Facing challenges!

It was a peak summer when Kavya & Oviya were 20 months old. So, what were we waiting for? It was the time for little fun in the sun. Both were free from jerkins & boots. Now they were able to recognize familiar places like the play area in the mall, regular walking areas near the apartment. The nearby National park was also becoming familiar due to frequent visits. The bigger space meant bigger leaps & runs :-) . We also got a new bigger car for the bigger family. That was spacious enough for all 6 of us including Snowy & Yuvi's cousin.

It was Yuvi's birthday in June & I took a big risk of painting a picture for him with both Kavya & Oviya curiously watching it :-) . One was picking up the colors & another was keeping footprints over the drawing board. Somehow the painting was done within a week with lots of intrusion by both. But I have to say this, without their interference this painting would've missed it's vibrance & beauty for sure :-) .

Kavya's eating consistency was deteriorating day by day. Her interest in food was almost equal to zero. We tried different foods, different textures to see what she liked, but nothing was working out. She was gagging & choking on solids. So, we took her to the pediatrician Dr. Anne Fernando. She's one sweet & compassionate lady who showed great care on Kavya. She told to leave her for a week without spoon feeding & providing only 3 cups of milk per day, so that when she feels hungry she might start eating on her own with all textured foods.

Based on doctor's advice, I wasn't feeding Kavya for 3 days, but was keeping all varieties of food on her plate. To create the interest, I left Oviya too to eat on her own. Oviya was eating on her own at least till her tummy was full. We thought Kavya would start eating something by seeing her sister. We all ate together to motivate her to eat some pieces on her own. We gave them, rice, beans, eggs, tiffins, bread, veggies, fruits, snacks like chips, biscuits etc. We took them to the restaurant for a change. Oviya ate something, but Kavya was either biting & spitting all the food or was only playing with the food. No progress was made on the first day. She must've felt very hungry the next day. She tried eating couple of pieces of dosa & a small piece of bread. When it got choked, she stopped trying all the food. I called the doctor again to tell the status & she felt that Kavya might need some more time ( maybe till 2 years this time). I resumed spoon-feeding the mashed soft consistency food for her again. Both became tired too by not eating well. What to do? If only she could've expressed what was happening within her..... :-( . 

One thing was very clear, parenting is an art & not everyone gets a distinction. And we wanted at least a "Pass" :-\ .