During my pregnancy I kept telling Abbas that I wanted to return to work after 7 months of being on mat leave. I even told my manager at that time, who is a mother of three children herself, that I was adamant to return quickly, and on top of that I wanted to return full … Continue reading Nursery →

In our first meeting with the Speech and Language Therapist (SALT) I was asked if Aara has an EHC Plan. This was not a term I had heard before and was unsure what this was. The Therapist explained it is a care plan that documents the support Aara requires through the educational setting. Naturally the … Continue reading EHCP (Educational Health and Care Plan) →

On Monday 23rd March 2020 the UK officially went into lockdown due to the pandemic. Aara’s grandad who lived with us, passed away on 25th March 2020, due to COVID-19. The picture below sums up their relationship. They had an amazing connection which can never be replaced. She loved her “Bapa” and “Bapa loved Aara” … Continue reading Lockdown →

As mentioned in a previous post, we are currently working with two different speech and language therapists, one through the NHS and the second we fund privately. While they do work well together, we recently had a difference of opinion if the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) or the Hanen system would be beneficial for … Continue reading PECS vs HANEN →

Firstly congratulations on the birth of your child. With that being said, we have been in your position and it’s perfectly normal to grieve as you let go of how you imagined your child and start thinking about that challenges your family will face in the future. But you have to celebrate, firstly the blessing … Continue reading New Parent →

Aara’s diagnosis has helped us to appreciate all of her achievements even though they may seem small. Every parent has concerns about when their child will walk and talk and this is exactly the same with us. We just have the knowledge that it will take longer or may never happen. So it’s important to … Continue reading Aara’s Milestones →

I honestly cannot believe Aara is 3 years old! I know that this is something every parents says about their child at practically every birthday, but she is growing way too fast. This year has also seen Aara achieve more of the goals we had set for her! She managed to take her first steps … Continue reading Third Birthday →

How quickly do these birthdays roll around? I feel like it was only yesterday we were rushing to hospital the day before Aara was 1 year old. Now another year has gone by, and the focus has been working towards getting Aara to walk independently. I mean we try and work on all areas of … Continue reading Second Birthday →

Aara is 1 year old and what a year it has been! We have had some challenges - the constant colds, major reflux, the constipation, a right aortic arch and news of a potential genetic disorder (RTS was not confirmed at this point). But as we have said in previous posts this does not define … Continue reading First birthday →

Makaton is a language program that uses symbols, signs and speech to enable people to communicate. It supports the development of essential communication skills such as attention and listening, comprehension, memory, recall and organisation of language and expression. As I started to use Makaton more with Aara it got me thinking maybe I should enhance … Continue reading Makaton →