Here it is

Weight: 9.7 Kgs
Height: 73cms
(In last 3 months she has gained 1 kg and height by 3 cms)

Gross Motor
- Nowadays Crawls fast ( actually depends on motivation)
- Navya is cruising onto furniture
- She is very mobile these days, traveling in a car/bus is like a circus
- Walks very FAST if we hold her hands
- Trying to climb onto sofa/beds
We have set May as her target for walking.

Fine Motor
- Pulling/Banging/Throwing she has mastered 
- Can stack blocks with bit of help
- Can draw standing lines and sometimes sleeping lines as well
- Can push various buttons (including TV/AC remotes)
- Plays synthesizer (well ok I call it playing, but otherwise it is called banging)
That reminds me I should upload a video where she is acting like a rock star

Speech
Ah well.. We are lagging behind a lot here
Navya recently started saying Mum Mum
She calls me AMMMM.. Actually she says it to call anyone 
That’s all 

General
Picks up signs very quickly. May be that is discouraging her to speak.
Can sign
1. Murmura (it’s a snack, she like it A lot, rather she is crazy for it)
2. Chocolate
3. Mamma
4. Water
5. Monkey
6. Elephant
7. Baby
8. Corn flakes
9. Bath Time
10. Hat

Can say YES/NO by shaking her head
Can point to 10 body parts
Can point to various day to day objects
In general, Navya understands quite a lot of things. She responds with her expressions or by pointing at objects or with her Yes/No.

Becoming a TV Couch. Everytime we come in drawing room, she makes it a point to point to TV and do dance action.

She has her favourite songs, current favs are
1) Dhan te Tan from Kaminey
2) Uff teri ada from Kartik Calling Kartik
Oh I must upload her dance videos. She is a babe in making ;)
And one more thing, whenver you scold her she looks down. And keeps on checking you till you change your angry expression to a smile. That’s so sweet.

Ok, now about the assessment
1) Navya’s score for ‘the things which don’t require understanding of language’ was 15 Months +
2) And for the understanding of language – it is scatter here
Certain things that she is doing are of a 18 months and certain below 12 months
The biggest concern was Navya doesn’t even babble much these days, the language understanding is very good, then why is she not speaking?????
Her eating/chewing/swallowing is also good.
So did a BERA test (yeah, it was due as we did not find any hearing issue with her)

Now, the BERA has come absolutely normal. But now Dr. wants to get it done from some other more experienced technician.

We have been advised to play lot of Pretend play with her, and sometimes let her play on her own (w/o any instruction).
And start a PlaySchool as early as possible. This will give her more exposure.

Pics from Vacation

2010-03-06T12:42:00.000+05:30

Last weekend we went to GOA. It was a long due trip with a couple very close to us.
Navya had a great time. It was the first time she saw Beaches, Boats, Moon & Stars (yeah, in mumbai its so difficult to get the glimpse of stars :( ).. She enjoyed evey bit of it. And most importantly, it's been a week we have returned and ALL is WELL with Navya's health.. No Cold/cough, no fever, no stomach infection. Yeppy!!!
Posting some of the pics here.
Enjoy!

With Shilpam Aunty.. They were glued to each other from day 1

Enjoying Wind

Family Pic

Just Ladies :)

With Shashank Uncle

Posing for Camera

At Mangeshi Temple

Admit special kids or face action: CBSE

2010-02-06T00:22:00.000+05:30

India still doesn't have an Integrated School sytem. Getting a special needs child admitted to a school is a big task. For Pre Schools the options are quite good. These days Play Groups like 'Tree House', 'Kangaroo Kids' do have special educators, but the Primary/Secondary schooling scenario is not good.
Majority of IB/ICSE board schools admit kids with special needs as they have special educators and they believe in Integrated school system. But I am not sure if everybody can afford the fees.Also the ICSE board syallbus is supposed to be the toughest. And CBSE and State Boards are not well equipped. So here comes this news, which will make you happy :)

Admit special kids or face action: CBSE
Schools Get Diktat That No Student Should Be Denied Admission For Being Physically Challenged Or Differently Abled
Mumbai: The Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) has taken a huge step towards offering equal opportunity to all children seeking an education, including those with “special needs’’. The board has reminded its schools that they cannot deny admission to students on the grounds that they are differently abled, but this time the threat of dire consequences has been included in the diktat.

A recent circular issued by the CBSE says, “It is being reiterated that any school which fails to provide attention to a child with special needs or makes a pretext of denying admission to any category of differently abled children will be liable to stringent action even to the extent of disaffiliation.’’ The statement in the circular is attributed to Vineet Joshi, chairperson of the CBSE.

Special children include a range of kids, including those who are physically challenged, visually impaired, hearing impaired, spastics, and those who have Down Syndrome, Learning Disability (LD) and autism. LD can include dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia and other conditions. Kids from poverty-stricken backgrounds are also considered as those with special needs, a CBSE official told TOI.

The circular also makes it mandatory for all schools to have a special educator and to create an “individual evaluation programme’’ for special children based on their abilities and skill sets.

Since special children may not be able to focus on the teacher during classroom interactions, and their pace of learning may be at variance with the rest of the class, schools have been told to allow a parent or aide to sit with the child in class and motivate him to “move along with the rest of the class’’.

A senior CBSE official said the new policy would be easier to implement now that the board is set to make the Class X board exam optional and replace it with a system of continuous and comprehensive evaluation. “Earlier, schools were obsessed with the marks their children scored in Class X and would even include these marks in the advertisements for their school. This also led to schools excluding children with special needs as they felt these kids would spoil their record at the board exams. The fact that board exams are losing their significance will help our new policy work,’’ said the official.

The CBSE board also wants to start grading schools, a system that would help the board pull up schools that do not offer inclusive education.

“Thank God for this decision,’’ said Sheetal Kumar, the lawyer whose battle against an apathetic system led to the Bombay High Court’s landmark ruling on LD three years ago.

“I feel this is a very proactive step on the part of the CBSE board, which is one of the most child-friendly boards in the country,’’ said Avnita Bir, principal of R N Podar School, Santa Cruz. Cherian George, principal of Kendriya Vidyalaya, IIT Powai, also gave the policy a thumbs-up.

“This is a very positive step and will definitely give special kids a leg up. I think the new move will do a lot to spread awareness about kids with special needs,’’ said Usha Bhatia, principal of the Shapurji Billimoria Trusts’s teacher training course, the first in Maharashtra to train teachers in integrated

education.

There are, however, sceptics who wonder how the policy will take off. “Are teachers equipped to deal with special kids? Do we have the infrastucture and training to implement such a policy?’’ asked the mother of a boy with Down Syndrome.

Psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty, a pioneer in the LD movement in the country, said India has way too many excuses for not implementing inclusive education. He said inclusive education does not need massive funds, just a change in mindset. “We can’t wait for schools across the country to be ready for integration before we pass a policy,’’ said Shetty, adding that the CBSE’s latest missive was a landmark for inclusive education.

Navya is CRAWLING

2009-12-29T14:59:00.000+05:30

Yes, Navya started crawling some days back. Would upload the video soon. :)

Happy Holidays and Merry X-Mas

2009-12-25T10:20:00.000+05:30

WISH YOU ALL MERRY CHRISTMAS !

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Watch 'Dance India Dance' for Sanjay

2009-12-17T14:00:00.000+05:30

Please watch Dance India Dance Season 2 starting from this friday. Incase you didn't catch the audition promo of Sanjay , here it is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLr_VevrM8k&feature=related

First Dyslexia, then Autism and now Progeria........ 'PAA' a must watch

2009-12-15T16:50:00.000+05:30

This weekend we watched PAA with Navya. It's a story of a special child AURO, who has Progeria. Progeria is a genetic condition in which the child ages very rapidly, so at the age of 12 Auro's mind is like any other 12 yr old but he has aged a lot, he looks like a 80 yr old man. He is intellegent, naughty just like any other child of his age. The movie is not about Progeria, it's about a father-son relationship. Not even once you will see that his friends, schoolmates and relatives are feeling awkward with Auro.All the people around Auro accept him as he is and value him a lot.

I could actually relate to Vidya (Auro's mother), the scenes where she comes to know 'Auro has Progeria', she breaks down, reads a lot on internet/books and makes herself strong, so strong that people's comments hardly matter to her.

Well I am bad at writing a review; I would suggest you go and watch the movie. For AURO. For Amitabh Bachhan (he himself is 70 and played a 12 yr old).

I am sure you will cherish the experience.

First 'Taare Zameen Per', then 'Aap ki antra' and now 'PAA', are we changing? Now that these characters (with dyslexia, autism, Progeria) have become popular, our kids will be accepted in our society/school with lesser apprehension and they will get the love and care they deserve. I really hope so!

I look forward to watch 'My Name is Khan' starring Shahrukh Khan. He plays a character of an autistic Adult.

Chocolates Anyone?

2009-12-11T11:33:00.000+05:30

Navya Loves Jammin :)

2009-12-07T15:59:00.000+05:30

Look at that face, she is not scared of those rides and enjoys a lot. Infact she cries when we head back to home.

I feel so proud when kids double of her age and size cries when their enthu parents make them sit in those fancy rides and my little one waves hi, shakes her head like crazy. (gosh such a long sentence :) )

Oh she is so sweet!

Enjoy the pics.

Play Time

2009-11-30T15:04:00.000+05:30

A long due update and lots of Photos

2009-11-26T18:00:00.000+05:30

Hi All,

I apologies for not posting. But I am back now and hope will post more frequently now.

Let me mention here, what I couldn't post in past 2 and 1/2 months.

To begin with we had Navya's One year check up and assessment. Her Thyroid and Spine X ray have come normal. Vision and Bera are still due, I think we dont have any issues there, but still will get it done in coming few days.

Navya cooperated very well during her assessment. We go to 'Ummed' to see the developmental Pediatrician. Her assessment scores at the age of one year were CAT: 9.3 months, CLAMS 8.5 months
Overall they thought she behaved like a 9.5 months old baby.
As per my understanding CAT score tells about her behavior and CLAMS about speech.
And the DQ (Developmental Quotient) was 74; which is average for any kid.

We have been advised to play with more cause and effect toys, have animated talk with her and start Speech Therapy. We had two speech therapy sessions (third one is in next week itself, gosh the speech therapy scares me :( will write about that in some other post). Also, we try to take 3 PT sessions a week (very rarely we can make it to 3rd one). Oh and I forgot to mention Navya is coming up to sit on her now :). Yeah, she has mastered it now. Currently we are working on her Crawling. Quite a lot of hard work for my little girl, while kneeling she screams like Steffy Graph (aaaa, aeeeeeeee ingggggg).

And now the teething part; from last 6 months or so we were waiting to see that tiny little white spot. Surprise surprise, Navya is finally teething. And guess what ? Navya's first tooth is not the regular 'First Molar'... naah.........not even the Second Molar... yes, it's the Cannian Tooth.. he he ha ha.. Someone just told me she will look like Dracula. Can you image a kid with all four molar teeth (and only molar teeth) ?

There are some more updates to come, till then Enjoy My Cute Little Navya's photographs ( these are not the latest though)

Pics from the month of August

LUX Beauty

Our first attempt to make her stand with support at bumps.

Check out the expressions in next two pics

At Grandma's house with me (needed to specify :) )

With her cousin Brother 'Mrigank', he was so happy to see someone younger than him

!@$!@#$!@#$!@#$ arrrrrrr

Do you see a Model in making?

Now????

SEP PICS

She likes all girlie things

On the way to Pune

With cousin 'Vtsal'

That's what happens with most of her Soft toys. She gives them a bath

Navya turned ONE

2009-09-07T15:07:00.000+05:30

Little Navya turned ONE yesterday :) We celebrated the day with friends and relatives.

Uploaded few snaps here. More to follow.

Enjoy!

Ready to cut the Cake. Enjoying the CakeNow it's my mom's turn

Posing with Mamma

Navya grabbed all gifts with excitements. Grandpa got a Synthesizer for Navya

With Swati Aunty

Gifts :)
Navya trying to play the synthesizer with her toes
Maharani :)

Relaxing in Mama's Arms

Advance Birthday Celebrations

2009-09-02T15:57:00.000+05:30

Last weekend we were with my in laws and as per tithi (ummm Hindu calender i guess) Navya's b'day was on Friday 28th. So we had a small get together and celebrated Navya's 1st Birthday a week in advance :)

Some pics of the same.

Cake cutting, Navya's only interest on that night was CAKE. :)

Rready to taste :p

Ready for Aukshan (sorry frnds i dont know any english word for this)

With her cousin brother "Mrigank'. Mrigank was very happy to play Big Brother Role

Scary Convulsions

2009-08-06T22:40:00.000+05:30

On Tuesday Navya was having slight fever and upset stomach. I decided to work from home as Navya was very cranky. And then Navya's temperature started rising and within a minute Navya stopped crying, her body shivered and became stiff, eyes rolled upward. I got so scared I can't even describe here. We immediately took her to hospital, doctor wanted to keep her under observation for a day and then we had to admit her there. Thankfully, Navya did not get temperature after that but had stomach infection. She is recovering well from it now.
We got to know from the doctor that it was a Convulsion. Convulsions are caused by sudden rise in temperature. Young children between the ages of 6 months to 6 years can get it. Young children's Nervous system is not matured and it can not take the sudden rise in body temp. Once a child gets it then there are chances are there that it will happen again. So now we need to take care that whenever she gets fever we need to give her the prescribed medicine till the age of 6 years. Thankfully these convulsions are harmless. But as the child looses consciousness there are chances of accident. Usually such convulsions last for 2-4 minutes. One should shake the child, and loosen the cloths for easy breathing. And one should not panic.
Huh, but how can you not panic :(. That's why I thought of sharing this with you, so in case you face such situation please don’t panic, turn your child on one side; incase he/she vomits it wont choke him/her. Once the child regains consciousness take her to the doctor. After convulsion there are some tests for which they need to take fluid from backbone. But to avoid this doctor may ask to keep your child under observation for a day and monitor the temperature.
I hope this information helps you.

Enjoying Motherhood

2009-07-25T17:35:00.000+05:30

Last month was wonderful. Navya is doing well. Her doctor is happy with her progress. On cognitive level there are no delays yet. Yes on the physical part she is delayed by 3-4 months. Navya started to sit without support in the beginning of this month. Navya recognizes us very well now, she raises her arms to be picked up. She waives bye-bye, moves her fingers to show come & sometimes shakes her head to say no-no (I am not sure if she knows the meanings, but she likes to imitate us)
Navya is taking interest in pictures books, earlier everything used to go in her mouth :). She loves to shake toys, likes to play with stacker, basically she is showing interest in toys. I am sure very soon she will loose interest in her toys, hmmm time to buy new ones I guess.
One more interesting thing, Navya wants to eat everything that we eat, even if her tummy is full. I had stopped mashing her food some two months back I guess; so she chews everything properly now. She takes good bites of the biscuits; remind you she doesn’t have a single tooth yet :)
Navya is taking water/milk from sipper and Straw cup; I had read somewhere that Straw cups are good for mouth exercise.
We have got a very good OT, she is taking care of her PT as well, she comes home once in a week and we see her one more time. Her sitting has improved a lot. Crawling would take some more time. I wish she starts crawling by her first birthday.
When I leave for office, Navya shows some irritation, that makes me uncomfortable. Thankfully I leave at 1pm so I get good quality time with her, and in the evening Ashish comes by 7-8 pm so Navya stays with her nanny for 6-7 hours. I hope we will be able to manage this schedule.
There are lots of other things Navya is doing, and we loving every bit of it.
Can't stop thanking god for such a wonderful gift. Now I have actually started enjoying motherhood.
Attaching few of her pics, the quality of pics is not very good.
Navya gives very nice expressions specially for her age.

This is last months photo, Navya had really long hair at that time. Navya has got a new hair cut from her mommy and aatu. :)

On last weekend we had gone to Lonawala.

Navya enjoying her Baba's company

One pose with Mamma

Some very good expressions.

Cheesy smile

Innocent Smile

Balancing herself with her forearms

My cutie pie

Attacking my phone

Tired of posing Navya loves to look at colourful pictures.

Checking out her 'Bed time-Touchbook'

She loves to touch the furr of the cat

Now the Nursery Rhyme book

I just love this one

In the early this month we had flown down to kolkata to attend a wedding reception of our very dear friend. Navya enjoyed her flight first time, she was constantly looking out of the window.
We got to meet our old friends, it was a very nice trip.

Ashish's cousin sister got a very pretty dress for Navya. Navya wore it on the reception night.

It's a very cute white haulter dress with Sleeveless denim jacket.

Sometimes I feel J, we didnt get to wear such pretty dresses, I am sure RUPA even you would be feeling J ;)

As i mentioned earlier, Navya wants to eat whatever we are eating. MCD's Fingerchips are no exception

Down’s Syndrome boy clears SSC in first attempt

2009-06-26T14:10:00.000+05:30

The SSC (Std X) results of Maharashtra State Board are out. Usually I like to scan through the paper to check the toppers of various categories; night school, disabled, how one studied with minimum study material, without any financial help etc.

This year I was wondering 'Do they declare the topper of mentally disabled category?' or 'They can't even clear the exam?' :(

And then came Ashish and asked me to check Mumbai Mirror's 5th Page.

This is what I found there.

Down’s Syndrome boy clears SSC in first attempt
- Ashok and Aishwarya Baride of Andheri (E) saw the culmination of 17 years of patience and perseverance on Thursday. Their son Sahil, diagnosed with T-21 Down’s Syndrome, passed his Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exams through the NIOS programme with 48.8 per cent — despite his below-average IQ. He is the first from Canossa Special School, Mahim, to clear his exams in the first attempt. “We thought he would take at least two years to clear his Std X. But when we saw the results, we were thrilled,” Ashok said. Parth Hendre, a physically handicapped friend two years his junior, was Sahil’s writer and inspiration. “Children with Down’s find it difficult to grip anything, so they are slow writers, hence the assistance,” Ashok said. “Hendre always encouraged him to appear for his examinations,” Ashok added. On being asked if there was any chance Hendre had helped Sahil cheat, Ashok laughs, “The exam hall at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Bhandup, had exactly four students appearing for the exam, and one invigilator, who ensured there was no hanky-panky going on.”

Sahil with his parents.

I am very sure this news will inspire all special need students and their parents.

Congratulations Sahil for your success. I wish I could convey to you and your parents, how happy we are to see you achieving this.
Way to go Sahil !

The article can also be checked here
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/2/200906262009062602054640049a8b840/Downâ€™s-Syndrome-boy-clears-SSC-in-first-attempt.html

We are Back :)

2009-06-21T11:46:00.000+05:30

Hello All,
Its been a real long time I have posted. We are well settled in Mumbai now. My parents, in laws visited us in past three weeks. They were excited to see Navya.
Posting some of the pics of my Father-in-law's visit.
Gateway of India in the background

With Ashish. Taj Mahal hotel in the background.

We had to go out for a dinner; Navya was very excited to wear her new RED Dress.

That's her new smile.

There are lots of pics to upload, would upload soon.

Pics, Pics and Just Pics

2009-05-19T11:04:00.000+05:30

Navya's Bumbo Chair Photo Shoot.
DAY 1:
Camera is here.. I am looking cute, I know.... Here I
Smile :D

Make up time.. Spot Boy....

Oh No !

How about this? Burrrrrrrrrr.......

Mama..You forgot to say SMILE !!!!!

DAY 2
In the Gym

Close Up

Bad Light :(

Again.

Don't Mind.. Old photo.. I did not know how to sit like a Good Girl.

Winding up from Calcutta

2009-05-18T16:23:00.000+05:30

Hello Friends,
Sorry for not posting.
We are shifting to Mumbai this Thursday, so this week we are busy with the relocation work. And yes there is plenty of due at office, clearing all.
There are lot of updates. Would try to post soon.
Have a nice week ahead.
Take care

Happy Mothers' Day - Ashish here...

2009-05-11T19:20:00.000+05:30

Dear friends,

This is Ashish (Navya's father) .

Pallavi couldn't post any blog for quite some time as she is very busy managing Navya all alone at Calcutta while I was trying to settle down in my new role at Mumbai (Bombay). Hence I thought of taking this opportunity to share some thoughts with all of you.

Pallavi has made me a hero by writing all good things about me, but am really not that good. I am just a simple human being who has strong faith in GOD and believe that HE never gives us anything that we can't handle. HE has been very kind with me and has blessed me with a set a amazing parents, a lovely life-partner and the latest and cutest of all - Navya....

While I know Navya is a blessing (infact our entire family also feels the same or even more because she was born on a very auspicious day), I also know that the time ahead is going to be different and may be more challenging. It was around 10 : 15 am on 6th Sept 2008 when I first saw Navya, she was pink in colour, looking around the place and not crying.... I was speech-less, it was a feeling that can't be explained in words now... then the Doctor told me that she was showing the symptoms on Downs' and we need to go for some tests to confirm it... I had many questions on my mind but the joy of seeing Navya and Pallavi superseeded it...

Then I first read about DS on the internet the next day, I was shocked but I decided to keep it to myself because the tests results will take some time to come and I was hoping it will be negative. In the meantime, Pallavi would also recover from the ceasarian operations. I still dont believe that I actually kept it to myself for over a month, given that I am quite an emotional person. But, I am really sorry that I kept it a secret with someone whom I share everything. Thankfully Pallavi has pardoned me for it.

Pallavi is a tough girl, and she had proved it several times. I would have broken down completely if I was in her place. The way she has handled Navya and herself in the last 8 months is not an easy task. She has taken control for her and Navya's life, studied extensively on the internet and found the best possible medical care at Calcutta for Navya... My respect for her and more so for all the mothers in this world has multiplied several times... HATS OFF TO YOU BEAUTIFUL MOTHERS, We (men) can never do what you do...

Besides being a software engineer, Pallavi is also a good painter, a good speaker too. She is definitely a very good swimmer as well [atleast 100 times better than me :) ]

Thanks to all of you for appreciating our efforts and sharing your experiences... Now we are going to enjoy life more... Posting some photographs, hope you like it.

Signing off with warm wishes to each one of you - Ashish

I fell for this smile 4 years back :)

Navya is telling her mom that Papa has sent you the flowers :)

Missing both of them a lot...

Thank you !

2009-05-03T12:18:00.000+05:30

Hi Friends, Thank you very much for your comments, mails and phone calls. It means a lot to me. Initially, I was scared to let people know that my baby has a chromosomal abnormality. I myself believe that we pay for our sins in this life itself. So, after Navya's DS diagnosis I started self evaluation, why me? I must have done something wrong to someone that's why GOD has punished me, all my dreams were shattered, lost confidence. (I think almost all go through this cycle). In this difficult time my husband was my pillar of support. He gave me the strength to carry on.

Every single spare minute I was surfing Internet. Initially it was all Bad things that I read and got depressed. Then I started reading about the inspirational stories of Adults with DS and then came the Blog world and I read about Ella Grace. Then the other blogs related to DS and I realised I AM NOT ALONE. What I also noticed was all families said their child got immense joy and unconditional love to them. It did not take much time for me to realise the same. I got a different perspective now; I believe GOD chose us because GOD thinks we can give her all the love and care she deserves. We are BLESSED. GOD has a special place for us being Navya’s parents. Some of you might think it’s a way of consoling yourself. May be you are right, but you need some strength to carry on and you need to be in our situation to understand the feeling.

Now I thank GOD for sending us such a joy, we know there would be challenges ahead, I am sure we will get the strength to face those as well.
I am also sure raising her will teach us various lessons of life which we would have not learnt otherwise.
I know it’s a heavy dose; I will spare you from the other thoughts.

Before that I want to thank all you mommies out there, thank you very much for posting about your kiddos.

Now, posting Kittoo's snaps to lighten the mood. Hope you enjoy :)
Kittoo is Navya’s pet name.

Feeling Sleepy Fingers and Toes taste so good I never knew :) Oh she loves to check out the ads

I am showing her the 'Sale' Ads.

New Dress, had gone to b'day party of Navya's aunt at Pizza Hut.
She was eating that frill all the time

On the way to Raichak, with Teena Aatu (Aunt, Ashish's Sister)