A Gift of Love!
This page is a special tribute to Natasha, Sofia's Mother.
A Mother's Love and Dedication
From the first days, Natasha has, in my opinion, gone far beyond what most of us think of a mother's duty towards her child.
I am in contact with a number of families with special children, and am impressed with the dedication and effort the mothers put into making their child's world a better place. I consider Natasha a special case though. Because her husband is away a lot, and because they have no family here, or other children to help a bit, Natasha and Sofia are seldom apart, and of course Sofia is totally dependent on her Momma's care. In as much as I tell Natasha to call me any time she wants a break, the occasions seem too few and far apart.
Natasha is constantly reading and researching materials from a variety of sources on subjects such as Down Syndrome, Child Development, and the like. She has developed an exceptionally broad spectrum of knowledge on all those things that have a bearing on Sofia, and has learned to apply them in ways that have supported and promoted Sofia's well-being and development.
Natasha takes great pains to keep Sofia clean, comfortable, and well fed. Despite feeding and drinking problems, Natasha has always made good nutritional choices and it is apparent that Sofia is very healthy. As well, from her earliest days, Sofia has never suffered from diaper rash or other little things that although not terribly serious, could cause discomfort. She even makes sure that I wash my hands ('With Soap!') when I come to visit, and before I can even give Sofia a kiss! She always has sterile wipes for when Sofia is anywhere that germs may be present -- for example in high chairs at the mall cafeterias. These practices are to minimize chances of infections of any sort as we almost lost Sofia to infection once, and even today with her pulmonary hypertension there is concern. Sofia is always neatly and cleanly dressed, with proper fitting footwear. She is always dressed appropriatelyfor any occasion or climatic conditions. What a lucky little girl!
Natasha ensures that Sofia's daily routine, from waking in the morning to going to sleep in the evening, is carefully structured, and includes training at home, preschool, kindermusic, and other social and developmental programs. The results of these become quite apparent as I observe the things which Sofia has learned. It is only through thoughtful and careful time management that Natasha is able to move Sofia through all of these things without it being difficult for Sofia, although I can assure you it is not at all easy on Natasha.
The other night I was over for a while just before Sofia's bedtime. I played with Sofia for a bit, then Sofia watched her 'Letter Factory' video. Natasha put Sofia on the potty, and Sofia went. Then Natasha dumped and rinsed the potty but it was Sofia who proudly flushed the toilet! After toothbrushing and a quick 'birdbath' in the sink, Natasha took Sofia into the bedroom and began to give her a massage. This was not just a simple rubdown -- I could tell by the manner in which things were happening that this was quite different. It turned out that Natasha had been taking a massage course with Sofia, and not only was the massage professionally administered, but with scented oil (in this case apricot)! Natasha also made sure that while I watched, I did nothing to get Sofia excited as the idea was to relax Sofia just prior to going to bed. Sofia obviously enjoyed the massage, and you could sense as she became more and more quiet, relaxed and comfortable. She turned over when asked, and seemed to know how to obtain maximum effect from Natasha's ministrations. On completion, she had her hair brushed, was put into her pyjamas, and after good night kisses for Momma and me, she lay down quietly with her favorite stuffed doggy and went to sleep. A soft classical Mozart concerto CD playing in the background. What a beautiful way to have Sofia end her day.
Every time I seem to come up with a good idea, Natasha has usually already considered the matter and taken action, or is contemplating same. She is always at least one step ahead of 'Grampa'. When you meet Sofia, and see how well behaved and happy she is, you have to know that Momma is doing something very right!
I could go on, but there is too much good to say, and not enough room to say it all. I can only say a very big "Thank You, Natasha" for taking such good care of the little girl for whom I care so much! I could not ask for more!
