Aditya's class researched the Ohlone Indians as part of their social studies. Aditya's group, in particular, focused on Shelter and clothing. I will let pictures do the rest of the talking!
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Confident team player and a wonderful student ...take that, autism!
I have been meaning to upload some of Aditya's school presentations for the past two years. Being a hands-on school, the kids have a lot of opportunities to get up in front of the class and present their research. Third grade presents a bigger challenge in that students work in small groups, collaborating on different aspects of the project.
Aditya's class researched the Ohlone Indians as part of their social studies. Aditya's group, in particular, focused on Shelter and clothing. I will let pictures do the rest of the talking!
This is the first page of his assignment. Below is the grading page with his teacher's remarks after the presentation:
Aditya's class researched the Ohlone Indians as part of their social studies. Aditya's group, in particular, focused on Shelter and clothing. I will let pictures do the rest of the talking!
Monday, December 15, 2014
Aditya and friends
This weekend, we went to "The Family Skate Night" event of the Y-guides program both kids are part of. There I met another mom from Aditya's class. As soon as we were done exchanging pleasantries, she said,"Aditya and D (her daughter) have become good friends! I am so happy! He is such an awesome kid!"
He now has a best friend in his class. The two boys look out for each other and stick together through lunch and recess. This friendship has blossomed since the beginning of the school year and other kids now know not to mess around either with A or his friend N. But unlike past years, Aditya being friends with N does not mean that they play exclusively with each other. In fact, they both play basketball, wall ball and other playground games with boys from their class and his previous years' classes. They also are part of... shhhh .. a girls monkey-bars club :)
Of late, Aditya has started paying particular attention to his looks. He spends quite a bit of time combing his hair each morning. It is so CUTE :) He also tries hard to spike his hair into a mohawk :) One day he tried hard to oil his hair and make a mohawk like his friend N. He was brimming after school, that N actually thought his mohawk looked cool :)
I am also noticing extra sweet behavior, more willingness and proactive help around the house. Last week, I had to leave in the middle of unloading the dishwasher. When I returned 5 minutes later, it was taken care of. Aditya just noticed how busy I was and took care of the dishwasher. Simple things like this bring tears of joy .. Ah, the pleasures of mothering this boy ...
Last week, the kids had a Choir and Band performance. Shreya was in the choir and Aditya played the flute in the Band. He confessed today that initially he practiced the flute because he had to and couldn't do it very well. But now he is really enjoying it. And now that he is enjoying it, he is actually doing a lot better in producing notes.
Another huge update is about a girl C in his class that he does not really get along well with. There have been incidents between C and him over the last 2-3 years where C apparently does not talk to him nicely. After talking it out to us over the last few weeks, he finally talked about this to his teacher (in the presence of Baba). The teacher did some reflective listening, and encouraged him to talk to C in the teacher's presence. She told Aditya to specifically request C what action he wanted her to take e.g. be respectful of him when they worked together. Baba then left the scene. C was called to talk to Aditya and the teacher. Later we learned from the teacher that Aditya spoke directly to C and did the needful. What a great skill this is for any one, why just a kid!
We also learned later that C had had the same issue with another child, but that other child had chosen not to talk to C about it.
After this meeting Aditya has been reporting a generally better time dealing with C.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
San Diego, Thanksgiving 2014!
When we last visited San Diego in 2008 it was after our school district denied Aditya services like ABA, Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy.
It felt unfair at that time. In San Diego we could see an Aditya who was trying to enjoy himself, but oftentimes finding it hard to even survive this chaotic world with places like the Sea World and the zoo.
Aditya and family went back to San Diego during the thanks giving break of 2014.
And what a turn around that was!
Two other families from our school joined us at the San Diego Safari park. The next day, they joined us at Sea World. And Aditya not just survived it all, he loved it.
Did you read that?
HE LOVED and CRAVED FOR the company of similar age kids from his school. And for mom, the cherry on top was that they were both BOYS!
Here are some examples.
1. Not a fan of going on rides, but tried the scary sounding "Manta" ride. Reported that he did not like it, but did not make a big deal about it.
2. "I do not want to do that ride on my own, I will wait for my friends." said A when other kids were at the restroom. And it was not because he did not want to go on the ride, he just wanted to do it with his friends! :) This was a first!!
3. Wrote journal entries about his trip! One morning, we found him bent over a notebook and he told me that he was enjoying the trip so much, that he didn't want to forget it, so he was journaling his memories :)
4. Loved the idea when he heard the two families decided to come to our hotel room
5. WRESTLED with the other boys at our hotel room! He had no chance, but in our eyes he won as soon as decided to compete:)
6. Took turns singing during a mini variety show at the hotel room.
It was not as if there were no challenges though. Aditya used to love rides when we went in 2008. This time around, he showed no love for rides. Also after Manta the ride that he took but didn't like, he became anxious about going on any ride at all. So much so that he suspected the helicopter simulation (which feels like you are on board a helicopter, with seats vibrating and he screen showing scenes of a snowy ride) to be a real take-off. Right before the ride was to begin, he wanted to leave. Once we told him that was too late, he decided to stay but was anxious. In the end, he was worried we had flown out of San Diego.
On the other hand it was easy to reason with him. (Easy compared to when we were beginning our Son Rise journey with him.)
Reminding him of a time when he had been behind a steering wheel in a car racing video game at a birthday party, Baba asked him to think of the Helicopter simulation as a video game, except someone else is driving the car. He seemed to be at peace when he got this. We then also showed him another ride visible from the window of that Helicopter simulation room. Later when we went out we also pointed inwards saying, "that is where we were the whole time during the helicopter simulation".
Apart from this one experience, he did sensational at the park.
We are saving the best part for the end of this post.
On the way back we all listened to a "Penderwicks" audio book. Aditya has been receptive to reading and hearing fiction books but was mostly hooked on to Gerronimo Stilton.
With Penderwicks, he showed an interest in literature a lot more his age.
Shreya (sister) later privately reported to Baba that she enjoyed the fact that Aditya actually talked to her about "normal" things in the car!
After the trip, he chose to borrow another book from the "Penderwicks" series on his own!
It's thanksgiving season! And we are thankful to our kids yet again for being part of our life and sharing this beautiful journey with us.
It felt unfair at that time. In San Diego we could see an Aditya who was trying to enjoy himself, but oftentimes finding it hard to even survive this chaotic world with places like the Sea World and the zoo.
Aditya and family went back to San Diego during the thanks giving break of 2014.
And what a turn around that was!
Two other families from our school joined us at the San Diego Safari park. The next day, they joined us at Sea World. And Aditya not just survived it all, he loved it.
Did you read that?
HE LOVED and CRAVED FOR the company of similar age kids from his school. And for mom, the cherry on top was that they were both BOYS!
Here are some examples.
1. Not a fan of going on rides, but tried the scary sounding "Manta" ride. Reported that he did not like it, but did not make a big deal about it.
2. "I do not want to do that ride on my own, I will wait for my friends." said A when other kids were at the restroom. And it was not because he did not want to go on the ride, he just wanted to do it with his friends! :) This was a first!!
3. Wrote journal entries about his trip! One morning, we found him bent over a notebook and he told me that he was enjoying the trip so much, that he didn't want to forget it, so he was journaling his memories :)
5. WRESTLED with the other boys at our hotel room! He had no chance, but in our eyes he won as soon as decided to compete:)
6. Took turns singing during a mini variety show at the hotel room.
It was not as if there were no challenges though. Aditya used to love rides when we went in 2008. This time around, he showed no love for rides. Also after Manta the ride that he took but didn't like, he became anxious about going on any ride at all. So much so that he suspected the helicopter simulation (which feels like you are on board a helicopter, with seats vibrating and he screen showing scenes of a snowy ride) to be a real take-off. Right before the ride was to begin, he wanted to leave. Once we told him that was too late, he decided to stay but was anxious. In the end, he was worried we had flown out of San Diego.
On the other hand it was easy to reason with him. (Easy compared to when we were beginning our Son Rise journey with him.)
Reminding him of a time when he had been behind a steering wheel in a car racing video game at a birthday party, Baba asked him to think of the Helicopter simulation as a video game, except someone else is driving the car. He seemed to be at peace when he got this. We then also showed him another ride visible from the window of that Helicopter simulation room. Later when we went out we also pointed inwards saying, "that is where we were the whole time during the helicopter simulation".
Apart from this one experience, he did sensational at the park.
We are saving the best part for the end of this post.
On the way back we all listened to a "Penderwicks" audio book. Aditya has been receptive to reading and hearing fiction books but was mostly hooked on to Gerronimo Stilton.
With Penderwicks, he showed an interest in literature a lot more his age.
Shreya (sister) later privately reported to Baba that she enjoyed the fact that Aditya actually talked to her about "normal" things in the car!
After the trip, he chose to borrow another book from the "Penderwicks" series on his own!
It's thanksgiving season! And we are thankful to our kids yet again for being part of our life and sharing this beautiful journey with us.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Another dream just came true!
This is Baba... Aditya's dad. I volunteer in his class on Friday afternoons.
Two Fridays ago (when I first wrote this draft it was "last Friday")...
As usual I parked the car outside the school and began walking towards his class. It was a few minutes before the end of the lunch recess.
Suddenly, I saw something. Right before my eyes, another dear dream of mine was coming true.
I had dreamed about this for years, but had almost forgotten it.
Yes, yes, he has fulfilled not one, not two, but several of my "Daddy" dreams. Be it playing cricket together, joining each other in twisting tunes (i.e. singing one song on the tune of another), playing the guitars together, and so on.
Yet, this one dream had seemed so distant it almost felt impossible until only a few weeks ago.
What did I see?
He was playing basketball with three other boys! On his own! Without any coaxing or coaching. Or shall we say... because there was no coaxing and coaching?
Is that why you were not doing it, Aditya? That you felt as if we were trying to push you to do it?
One day, he will read this blog post. I will wait until that day to know the answer. I don't want to coax him for an answer right now:)
In the meantime, Aditya is dribbling the ball. He goes closer to the hoop. No one stops him. This is not a game. Then, he takes a shot at the hoop. The ball makes it into the hoop!
When movies are being edited, I hear it takes them several tries to get everything just right.
But... dreams are not movies. How did Aditya shoot the hoop right when I was seeing it?
Thank you, my friend! You continue to give me amazing beautiful experiences that cannot be explained, that need not be explained!
--Baba
Two Fridays ago (when I first wrote this draft it was "last Friday")...
As usual I parked the car outside the school and began walking towards his class. It was a few minutes before the end of the lunch recess.
Suddenly, I saw something. Right before my eyes, another dear dream of mine was coming true.
I had dreamed about this for years, but had almost forgotten it.
Yes, yes, he has fulfilled not one, not two, but several of my "Daddy" dreams. Be it playing cricket together, joining each other in twisting tunes (i.e. singing one song on the tune of another), playing the guitars together, and so on.
Yet, this one dream had seemed so distant it almost felt impossible until only a few weeks ago.
What did I see?
He was playing basketball with three other boys! On his own! Without any coaxing or coaching. Or shall we say... because there was no coaxing and coaching?
Is that why you were not doing it, Aditya? That you felt as if we were trying to push you to do it?
One day, he will read this blog post. I will wait until that day to know the answer. I don't want to coax him for an answer right now:)
In the meantime, Aditya is dribbling the ball. He goes closer to the hoop. No one stops him. This is not a game. Then, he takes a shot at the hoop. The ball makes it into the hoop!
When movies are being edited, I hear it takes them several tries to get everything just right.
But... dreams are not movies. How did Aditya shoot the hoop right when I was seeing it?
Thank you, my friend! You continue to give me amazing beautiful experiences that cannot be explained, that need not be explained!
--Baba
Thursday, November 6, 2014
News since beginning Third Grade!
Aditya entered Third grade in August 2014. This is his fourth year in the same school, third year going full time! (For the record, he has never had an IEP / 504 plan or any support, other than the reduced day schedule in Kindergarten)
In the 2.5 months so far, he has
1. gone on an overnight camping beach trip (3 days and 2 nights) with kids in his class (plus a few parent chaperons, including his own mom)
2. continued to maintain a reputation for being a great kid from the class parents (it is a parent participation school) as well as his new teacher Chris
3. loosened up remarkably compared to the last two years at the same school
4. made friends with a like minded (nice, gentle, appropriate) boy
5. liked by several kids, especially girls who like to be around this gentle young man than some of the more rambunctious ones.
6. made his own Halloween costume (Samsung Galaxy 4)
7. collected 57 pieces of candy on Halloween going out with sister and Baba
8. tapped on a 20 some year old girl's shoulders at Whole Foods to ask if she is in line for the Burrito Bowl, and when the girl asked, "yeah and how was your Halloween? Did you eat all your candy?" simply said, "No I don't eat any" without going into why
9. started learning the guitar, and is currently amazing his teacher by playing things he has learned on his own
But here is the most amazing feat so far.
Yesterday he said, "My teacher really likes me."
Aai asked, "how do you know?"
"From her body language", he replied :)
PRICELESS!
In the 2.5 months so far, he has
1. gone on an overnight camping beach trip (3 days and 2 nights) with kids in his class (plus a few parent chaperons, including his own mom)
2. continued to maintain a reputation for being a great kid from the class parents (it is a parent participation school) as well as his new teacher Chris
3. loosened up remarkably compared to the last two years at the same school
4. made friends with a like minded (nice, gentle, appropriate) boy
5. liked by several kids, especially girls who like to be around this gentle young man than some of the more rambunctious ones.
6. made his own Halloween costume (Samsung Galaxy 4)
7. collected 57 pieces of candy on Halloween going out with sister and Baba
8. tapped on a 20 some year old girl's shoulders at Whole Foods to ask if she is in line for the Burrito Bowl, and when the girl asked, "yeah and how was your Halloween? Did you eat all your candy?" simply said, "No I don't eat any" without going into why
9. started learning the guitar, and is currently amazing his teacher by playing things he has learned on his own
But here is the most amazing feat so far.
Yesterday he said, "My teacher really likes me."
Aai asked, "how do you know?"
"From her body language", he replied :)
PRICELESS!
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
The World Cup is here (again)
Read this post to know why this is such a special time for us.
Four years later, Adiya plays soccer (football) and a host of other interactive, physical games including wall ball, four square, baseball, etc.
It is a precious moment when we look back at the last world cup, and then come to the present where we can watch a world cup game together as a family!
On that note... we are planning to begin doing that real soon.
After 4 years without TV, we have brought back the TV.
Bring on the sports (and Aditya's favorite BILL NYE The Science Guy)... we are ready!
We are still firmly choosing not to let the TV dictate our lives though.
Four years later, Adiya plays soccer (football) and a host of other interactive, physical games including wall ball, four square, baseball, etc.
It is a precious moment when we look back at the last world cup, and then come to the present where we can watch a world cup game together as a family!
On that note... we are planning to begin doing that real soon.
After 4 years without TV, we have brought back the TV.
Bring on the sports (and Aditya's favorite BILL NYE The Science Guy)... we are ready!
We are still firmly choosing not to let the TV dictate our lives though.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Really? It's been over 4 months!
What happened? Why haven't we posted for such a long time?
Rather than explain that... I will get straight to posting.
1. We had the third Son Rise intensive for Aditya in early April. Yup! We thought long and hard about the need to do this. In the end, it turned out to be just the most perfect thing we could do to help Aditya with his social and peer-relationship skills. In one word, the Son Rise program is... miraculous. Because in one word, the Son Rise program teachers and facilitators are, phenomenal. They went out of their way to make things happen for Aditya that are probably rare for an intensive... such as outdoor play, a playdate with a child, a playdate with two peers and a walk around the property to help Aditya "unwind" ! Wow! I don't know what else a parent can ask for. The folks over at Son Rise really know what they are doing.
While Aditya was having a blast playing and at the same time, climbing new mountains of social skills, Aai and Baba received lots of effective questions and guidance on how best to move forward from here. When we returned, we knew exactly what we needed to do.
2. And then did we do it? Well, that's a whole different story. We sure have started doing some things differently than before, but we still have a number of recommendations from our intensive to put in practice. Of the things we are doing differently, we are now inviting Aditya to "do" rather than "plan" and "think". This is something we are trying to do in all situations, play or otherwise. The things we know we need to do but haven't done, includes helping Aditya get comfortable using his whole body in play, by enrolling him in an activity like rock climbing. One thing we did try is a local boy scouts club. Well, this club seemed a little too chaotic to us during our visit, and so far we haven't searched for another club.
3. Diet. Oh.. the diet. It is amazing that we gained a lot more mileage in our program in the first 2 years when we were eating a number of things (e.g. wheat) we no longer eat. Recognizing how our constant attention to making special foods is hindering both, our play time with Aditya as well as his ease in social situations, we are deciding to relax our diet just a little bit. We are still not totally completely going back on it though.
4. He needs lots more play dates with kids who are socially inviting, as well as physically active rather than cerebral. This is still a To-Do for us! The good news is Aditya demonstrated he can not just handle, but even thrive in the company of kids. He played with two girls at the intensive. He not only got along nicely with them... but they even wrote letters to each other after coming back! Now all he needs is... practice, practice, practice... playing with different kids.
5. Aditya's program currently has one volunteer... Arjun. At the moment we are not planning to add any other volunteers. When Arjun leaves in a month (as he will go to college on east coast) it will be back to just Aai and Baba playing with Aditya... the way we did before we even got our Son Rise program training.
6. In the meantime, Aditya continues to do well at school. He did great with his animal research, and country research projects. He went up the stage like every year, and sang and played "Country Roads" this time. He has made half a dozen friends on his own! There is only one area now where we feel concerned about him. It is his desire for appropriateness from everyone around him is inappropriately high :) He ends up coming across as crabby... someone who is constantly calling out others' inappropriate behaviors. Other than this, he is doing sensationally well. He no longer seems stuck during unstructured time. He is making choices like finding a book and reading it! Woo Hoo!
The school year comes to an end soon. Aai had a Mother's day celebration with Aditya in his class last month. Baba is about to have his Fathers' day celebration soon.
With all the craziness that comes with having two neurotypical school going kids, we are not prioritizing writing here as we used to. But the awe and celebration for our kids remains unaltered!
Rather than explain that... I will get straight to posting.
1. We had the third Son Rise intensive for Aditya in early April. Yup! We thought long and hard about the need to do this. In the end, it turned out to be just the most perfect thing we could do to help Aditya with his social and peer-relationship skills. In one word, the Son Rise program is... miraculous. Because in one word, the Son Rise program teachers and facilitators are, phenomenal. They went out of their way to make things happen for Aditya that are probably rare for an intensive... such as outdoor play, a playdate with a child, a playdate with two peers and a walk around the property to help Aditya "unwind" ! Wow! I don't know what else a parent can ask for. The folks over at Son Rise really know what they are doing.
While Aditya was having a blast playing and at the same time, climbing new mountains of social skills, Aai and Baba received lots of effective questions and guidance on how best to move forward from here. When we returned, we knew exactly what we needed to do.
2. And then did we do it? Well, that's a whole different story. We sure have started doing some things differently than before, but we still have a number of recommendations from our intensive to put in practice. Of the things we are doing differently, we are now inviting Aditya to "do" rather than "plan" and "think". This is something we are trying to do in all situations, play or otherwise. The things we know we need to do but haven't done, includes helping Aditya get comfortable using his whole body in play, by enrolling him in an activity like rock climbing. One thing we did try is a local boy scouts club. Well, this club seemed a little too chaotic to us during our visit, and so far we haven't searched for another club.
3. Diet. Oh.. the diet. It is amazing that we gained a lot more mileage in our program in the first 2 years when we were eating a number of things (e.g. wheat) we no longer eat. Recognizing how our constant attention to making special foods is hindering both, our play time with Aditya as well as his ease in social situations, we are deciding to relax our diet just a little bit. We are still not totally completely going back on it though.
4. He needs lots more play dates with kids who are socially inviting, as well as physically active rather than cerebral. This is still a To-Do for us! The good news is Aditya demonstrated he can not just handle, but even thrive in the company of kids. He played with two girls at the intensive. He not only got along nicely with them... but they even wrote letters to each other after coming back! Now all he needs is... practice, practice, practice... playing with different kids.
5. Aditya's program currently has one volunteer... Arjun. At the moment we are not planning to add any other volunteers. When Arjun leaves in a month (as he will go to college on east coast) it will be back to just Aai and Baba playing with Aditya... the way we did before we even got our Son Rise program training.
6. In the meantime, Aditya continues to do well at school. He did great with his animal research, and country research projects. He went up the stage like every year, and sang and played "Country Roads" this time. He has made half a dozen friends on his own! There is only one area now where we feel concerned about him. It is his desire for appropriateness from everyone around him is inappropriately high :) He ends up coming across as crabby... someone who is constantly calling out others' inappropriate behaviors. Other than this, he is doing sensationally well. He no longer seems stuck during unstructured time. He is making choices like finding a book and reading it! Woo Hoo!
The school year comes to an end soon. Aai had a Mother's day celebration with Aditya in his class last month. Baba is about to have his Fathers' day celebration soon.
With all the craziness that comes with having two neurotypical school going kids, we are not prioritizing writing here as we used to. But the awe and celebration for our kids remains unaltered!
Friday, January 17, 2014
My boy.. Oh, Boy!
Aditya is hooked on playing with and twisting words... BIG time!
Just yesterday he asked me, "Aai! What is a young sea creature called?"
Hmmm ...
"What?"
"I don't know!"
"Well, it is a ceiling! As in sea-ling! Get it?"
Got it! And he swears it is not borrowed :)
(Even if it were, I wouldn't be any less happy .. this just shows that he is comprehending all the Geronimo Stiltons he has been reading! Yay!)
Another one:
"What do people on Mars do with Oranges?"
"What?"
"Marsmalade!"
Isn't that awesome? He is becoming a natural at this!!
A couple days ago, I was in the garage when he came wincing, with his finger wrapped and crying out as if he was in pain. I dropped whatever I was doing and began rushing toward him. With a smile on his face, he said,"Just kidding, Aai! This is just a crumpled up receipt I found in the house :) Did you think I was really hurt?" Huh!
A couple hours later, I was still working in the garage when he told me that he was hungry. I asked him to give me a few minutes to find a stopping place. Soon after, he came in from the backyard and told me that he had found something "Green" to eat in! I looked up, a little annoyed, to see him holding a (almost) flat ball and pretending to eat from the Green (colored) bowl! "I am just pretending!" LOL!!!
Oh, and green reminds me of something else .. At school, he is a regular at the monthly student leadership meetings and this month, his idea for keeping the school clean and green got approved! He suggested that kids pick trash every Friday afternoon before school lets out so the campus looks good - weekend all the way into the next week!
And last but not the least .. a preview to the next post .. he has a great poster that I sneaked a peek into, for his upcoming country research project, due next Friday! I so wish he would ask us for some help, like the other kids do, so we have an idea of what goes on at school. But he told me that he is big now and does not really need my help :( Deep breath and let go!!!!!!!!!!
Just yesterday he asked me, "Aai! What is a young sea creature called?"
Hmmm ...
"What?"
"I don't know!"
"Well, it is a ceiling! As in sea-ling! Get it?"
Got it! And he swears it is not borrowed :)
(Even if it were, I wouldn't be any less happy .. this just shows that he is comprehending all the Geronimo Stiltons he has been reading! Yay!)
Another one:
"What do people on Mars do with Oranges?"
"What?"
"Marsmalade!"
Isn't that awesome? He is becoming a natural at this!!
A couple days ago, I was in the garage when he came wincing, with his finger wrapped and crying out as if he was in pain. I dropped whatever I was doing and began rushing toward him. With a smile on his face, he said,"Just kidding, Aai! This is just a crumpled up receipt I found in the house :) Did you think I was really hurt?" Huh!
A couple hours later, I was still working in the garage when he told me that he was hungry. I asked him to give me a few minutes to find a stopping place. Soon after, he came in from the backyard and told me that he had found something "Green" to eat in! I looked up, a little annoyed, to see him holding a (almost) flat ball and pretending to eat from the Green (colored) bowl! "I am just pretending!" LOL!!!
Oh, and green reminds me of something else .. At school, he is a regular at the monthly student leadership meetings and this month, his idea for keeping the school clean and green got approved! He suggested that kids pick trash every Friday afternoon before school lets out so the campus looks good - weekend all the way into the next week!
And last but not the least .. a preview to the next post .. he has a great poster that I sneaked a peek into, for his upcoming country research project, due next Friday! I so wish he would ask us for some help, like the other kids do, so we have an idea of what goes on at school. But he told me that he is big now and does not really need my help :( Deep breath and let go!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Happy New Year!
The twins turned 9 this month!
Just today, we were looking at the very first few blog posts here and it felt so cute... especially this one
Aditya (and indeed Shreya, as well as Aai Baba) have come such a long distance. This has been THE most beautiful 4.5 years of my life personally!
Earlier, over the long Christmas break we mostly stayed home, but took two days off to visit our favorite and sunny climes of South California (San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara).
Our old time program volunteer Adin visited us and he, like us, was pleasantly surprised to hear some typical 9 year old language, e.g. saying "what the...." (without anything after the "what the" :))
In eczema news, we are making another concerted effort at not just rotating but further cleaning up Aditya's already clean diet. Stay tuned to know how that is going.
Aditya is now having regular playdates with A. They both seem to enjoy each other, in fact, A's mom often emails me saying A is asking for another playdate with Aditya!!! They also play a variety of games at these times, like NERF guns, SORRY!, LEGOS, marbles, Mousetrap, Chess (A's favorite), BeyBlades and a lot of outdoor games.
Baba spent 1.5 hours with Aditya after a long long time. We played chess! Aditya clearly has the potential to learn and master anything and chess is no exception. In this almost first game, though, Aditya seemed stuck, displaying signs of nervousness about "will you check mate me?" when there was no check mate in sight! He also seemed to jump over pieces with his queen, move diagonally with a pawn, etc when he got anxious this way. Baba felt this was a sign of not knowing what move to make next... or more accurately, not trusting the moves that came to him. When asked if he was anxious about losing the game or not knowing the next move, he said he was not worried about losing... but just was finding it hard to come up with good moves.
We are excited to find out what the new year holds for all of us! Here is wishing everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Just today, we were looking at the very first few blog posts here and it felt so cute... especially this one
Aditya (and indeed Shreya, as well as Aai Baba) have come such a long distance. This has been THE most beautiful 4.5 years of my life personally!
Earlier, over the long Christmas break we mostly stayed home, but took two days off to visit our favorite and sunny climes of South California (San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara).
Our old time program volunteer Adin visited us and he, like us, was pleasantly surprised to hear some typical 9 year old language, e.g. saying "what the...." (without anything after the "what the" :))
In eczema news, we are making another concerted effort at not just rotating but further cleaning up Aditya's already clean diet. Stay tuned to know how that is going.
Aditya is now having regular playdates with A. They both seem to enjoy each other, in fact, A's mom often emails me saying A is asking for another playdate with Aditya!!! They also play a variety of games at these times, like NERF guns, SORRY!, LEGOS, marbles, Mousetrap, Chess (A's favorite), BeyBlades and a lot of outdoor games.
Baba spent 1.5 hours with Aditya after a long long time. We played chess! Aditya clearly has the potential to learn and master anything and chess is no exception. In this almost first game, though, Aditya seemed stuck, displaying signs of nervousness about "will you check mate me?" when there was no check mate in sight! He also seemed to jump over pieces with his queen, move diagonally with a pawn, etc when he got anxious this way. Baba felt this was a sign of not knowing what move to make next... or more accurately, not trusting the moves that came to him. When asked if he was anxious about losing the game or not knowing the next move, he said he was not worried about losing... but just was finding it hard to come up with good moves.
We are excited to find out what the new year holds for all of us! Here is wishing everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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