3 years to 4 years

Chanakya turns one !

 Happy Birthday Chanakya ! 

New born - 1 year old photo collection

New born

1 month old

2 months old

3 months old

4 months old

5 months old

6 months old

7 months old

8 months old

9 months old

10 months old

11 months old

1 year old !!!

Time flies, but memories last forever...

Sai Kishore is creeping with support now !

Sai Kishore is ready to creep...

That's what our IAHP advocate said to us on the last visit.

Eight months back, SK was able to crawl well and push himself up to the quad position and hold for 5 seconds at most.Later on, he was able to do it for a maximum of 15 seconds after which he will fall down and start crawling.

He was not able to move past this stage and was getting a bit frustrated.It was a tough period for us.He didn't want to crawl anymore. 

When we showed our advocate one such video where he holds the quad position, falls down and stays put there due to frustration, she said that he was ready to creep and that's why he didn't want to crawl. She advised us to give him some torso support to creep and it has worked. 

Now, he is happily creeping around the house ( of course, with support) and smiling at everyone with his eyes saying " Look, I am creeping now !". He wants to do it all day. 

Here is one such video where he creeps in cross pattern.

This is definitely a great moment for us.

There is still a long way to go but what is life if you don't celebrate the little things... For these little things add up to give great happiness one day... Every small achievement will soon be one amazing success. That's what we hope for and work for... 

2 years to 3 years

April 2017

We returned home on 31st of March 2017, after Sai's first clinical evaluation. We were exhausted from the travel and we took a week's break in order to arrange the required things to start his program

We were greatly motivated to start the program as soon as possible. I took some time to bond with Chanakya as I was away from him for 4 full days. Luckily, the milk that I had stored was more than enough for him. So, no formula was required, thank God!

SAI KISHORE

We decided to resume the program slowly as the break had been too long to start an intensive program immediately.

At 31.1 months, his neurological age is 18.52 months. When we evaluated him at home after the WTD course, he was 14.2 months old with neurological age being 5.62 months. From 5.62 months to 18.52 months in approx 17 months is a great achievement for SK considering the fact that I was not able to give him intense therapy for the past few months.

His development profile now looks like this:

( Better picture will be uploaded soon!)

APRIL-PROGRAM

Masking- 30x
Taste - 10x
Crawling- average 350 ft
Patterning- 3 times
Quad - 15x
Reading books - 10 to 15 mins
Tactile II - 10x
Tactile III - 10x
Choice board - 10x
Optimum auditory environment

Our primary focus for this month was nutrition. From May we will be showing flashcards. SK is looking forward to it!

This is how SK looks now...

SK with his dad

CHANAKYA

Chanakya's program is based on the ' how smart is your baby?' book.
I have listed the activities that he did in April and where he was at his profile due to all the stimulation.

(Age approximately 8-12 weeks)

• Visual
• Stage III ( initial ) - Outline bits with simple detail
• Stage III - Detailed black and white checkerboard with coloured silhouette pictures
• Auditory
• Stage III - Meaningful conversation
• Environmental sounds
• Tactile
• Stage I - Babinski reflex
• Stage III - Tickling & Massage
• Mobility
• Inclined Track - 10 x a day
• Flat track  
• Language
• Having a conversation
• Specific sounds in a poem
•  Manual
• Stage I - Grasp reflex and hanging
• Balance activities - Stage I

At the end of 12 weeks 

Chanakya's Developmental Profile @ 3 months

P- Perfect
F- Functional

Chanakya - Crawling in Inclined Track

Chanakya's first swim: click here

Chanakya' s first swim

Date: 22/04/2017
Age: 2.5 months

A few pictures that we took ...

and here is a video ...

Baby C seems to enjoy being in water...

Clinical Evaluation Visit - Part 1

JANUARY 2017 

It was on January 11th, 2017 that I got an email from IAHP that, for the first time ever, a clinical evaluation visit was scheduled to happen in India. It was such a great surprise for us because we were wonndering how we could take SK to Philadelphia with so little finance in hand.

We registered for the evaluation visit as soon as we received the mail because we didn't want to miss such a wonderful opportunity.The Evaluation was to happen in the last week of March and that meant I would be less than 2 months postpartum when we attend the evaluation.I had to plan well before the visit on how to tackle any health issues that might arise during that period.

Our slot was confirmed and we were eagerly looking forward to that event. There were days when I would be so worried whether I could make it, health wise.I was wishing to have a normal delivery and for my recovery to be quicker so that I could attend the evaluation without much to worry about.

Arranging the finance was not an easy task.It was taking so much effort on our part and we were still looking for ways to pay the fee amount.

FEBRUARY 2017 - MARCH 2017

Welcome Chanakya !

Baby C was born on Feb 3rd,2017 after approximately 10 hours of labor. I got dehydrated when I was 8 cm dilated and I started to cramp during the pushing stage. I was getting tired with every push and the doctors had to deliver the baby using forceps for the safety of the baby as well as mine.

While I was being stitched, I realized how lucky I was to at least have a normal delivery under such a situation. Yes, it sucked that I had 30+ stitches, but we were safe and Baby C was healthy.

It took me a few days to even walk without trembling.Sitting was more painful than standing or walking.I had severe blood loss and my haemoglobin levels dipped to 6.6!I was not able to regulate my body temperature and I constantly felt dizzy. The doctors suggested blood infusion in order to up the levels of hemoglobin. After a session of blood infusion, my hemoglobin was 8.8. At this point, I was allowed to go home with a prescription of iron supplements.

There were many other ailments of which I am not going to write here but it was a really tough time. It took me more than 20 days just to sit and more than 40 days to sit comfortably. I used to worry whether I would be able to travel and attend the evaluation.It was only with the help and support of my husband and our family that I was able to recover quickly than expected.

A million thanks to my husband, without whose support and encouragement, I would still have been lying on the bed saying 'I can't'.

Even as I am writing this, I haven't healed completely; but, I know that healing takes time and that I would be totally fine in a few more weeks.

Planning for the visit

We planned to leave Chanakya with my mom so that we could attend the evaluation with complete focus on SK. I was exclusively breastfeeding baby C and I didn't want to him to be formula fed while I was away. So, I calculated the amount of milk that he would need when I wasn't around and I started pumping a few days before to build up a stash.

Other than that, I had to review all the old notes and write down the details which were required.It was a daunting task as I had 5 big notebooks that contained information about his daily program.

The Evaluation Visit

Days flew by and it was time to leave for the evaluation.So far, everything went as planned and I had 3.5 litres of milk in the freezer on the day I was leaving to New Delhi.It was not easy on my mind to leave a 6 weeks old baby at home but the fact that baby C was still getting my milk gave me some peace.

In order to maintain the supply while away from the baby, I had to exclusively pump every 2-3 hours. I had to wash all the equipment, sterilize it and safely store the expressed milk after every pumping session. It was tiring but well worth the effort because I bought back home more than 2 litres of milk.

Even after so much planning I had to face a few issues with engorgement which fortunately subsided after a few pumping sessions. Luckily, I did not get any plugged ducts or mastitis in that period.

SK with his paternal grandma at the airport

I was also worried whether SK would feel groggy or disturbed after travelling in the air. I was comforted by the fact that he managed the travel so well.Throughout the visit, SK was wonderfully co-operative and thus the evaluation went smoothly.

PART 2 - click here

Chanakya turns 1 month old + Stimulating the brain of an infant using the Doman method

Based on the ' How smart is your baby' book, we have been giving sensory stimulation and motor opportunities in order to help baby C achieve his full potential in each stage of the developmental profile.

His program was started on 16th February 2017- age 13 days

Week 1 of the program: 16/02/17 - 22/02/17

Sensory stimulation: 

• Light reflex - 5x per eye 10 times a day
• Startle reflex - 3x 10 times a day
• Babinski reflex - 3x per foot 10 times a day

Motor opportunity:

The inclined track was not yet ready. Apart from that, the other programs were going great.

• Flat track - at least 2 hours
• Grasp reflex - 10 seconds, 10 times a day
• Vestibular stimulation

Week 2 of the program

Sensory stimulation: 

• Light reflex - 5x per eye 8 times a day
• Black and white checkerboard
• Startle reflex - 3x 8 times a day
• Babinski reflex - 3x per foot 10 times a day

Motor opportunity:

• Inclined track - 5x a day
• Flat track - at least 2 hours
• Grasp reflex - 10 seconds, 10 times a day
• Vestibular stimulation

BABY C TURNS 1 MONTH OLD

Chanakya - moving in his track

Chanakya- sleeping in the prone position on his track

By the end of 1 month,

In addition to the basic reflexes, Chanakya was able to

• Follow people or things when they move
• Move down the inclined floor
• Lift his head up for brief intervals of time
• Turn towards my voice

NOTE: Check out Domanmom.com for wonderful resources like the colourful checkerboard that I have pasted on C's crawling track.She has provided for free, weekly logs of the program that are very useful to have on hand to keep track of the activities.

It is a boy !

We are so happy to share that we have a new addition to our family and it is a boy! We have named him ' Chanakya '.

Chanakya was born on Feb 3rd ,2017 at 6.09 pm.

Baby C at the hospital - 2 days old

Guess What?!

The last post on this blog was published in May 2016.I haven't been able to update this blog as often as I would like to. One of the main reasons for such a long delay in the update post is that I am always super tired! And the reason behind my extreme tiredness is...

We are expecting baby number 2! Baby no 2 is due to arrive on Feb 11,2017.

With just a month's time more, we are really eager and excited to welcome our little one to this world. We really hope that baby number 2 will be a good companion for SK and they can do some of their programs together.

On with the updates now,

June-September 2016:

SK's program was still going with full intensity.

Reading program: 

English, Tamil, Spanish- Flashcards

Mathematics program

Skip counting, fractions basics

Encyclopedia program:

5 categories

Masking- 10-15 per day.

Patterning- 4 X 1 min 

Crawling: We started with 10 ft/day in the month of May and by the end of September he was crawling 400+ ft per day. He started to come to four point position on his own but he couldn't move forward. He was still crawling for locomotion.

Language program that included conversation, poem and choice board. 

Swimming 

Yoga 

Manual program that included hanging, vital release & prehensile grasp

Playing keyboard

.

What else happened?

I was having terrible morning sickness which made it a great challenge to cook for him as well as to effectively give him therapy. I was warding off nausea by inhaling peppermint essential oil and it helped a little.On top of this, I was getting tired very easily and exhausted by the end of the day.

We did a few things differently with this pregnancy and that helped me cope up with some of the common pregnancy niggles(that is for another post !).

On the days when I was unable to cook or give therapy, my husband would take up the role and very efficiently complete it. In fact, there were days when he would be the sole reason for the therapy activities being done. I was so happy that SK's program was moving at the expected pace.

On Aug 23rd, 2016 - SK's 2nd birthday

I was 21 weeks pregnant by the end of September, 2016. We were to have the anomaly scan in the 1st week of October. We were so focused on being positive, so the previous experience of anomaly scan didn't affect us much. In fact, we were looking forward for the scan in order to see our baby on the ultrasound screen, for the first time. (Yes, we skipped the dating scan and NT scan)

October-December 2016:

SK's program was downsized because I was unable to execute it with full intensity.

Reading program: 

English - flashcards

Mathematics program

A little break because I was not ready with the equations to be shown.

Encyclopedia program:

2 categories

Masking- 15 per day.

Patterning- A small break because I was unable to give patterning with my baby bump in front. 

Crawling: He was consistently crawling 400+ ft per day. Often coming to four point position on his own, he tried to move forward but fell on his face. Later he moved his leg and hand alternately but fell down due to lack of balance. His crawling style has improved and his speed has increased.

We hope creeping is just round the corner for him and when he achieves it, it is a going to be a great victory.. An achievement worth celebrating. We are looking forward to that day. 

Language program : choice board. 

Manual program that included vital release & prehensile grasp

Playing keyboard

What else happened?

The anomaly scan went well and baby number 2 was healthy with no issues.I cannot explain in words how relieved we were to see the scan reports. 

I wasn't able to do as much exercise as I wanted to because SK's therapy was already demanding my complete attention and energy.I caught a nasty cold with fever which made me lose 3 kg of weight.After recovering from the flu I started to gain weight really slowly. 

By the 32nd week I had severe gas pains and I had to go to the hospital for medication. Luckily,it subsided by 4 days.

By the end of December 2016, I was exactly 34 weeks pregnant.

January 2016 :

SK's program is now very basic.

Reading, Mathematics & encyclopedia program: 

Paused

Masking- 15 per day.

Patterning-Paused

Crawling: He still crawls at least 200+ ft per day. He is now able to sit up on his own for a few seconds. We have been using the anti-sit device so that he doesn't w-sit and it has been working wonderfully.

Language program : choice board. 

Playing keyboard

SK's therapy is on basic mode now .Though we are a little sad for that, we know that this is just a temporary phase and that once our second baby is born we would be back with a bang!

That's all for the updates... 

1 year to 2 years