Life is simple. Eat. Sleep. Swim.

Dear readers,

Swimming has  been something we have always enjoyed as a family. In fact, my hubby, sisters, and my niece always sort of gravitated towards water, be it the ocean, sea, lake or a man made pool. Swimming has always been a wonderful experience. Apart from giving me a sense of freedom, as we all know, it is a great exercise. Swimming not only builds endurance, muscle strength, and cardiovascular fitness, it also tones muscles without actually having to strain it by being weight bearing. Swimming is one of the few exercises that use mostly all of the major muscle groups.   

We recently enrolled Laksh in a group swimming class. I don't know if you guys remember, but sometime back we took him swimming for the first time and he loved it. After that, we had decided that we want Laksh to get comfy in water and probably pick up swimming as a skill early on. So, we started looking for classes online, and after a lot of research chose this one. This class is once a week for 10 weeks and has around 15 kids in each class. They offer two 30 mins classes called "Water Angels (6-19 Months)" . In these classes through songs, fun and instructional games, students learn to be comfortable in the water & learn basic water skills. As all babies are pretty young, an adult has to accompany them in the pool. 

At one point, all babies were given ducks that they had to throw into the water and then swim towards them in order to catch them. This is Laksh completely focused on the task given to him.

 Just want to share some videos (that I was able to edit to hide the faces of other kids) I took during the class.  So much water, so little time.

   

                                                                                 

With so many people saying it couldn’t be done, all it takes is an imagination. 

– Michael Phelps          

                                                         

In related news, sometime back I read about this team of boys with downs syndrome that were competing along typical kids in the swimming pool. If that doesn't give us hope, then I don't know what else can. Its an amazing time to be alive and always strive to be better tomorrow than you are today. If you want to read more about these boys, please read the story here: 
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/humankind/2017/03/21/swimmers-down-syndrome-find-empowerment-pool/99442832/


Leaving you guys with a couple of Laksh's swag post swim photos. Lots of love 💓

 

God is good but are we?

Today, I came across this story of a beautiful baby girl called Norah Mae. She is this awesome and fierce girl who was born with Trisomy 13. Though she lived here for 5 days, her life continues to give strength to others. When I read her story that her mom writes at http://www.hellonorah.com/, I came to realize the strength these amazing mothers have. I also talked about this beautiful and strong baby Colton, who unfortunately passed away and is now in the arms of angels. His life has also been a source of encouragement and joy to so many others. You can read about him at https://www.facebook.com/ColtonStrongHeartWarrior/. These mothers and their extremely special babies have made me happy and yet made my cry so hard. I would sincerely like to thank you for the courage you showed and for sharing your stories with us. Thank you for letting us into your lives and giving us a chance to get to know your precious babies.


Since before I became a mother, I have always been very sensitive about what others say and very protective about myself and my loved ones. After Laksh came in our lives, these instincts are on a all time high. My heart aches so much for other mothers and their babies and it feels so much joy for them as well. Laksh has already taught us so much that most people take for granted, even most parents. Laksh showed us this whole new world filled with babies with different abilities and yet each one of them, simply perfect.

When Laksh was diagnosed after birth and had to spend over 60 days in the NICU, I remember struggling with it and being angry with the universe and God for doing this to my sweet baby. Everytime Laksh had to get his IV changed, or pricked and prodded;  he would cry for the longest time and my heart would break and my anger would grow. I hate to admit but I was angry at God. I thought that he was punishing my baby because of some fault of mine. At that time, I failed to realize that God is good and God is our creator. So if we hurt, he hurts. He would never hurt us and always trust Him, as only He knows what His plans are. Since then, I have come to believe very strongly in God's plan and believe He has a greater purpose for Laksh and us. I think, through Laksh, He is teaching us to be better people and through this blog, I am trying to share more about Laksh with the world.

Laksh has taught me how to see each person as an individual and to respect their choices. How we should try to understand their journey. How to be sensitive to others and what they are going through. Being grateful for what God thought you were able to handle and blessed you with. So let our babies teach us some very valuable lessons. Next time, when you see someone in need, be the one to help them. When you see someone grieving, try to be the one to comfort them, and if you can't at least do not add to it. When you see someone being treated unfairly, raise your voice for them. Even though, I know and believe that God is good, sometimes, I still wonder, then why do little babies have to die? Why do little babies have to suffer? Why do people have to go hungry when there is so much food in the world? Why are differences not celebrated but mocked and bullied? I hope someday, we get to see the world where kindness is not an unexpected gesture would simply the way to live.

New year; Old me?

Dear readers,

Happy 2018 everybody. Hope this year brings you all joy, love and good health, everything else will fall into place in time. I would like to thank everyone for their support so far and I hope to keep getting more love for Laksh and our little venture; this blog.

It seems like we just celebrated Christmas and in a blink of the eye, its already 2018. Christmas has always been the best part of the year. All the lights, and festivities around me always cheers me up. Recently, I have started to feel the need to start traditions, things that I want Laksh to look forward to. Things like, baking cookies for Christmas together, opening gifts Christmas morning, wearing matching family PJ's, taking family trips across the globe, taking a minute to reflect and being grateful, give to others what we can, being kind and smiling a lot.

I have never been the kind of person to wait for new year to make resolutions, if I want to change something I do it right away. I am also someone who likes to celebrate and capture every moment that I can, because that is what makes life worth living, at least that is what I feel. My sisters and I have always been those people who love to celebrate and cherish each other and the people around us.

January 1st marked the beginning of this year but for us, it also marked the day our baby boy turned 5 months old. We spent the day celebrating his 5 month birthday instead. Hubby and I baked a chocolate cake for Laksh and it was such a fun experience. This lead me to think of other ways to be able to have more fun, be responsible and also lead a more meaningful life. To live life and not merely exist.

• Read a book to Laksh every night
• Laugh at small things instead of getting angry 
• Try to get quality sleep time
• Family movie night with popcorn (pop corn not optional)
• Go for a brisk walk (even when its freezing cold)
• Listen to music and dance
• Lite a scented candle
• Drink more water
• Try new recipes
• Don't freak out over every small thing and go with the flow (more of me than anyone else)
• Give someone a compliment and mean it 
• Be helpful and kind to strangers
• Be more patient
• And remove the Christmas tree before the end of this month. 😉

As we start a new year, I hope people learn to be more tolerant, kind, open-minded, accepting, friendly, understanding, polite, and kind. I know I said kind twice, that’s how important it is. If there is only one thing you want to take away from this blog today, then let it be kindness.

You win some and you lose some

To call this year a roller coaster of emotions would be an understatement. With everything that has happened, I have come to realize and appreciate the importance of family (online and IRL). Laksh and us, are fortunate in that sense. 

Even before his birth, his grand parents and aunts had started planning trips to the states from India. Birth of a baby is always such a joyous time, and getting months and months to plan is such a blessing (even though most babies do what they want and don't really give a damn about our birth plan). Anyone of knows me would say I am not a very patient person and having to wait 9 whole months (no one tells you this, but its actually 10 calendar months) to see my munchkin is one of the hardest things I had to do, or so I thought.

Planning for your baby, especially your first one can be a fun yet a daunting process. For me, being a type A, instant gratification kinda person, I planned and planned and then planned some more for every scenario that I could think of except the one that actually happened. Life is funny that way. Isn't there a saying that goes something like, If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans? 

 

With this year coming to an end, my parents have finally been able to make it to US to see my baby. Mom had come briefly back when he was in the NICU so with so many restrictions wasn't really able to spend time with Laksh. My dad wanted a boy to hang out with since my older sister was born 35 years ago and finally after 3 daughters and a grand daughter. here comes my darling Laksh. This picture of my dad and his baby boy is something I am going to hold on forever in my heart, and on the internet 😉.  I am my daddy's girl and this is such a beautiful sight for me, that my heart hurts with joy and gratitude. 

"Surely, two of the most satisfying experiences in life must be those of being a grandchild or a grand parent." 

Donald A Norber

  

Additionally, the end of this year marks saying good bye to his grand mother and aunt who are going back to India after being with Laksh since the time he was born. Farewells can be so hard even though they are temporary. Here are some pictures of Laksh with his aunt (dad's sister) and grand mother (dad's mom).

Laksh is now waiting to meet his other aunt and uncle, his two older sisters, his fur brother, and his two more mommies. Hopefully soon. So as we bid adieu to 2017, we also say good byes to some loved ones and welcome others. Until next time.

 Happy new year to everyone! Lots of love from Laksh and all of us. See you next year.

I absolutely cannot end this year without a special mention to the Murray family. My heart hurts for you and I cannot imagine how you are dealing with the loss of your precious baby. Colton, without ever meeting you, I have fallen in love sweetheart. You will forever be missed. For those who have not heard of him, here is a link to help you get to know what an awesome baby he was. God bless you Colton. 

https://www.facebook.com/ColtonStrongHeartWarrior/?ref=br_rs

Reminiscing...

Dear readers,

When we first found out I was pregnant, it was the start of this year. Now, with the year about to end, I realized how different our lives have become in a few short months. Earlier this year, I had imagined all these changes that would come with our baby being born. How being a mom would be the coolest thing ever. How all my baby would ever need is my husband and me (apart from milk, sleep, and diaper changes of course). How we would be sleep deprived because that is what I have seen parents of new born babies be on TV. But God had different plans.

Being overweight, all our lives, we are told things we won't be able to do. We won't be able to participate in sports, we won't look pretty, we won't be able to wear certain type of clothes, we won't be able to have a baby easily, etc etc. So even before we decided to get pregnant, I started losing weight so the doctors won't give me the same old lecture about how I won't have a smooth pregnancy because I am overweight.I even went to the OBGYN before for a pre-conception check up to make sure everything is okay. That is how scared I was of screwing up or being told I will screw up instead.

When we got pregnant, I was surprised to learn most doctors wont even see me till I am 10 weeks pregnant or more? I was so mad, because the first trimester is when you need the most reassurance as you still don't look pregnant or feel your baby. Morning sickness isn't a sign that everything is okay. So when we finally got to see a doctor, they did not even do an US yet because for that we needed another appointment so it was a while before we got to see our little baby on the screen. It is the best feeling ever. No words can describe how wonderful it is to see his tiny heart beating on the screen and knowing some day soon you will be able to hold him in your arms.

Anyway, first two trimesters of my pregnancy went smoothly. My blood pressure was fine and so was my blood glucose (the two things most doctors had warned me about). Actually, by the end of the second trimester, doctors had started scaring me all over again about how he isn't growing well and how I need to keep counting his kicks to make sure he is doing okay. Anyway, moving past all that, the day my baby was born and I heard his cry, oh my what a feeling. In that moment, I knew my life would forever belong to someone else.

Little did I know, we had a whole different journey in front of us. He needed surgeries and NICU stay before he needed his crib and all the wonderful things we got him. So now we have come to terms with the fact that he would sometimes need doctors and therapists more than he needs us. We need to understand, he would need to see the doctors more often than our friends kids might have to. Sometimes, he would need me to be his advocate along with being his mother. Sometimes, I would have to fight to get him what other kids get freely and easily. But that doesn't matter. What matters is he completes me and I would do anything for my baby boy.

Hope this year was everything you guys hoped for and the coming year even better.

One week to Christmas

Dear readers,

December has always been my favorite time of the year and Christmas my favorite holiday of all. I feel like no matter how stressed out you are, when you see Christmas lights all around you, happiness creeps in. I feel people are more kind and charitable this time of the year, though we should be kind all the time. Christmas for me always equals joy.

 Some of Laksh's first's from the last two months while we are waiting for Christmas to come.

Laksh's first snow fall

First time at shake shack

First time at one world:


                                                                                                                                                               

First time at the temple (no photography allowed inside)

First time at  the mall

First time with the famous Manhattan skyline

     

First time meeting Santa (preferred sleeping in daddy's arms instead)

Here is a pic of Laksh and daddy, chilling on a Sunday morning ❤

Happy Holidays! Please remember to be kind, especially this holiday season.

Hirschsprung disease : A parent's perspective

The point of today's blog entry is to help create more awareness about Hirschsprung disease. Before my son was born, I had no idea that such a thing even existed. I had heard of down syndrome of course (being a PT, it is part of the training) but Hirschsprung disease was something totally new. For those out there just like me, let me give you a quick intro to it. 

Hirschsprung disease is a congenital condition that affects the large intestine also known as colon which causes problems with passing stool. This condition is a result of missing nerve cells in the muscles of the baby's colon which can be confirmed by performing a rectal biopsy. In other words, its a condition where baby is born without the nerve endings in his/her colon that ensure everything keeps moving along as it is suppose to. As these nerve endings are missing in part of the colon, it prevents stools from passing. It is a life threatening condition if not treated. It is usually picked up in the first few days after birth but sometimes can take a little longer. Treatment usually means surgical intervention and removal of the affected portion of the colon 

Hirschsprung disease occurs in approximately one in 5,000 newborns. Doctors aren't entirely sure why some children get Hirschsprung disease, but they do know it can run in families and affects boys more often than girls. In fact, Hirschsprung disease is about five times more common in males than females. Children with Down syndrome and genetic heart conditions also have an increased risk of Hirschsprung disease. For example, about one in 100 children with Down syndrome also has Hirschsprung disease.  (Statistics taken from https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/hirschsprung-disease)


Laksh had emesis 24 hours after birth which was greenish in color. That vomit created a panic of sorts and the pediatrician on duty admitted him into the NICU right away. The hospital where he was born did not have a higher level NICU and he was transferred into a bigger hospital within a few hours where they suspected a few things, one of which was Hirschsprung disease. To diagnose it, a rectal biopsy is performed which was done in a few days after we were admitted in the NICU but the results took a while to come back. When the results came back, he was scheduled for a surgery within the next few days.



For Laksh, we had to undergo a Pull-through Procedure, thankfully without the need of a colostomy pouch. His surgeon did a wonderful job and I would like to specially mention him here, Dr. Jason Fisher. He worked very hard and the surgery that would have taken 3 to 4 hours took over 7 hours ( more colon than what they originally thought was affected) but Dr. Fisher and his team were amazing and so was my son. He is a rock star. This surgery happened when Laksh was exactly 3 weeks old.

So now that I have given you some back ground, here are the 5 things I have learned about Hirschsprung's disease from my son:

1. Seeing your baby's dirty diaper for the first time can become a moment to cherish and celebrate.
2. Every diaper change that does not have poop in it can be nerve wrecking and a cause of concern
3. Measuring you baby's belly becomes a routine of sorts and having pictures of his dirty diaper in your phone fairly normal.
4. Rectal dilatation; no matter how painful for a parent to perform, helps our babies tremendously. 
5. And lastly, you won't care if your baby has down syndrome or hirschsprung, all you would remember is how incomplete your life is without him and how you will do anything to see him smile

Here are a few photos of my darling Laksh and the smile I can do anything for.

 

Always remember to appreciate the differences, as the differences are what make us unique. Happy Holidays!