Morgan Week 4 Day 6

Huw gave Morgan his bath this morning - there was water all over the bathroom floor afterwards!! Morgan seemed to really respond to my talking to him with smiles. In addition they seemed to last a little longer – not fixed ones yet! Sumei and Kelvin arrived with more provisions from the fresh market. Interestingly, Kelvin thought that Morgan’s face was acquiring a more European or Caucasian cast.

Morgan Week 4 Day 5

The usual morning exchange took place. The lunchtime concert featuring wind instruments at Asia Civilizations Museum reminded us of Huw’s first attempt to get into a musical act in Fiji when he went onto the stage to try and play the bassoon! Joelle bathed Morgan Gareth for the first time today. Emboldened I picked Morgan up and held him for the first time; he proved a handful and not as inert as he looks in the arms of others. He was not totally at ease, possibly because I held him in rather a gingerly fashion, a little like Robert Green (West Ham) on a bad day. I shall learn, no doubt. Joelle reported that Margaret’s brother Billy would consider her an asset at the farm, given the amount of milk she is producing. Huw felt that Morgan needed a little serenading, and thought that Morgan approved the Chopin Studies that I selected as they provided plenty of aural contrasts. No comment was offered about the Mozart string quartets that followed – he was asleep!

Morgan Week 4 Day 4

Again Morgan shows that he can be very chirpy first thing. This is a good time to use the visual stimulators. He seems to follow some of them and clearly looks at different squares and the red stripes. He is also taking more heed of the hippopotamus puppet and the little elephant rattle. Morgan continues to wave his arms and kick his legs briskly; you can feel the strength in them especially when he is crying for milk. Bathing is an enjoyable time for Morgan and he should take to the water when he gets the chance to do so.

Morgan Week 4 Day 3

The bliss in morning sleep was very noticeable again today. Morgan's almost secretive smile makes it seem that he is enjoying his own secret half-waking life of his own. One is reminded of Wordsworth's Intimations of Immortality:

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:
The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home:
Heaven lies about us in our infancy!

Morgan does seem to be developing a greater character of his own. He certainly makes himself known when he wants food; his lusty crying ensures this. Margaret has developed some more materials - a small face on a stick, like a lollipop. He certainly does notice what is shown to him, including the little elephant and the cow puppet.

Morgan Week 4 Day 2

Morgan is at his brightest and best in the morning, a good time to stimulate and amuse him. I notice that he is lying somnolent – apparently asleep – and then a blissful and delightful smile comes, and "Lights up a little hour or two, Is gone!" Is he dreaming? Similar smiles erupt during the day too, but not quite the total and identifiable smile that one sees when he is sleeping. Is he remembering the glories that trail, to use Wordsworth’s phrase? It is amusing to see - when he is apparently asleep – how his sucking of the comforter bursts into brisk activity. Presumably it is consciousness fighting sleep. Morgan delights in his bath and this calms him.

Morgan Week 4 Day 1

I enjoyed the usual early morning session with Morgan. Margaret’s stimulators seem to be quite effective, and Morgan’s attention is held by them, his eyes seeming to pass from one bit to the next. He presses well with both hands and arms, and kicks with his usual vigour. I try to ensure that he uses both left and right arms and legs equally – ambidextrousness can be useful, especially for playing the reverse strokes now increasingly used in cricket. His spells with me seem to end up with some big yawns. Joelle took some close-up photos today to add to the excellent ones that she has taken so far. She is building up an impressive Morgan portfolio – it is going to be very extensive too! We again failed to find a small black and white panda for him when we went to the Asian Civilizations Museum and Margaret to yoga.

Morgan Week 3 Day 7

Family day today; Kelvin and all came including Johanna but not Siva. Kelvin saw Morgan for the first time (he had been suffering from flu), he seemed delighted and Morgan was his usual benign self. The new regime – no picking him up as soon as he cries. Auntie still seems to have the magic touch when he has extended bouts of crying. He does seem to be particularly lusty as far as crying is concerned, and he bellows forth when he is hungry (a bit like me!!). Asleep, as usual, he looks angelic. Kelvin seems to be very good with Keeran who seems much as usual and responds to me in stoic fashion but some discomfort did start to emerge! The lunch was enjoyable and due pleasure was taken in the two babies.

Morgan Week 3 Day 5

This morning Morgan was lying musing when I went in to see him. He responded to squares and stripes but then started to grizzle. I managed to sit him up and put the comforter in his mouth and he commenced sucking. After four or five sucks he spat it out and started to complain. I tried again with the same effect. Presumably he cottoned to the fact that the comforter does not always mean food and he reacts accordingly. Margaret observed Morgan lying and complaining on an occasion when he had done his business in his napkin. When Auntie moved him to the changing mat he stopped crying immediately, and after his napkin was changed he was happy. He seemed to realize that the move to the mat signalled that he was going to have a clean napkin. These are two interesting ways whereby Morgan reacts to his experience and behaves accordingly.

Morgan Week 3 Day 4

Morgan has spent much of the day demanding attention with his excellent pair of lungs. He continues to expand his range of expressions and his features are becoming more individual. Margaret thinks he is becoming more aware of his surroundings; he certainly responds to the black and white stimulators and has eyed the red-striped one too. Margaret has made a black and white mobile using 4 paper plates each with stripes, a dot, a checkerboard and a bull's eye. Huw put together a frame for putting over the cot from which the mobile can be hung. It is a little reminiscent of a prison but it should be stimulating for Morgan. He performs well in the bath and shows signs of pleasure, including waving his arms around with great vigour. Once he gets off to sleep he is quite fine but inducing him to do so can take time. It is pleasing that a pattern of night-time sleeping is becoming established. Unlike everybody else I find it impossible to pick him up comfortably, and can only manage raising him up to sit by holding the back of his head and leg.

Morgan Week 3 Day 2

Playing and talking with Morgan relatively early in the morning seemed to elicit quite a range of responses. His smile was quite noticeable and seems to remain for longer. I have noticed his grip and must take care that he practices with his left hand as well as his right. Morgan is now being shown two black dots on a white background, red stipes and a 6-square black and white checkerboard with squares of smaller dimensions as he is now into his third week. Margaret is also preparing more diverse stimulators.

Morgan Week 3 Day 1

Huw managed to get Morgan’s birth recorded today – the last day possible! Margaret thought that Morgan was showing a great deal of astuteness towards his comforter. He seemed aware that if he rejected it then he would get milk! This is bad news for experimenters using placebos! Playing with him and showing him the selection of black and white shapes suggests that he is responding to a wider range of stimuli. He certainly looks at them with interest. The range of his expressions gets wider every day, and he is developing a sweet smile. This is discernible when he is just lying there looking out of the window. Huw has acquired real skill in wind ejecting! Patting rhythmically is one way of getting Morgan sleepy, but it sometimes takes a long time!

Morgan Week 2 Day 7

There were visitors again today, but Morgan determinedly ignored them. In all today was a quiet day, and Margaret and Joelle continued to prepare and material for him. Huw is showing great commitment and skill in carrying him around in a sling which Morgan finds very comforting.

Morgan Week 2 Day 6

Today Margaret and I played with him in the morning. He seemed very alert and showed interest in the two faces and the circle and squares. He seemed to grasp fingers much more firmly and uses them to pull himself up. In addition he presses firmly with his feet against one’s hand. He continues to wave his arms vigorously, showing less propensity to spar, and his legs wave around too! It is amusing to see his efforts to poo - his whole body convulses and his face shows great determination. A clear smile also emerges at times such as this even though there is no product! There are signs of smiling or satisfaction, and features seem to be changing.

Morgan Week 2 Day 5

Margaret seems to find Morgan increasingly responsive to the black and white shapes. I was impressed with one extensive yawn that greeted the appearance of one of the faces! The range of expressions seems to be increasing all the time, and his smile is more distinctive. Looking at him asleep his eyes go straight across. This suggests that the idea that Asian eyes slant is nonsense.

Morgan Week 2 Day 3

Joelle devised some stimulators– faces of Mama and Papa on paper plates – showing her design talents. Margaret specializes in the easy ones – stripes, circles and checkerboards.. Overall Morgan seems to respond well and does not engage in too much crying. We looked – in vain - for a small black and white panda in IKEA. The range of children’s small soft toys was impressive but no small pandas. Morgan continues to make definite sparring movements and it is possible to gain his attention with visual stimulators, albeit for short spans of up to five seconds or so. Gaining attention visually is not difficult and some response is made to aural stimulators.

Morgan Week 2 Day 1

Morgan is making generally good progress, and Margaret is speaking Welsh to him as required. Black and white shapes are being shown to him and he seems to be taking notice of them. Margaret sings Welsh lullabies to him. Morgan seems to be quite strong and wiry and more diverse re expressions and laughing. Huw seems continues to be very good with him .

Morgan Day 7

Morgan experienced a tuneful day today. We played a range of classical records as recommended by the book of words. There seems to be some response to Margaret’s Welsh lullabies but not a lot. He is rather unsettled at times but this may be due to colic. Huw seems very good with him and managed to get him to sleep for four hours after an initially restless night. Joelle is still not yet, understandably, her normal jolly self, but she responded well to the family visit by Johanna and Siva and their 4-month old baby boy, Keeran. Joelle's friend, Ee Wan, visited and gave Morgan a beautiful Folio-type book of A.A. Milne’s Pooh stories and poems. It is a collector’s item and as good as the Folio editions. Morgan certainly responds to the attention he gets, including patting and musical rhythms.

Morgan Day 6

Overall a fairly eventless day, but Morgan continues apace.

Morgan Day 5

There is a reference to swimming in Ludington-Hoe & Golant, p. 200. Newborns have the capacity to dog-paddle. If this is developed before the end of the second month the skill will be kept it seems. TodayJoelle took Morgan for a check up and blood test. Morgan seems to be a little livelier, with a greater range of facial expressions. One can just about see Huw in him – the nose I think, but to Margaret it is the mouth. He made a great show of bawling later in the day, displayed good sparring skills and seemed to be boxing - so wildly was he waving his arms up and down. He managed to throw one of his mitts off before Huw came to the rescue.

Morgan Day 4

Today both Joelle and Morgan seemed more settled. He was a better colour and had lost the redness and flushed appearance he had before. He was also feeding a little better it appeared. He was certainly livelier, showed greater variety in facial expressions and was opening his mouth. In repose he appeared to be practicing feeding! Huw and Joelle explained their educational strategy and suggested that I should provide overall direction and Margaret be the hands-on practitioner. The book ‘How to have a smarter baby’ (Ludington-Hoe & Golant, S.K., (1985 rev, 1987) seems to provide good guidelines. In particular, on pp. 175-7 there are suggestions for stimulation from the first couple of days. Margaret has started to prepare some material: black stripes, black and white checkboard and a black dot. It has also been decided that Joelle would not speak Mandarin to Morgan, and would leave that to Kelvin & Sumei. Margaret will speak Welsh to him.

Morgan Day 3

Today was Hari Raya, a public holiday, and the homecoming was expected at around midday. Sumei and Madam Fong (the confinement lady appointed to take care of Morgan and Joelle for a month) arrived in the morning, and were busy stocking up with provisions and preparing for what appeared to be an invasion. This took place as planned; Joelle, Huw and Morgan arrived on time, and so the household was duly set up with a very efficient Sumei overseeing matters. In the afternoon friends (two couples) came to see the new arrival and Joelle.