Uma is growing in all ways!

Today is the first day when I have been able to sit down and update. Uma is taking a nap after a lovely outing with Daddy and me. Adhipen took the afternoon off to take us out. Uma was really excited about it and kept pointing to him and smiling at me as if to say, "hey, looks who is with us today!"

There really alot to update on how Uma is growing and changing each day. I will try to just hit the highlights...

The thing I had been worried about since the time we returned with Uma has come...my returning to work. I had postponed it one month as I was supposed to go back originally on Feb 12, but Uma was just not ready. One month later, though I feel she could have used another month, I felt she could handle it, and so I bit the bullet and went back on March 11. I only work on Tuesdays and Saturdays, but even two days is alot for us right now. My parents take care of her on Tuedays, and she has a loving and caring nanny, Berta, who comes to take care of her on Saturdays. Berta is also the nanny for Debbie, who I share office space with at work, so it feels like she is already "in the family," since I consider Oasis (the healing center where I work), and the people who work there my second family. :)

Uma does cry for a very short while when I leave, but for both my parents and for Berta, Uma is an absolute angel! She never complains to have her diaper or clothes changed, lets them wash her face and hands with no fuss whatsoever, and goes down for her nap as soon as they put her in the bed. At my parents' when she wakes up, she actually waits for my mother to come get her (my mother has a monitor, so she can tell when Uma is awake). She eats every morsel of food that they give her and goes "ca ca" on the toilet. She does everything she is told, and does not fuss, tantrum or say her favorite word, which is "no." . Needless to say, this is not the Uma I get to see everyday, but my mother says that this is a good sign - that Uma feels secure enough with us to be a true two year old! With them, she is a two year old going on 10.

While she handles the day amazingly, she does have a melt down or two with me in the evening and/or the next day. She runs to me with sheer joy when I come home, but then later, she begins to remember that she is angry with me for leaving her, and lets me know it! Each progressive day, however, she gets better about it, especially as she is coming to trust that I do come back.

Uma has started to say some words, which has really made life a bit easier for us both. In addition to a very clear "no," which she says while she also points and shakes her finger, "no," she can now, at least, nod her head "yes." This makes it so much easier to ask her what she is needing...jacket, water, food, etc. She also says "up"and "down" so she does not need to whine as much when she wants to be picked up or have something opened for her. She understands alot, and so in general, it is so much easier to communicate and get things done.

Uma and I have been doing a Mommy and Me class on Monday mornings, which Uma really enjoys. She especially likes the art section and takes alot of pride in her work. I love to display her art work on the fridge and point it out to her periodically, and she smiles with pride, remembering who make the artwork. I especially love the class because they taught us the "clean up" song, which I now sing anytime I want Uma to put away her toys. Since she learned to do it in class, she now does it with as much alacrity as she does class. That alone, for me, made the class worthwhile!

Recently, Uma was approved for the Regional Center. This is a government paid program, called "Early Start Intervention," that focuses on making sure that all children under the age of three are brought to age level and given services that they need so that by the time they enter preschool, they are able to function well. I had learned about the Regional Center through one of the mom's yahoo groups and so I submitted our application almost as soon as we got off the plane in January. Uma will be receiving speech therapy two times a week, and yesterday I took her for an evaluation for occupational therapy. The therapist told me that she was going to recommend OT for Uma, as well as some other things. So it looks like Uma will be doing some sort of therapy every single day of the week for the next year! While it may seem like a heavy schedule, it will be really a good investment of time and it will benefit Uma for years to come. There will still be plenty of time for play in the park and lots of Mommy time too (I get to attend the therapies with her).

My mother and sisters-in-law, Corinne and Nicole, threw us a toddler shower a few weeks ago. Uma now has a wardrobe that can match Suri Cruise! I have yet to write the thank you notes, but am hoping to squeeze in some time this weekend during breaks at work. There were about 40 people there with all eyes on Uma. None of us could believe how well behaved and patient she was with the whole thing. Once I started opening the gifts and she got her hands on the baby stroller and doll that our friend, Sylvia, gave her, she was entertained for the rest of the time. To this day, we take her "baby" out for a stroll at least three afternoons a week. She just loves it!

Our big upcoming excitement is that Uma's sister, Ishana (Adhipen's daughter and my stepdaughter) will be coming to see Uma on April 5th. She will be here two weeks for her spring holiday. We are all extremely excited! Jaredan is concerned that Uma will "like" Ishana more than him because Ishana is a girl. Still, he will also be glad to see her. For Adhipen, it will be something really special to have his two "princesses" together with him. I am a bit tormented about all of Uma's therapies, my work, etc., and whether we should miss , or some of it, for this special time or not, but I keep telling myself that I will worry about it later....somehow it will all fall into place.

Uma had her full check up with her pediatrician who gave her a 100% bill of health. She told me that she thought Uma's teeth were extraordinarily good, but for all the yogurt Uma eats (plain yogurt is Uma's ice cream!) I was not surprised!

Uma is an amazing climber! She is courageous and experiences sheer joy when she accomplishes a task that was difficult. There is not a slide at any park we have gone to that Uma has not mastered! Some of them are quite high, and I stand behind her, ready to catch her if she slips as she climbs bars meant for much older children. But she is sure footed and strong and she makes it up over and over again. When she is done with all of her other therapy and the like, I will definitely put her in gymnastics class. She is absolutely talented!

Uma loves to listen to and watch Tamil dance scenes. She loves it so much that I allow her to watch the dance DVDs that I have whenever we are driving in the car (we have a special DVD player for her just for this purpose). When Adhipen's parents come, I will ask them to bring some Baratha Natyam DVDs for Uma. What is particularly interesting is that Uma seems to prefer the Tamil. Whenever I put on the Hindi movie/dance DVDs she seems disinterested. Who knows?! I am going to start playing some belly dance DVDs for her to see if that appeals. She and I definitely share the love of Tamil music/dance. I wonder if she and I will share that other love of mine?

We all cannot believe what an amazing and deep spirit Uma is. She is extraordinarly intelligent, extremely present and alert, and for all she has been through, she is an extremely happy baby. Sometimes she laughs with a joy that literally causes the room to light up with sunlight! When Adhipen plays spirtual music, she often goes into some sort of estatic state, with her eyes closed, swaying her body and clapping her hands with a big smile on her face. Othertimes, she starts to spin and spin, just like a whirling Dervish, which Adhipen and I are now convinced, was probably one of this very old soul's experiences. She especially loves Adhipen's music, "Cave of the Siddhars." She and Adhipen have connected through the listening and dancing to spiritual music in a very special way.

Each day we come to know each other more and more. At this point, only a few months later, I actually cannot remember my life as it was without her.