Baby C: We’re still working on
the precrawling. However, she’s not
fighting being in the crawling position as much. (On day 2 of it, she’d just give up and lay
her head down instead of trying to prop it up!) About 3-4 times she has even
reached for an object with one hand while staying balanced on her other hand
(& knees). She’s also working on
pushing herself up onto her knees, as she hates being in the face-down position
(Because of her Gtube, I think she associates that this causes pain and is
terrified of it). Even though it gets
her out of her crawling position, I let her pull herself up as much as she can
to work on balance and changing positions.
I quit working on trying to let her comfort herself and fall asleep without
being rocked—culturally, it wasn’t working as the ayahs just panic if someone
just lets a baby cry.
J.: If only I were 30 and
wealthy, I’d be his mama soon. Darn you
governmental regulations on age, marital status, and finances for adoption! He’s now able to turn himself in a complete
circle, and propel himself backwards using his arms when on a smooth surface. I’ve SEEN him use his elbows and hands to
pull himself forwards 5 feet at a time, too, but it is a lot of work for the
little guy, and his legs get in the way, so most of the time he’ll just give up
and lay his head on the floor, whining until what he wants comes to him.
M.: M. is blind, and I’m not
sure she can see any form of shape or shadow based off observation. She’s learned some Braille, I’ve been told,
but the director says she needs to be able to at least write the letters for
Indian school purposes. I’ve used wooden
blocks that have sandpaper letter/numbers on them to teach her the alphabet and
0-9. We are still currently in the
process of learning the letters after “E” and I’m sort of stuck on being able
to teach her how to write “pretty” and “readable” letters, when she has no idea
if they are pretty or readable! I wish
there were stencils to use. She can make
first grade-equivalent letters and numbers—if I am there and she knows I am
watching—with only a few reminders (like start “5” away from your finger, then
touch the finger, then short down, half circle, touch finger). Her spacing between letters is surprisingly
pretty good, as she uses her left hand’s pointer finger to keep her place. We’re also working on typing so that she
might be able to take a donated laptop to school. After only 3 days of it, she’s mastered where
all the letters are, AND keeps her fingers in the proper place (save for “B”
and “N”). Now, we have to work on making
sure she only touches the letter she wants once and doesn’t type all the other
letters as she feels her way around the keyboard J
I ALSO (believe it or not) taught her all of the C notes and F notes on
the keyboard. I was surprised I still
remembered it. The language barrier
thankfully prevented me from having to teach any more piano, because I really
dislike even touching the thing J
R.: I basically “discharged” R. from
my services. She needs a special fat
pencil grip to improve her writing, which I’ll be able to send from the US. But she doesn’t speak any English, and doesn’t
look at the paper when I ask her to draw a horizontal line and show her how to
do it 3039 times, even when I use cool stuff like paint or crayons to do it
with. I also discovered that, along with
her inattention to me since I don’t speak Telugu, she doesn’t know the alphabet
and can’t identify any of the letters (every single one is “B”.) I bought a mango for one of the older girls
in exchange for her to teach R. the letters, but R. just gets distracted by all
her sisters who hang through the window wanting to join in on the therapy
session.
I don’t really remember the other “names” I used for the other kids,
but these are the ones that are making the most progress.
In other, less OT-oriented, not really exciting news, I have had quite
the experiences here. Two days ago, as I
was walking back from the store, I noticed a man videotaping me on his
phone. I wanted to dance or break out in
song or something, so that people will have a reason for their staring, but I
held it in. Instead, I got to do my
dancing last night on the roof with the kids, when the electricity went out
(for the 10th time that day).
Today, after being sick and in bed all morning, I went out to eat with
a neighbor lady. I told her to take me
to her favorite restaurant, as there are only 4 here that cater to American
spice level. It was a REALLY good 7-course
meal for only $9 apiece. Given, that’s a
TON in India, but I’m from America, where a 7 course meal of that caliber doesn’t
exist for less than $40! There was also
a pudding or. . . some kind of gelatinous/jelly-like dessert made from DATES!!!
J I finally found one
Indian dessert that I like, and it’s probably the best in the worId next to ice
cream in this heat. I think it’s really
gross to wear sandals here, even though everyone does, so I’ve stuck to my
flats, which has given me a wonderful tanline in the 3 inches between my shoes
and leggings. My saris/Punjabis should be
finished by Monday, so I’ll be sporting some new stomach/side/back sunburns and
tanlines soon. Guess I will finally have
to break out the sunscreen. 
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