What has been fascinating this week is Morgan’s apparent communicative responses. It has been clear in recent weeks that he is no longer attempting to communicate by crying only. When talking with him he looks closely at the mouth and face and is ready to smile broadly much sooner on first greeting – less time seems to be taken to establish that he knows who is speaking to him. Physically he shows more variety in the way he uses his tongue, mouth and lower face when being talked to. A wider range of sounds is emerging – coos, sighs, little yelps and longer, deeper pitched, light moans and more recently, shouts, instead of the usual cries for food. He seems to be anxious to relay something to you. He smiles easily, often in response to smiles and cajoling sympathetic sounds and also to questions. It is obvious that when speaking to him a range of expressions, comments and questions should be used.
Joining the library has brought benefits. He seems to listen to stories and is interested in the brighter and more obvious illustrations. Alliteration, rhyme and odd sounds all bring a response and he was attracted to the Little Honey Bunny book and the little honeys song. Some way needs to be found of arranging reading so that he can look at pictures as the story is being told. As it is, when he is lying in his cot his attention has to be drawn to the pictures after the page or story has been read. Synchronising the reading with seeing the pictures would be beneficial. The more complex mobiles and wall pictures devised by Joelle increasingly hold his attention, and he can be left to look at these for quite long spells. Margaret’s three dimensional mobiles are also particularly successful but, so far, she has not got him to differentiate between a pyramid and a cylinder – but give him time! (J: According to the book by Doman, one should flash objects and cards quickly as babies take less time to process information than adults. We tend to think that they may need to stare at something for a while before information is assimilated. Apparently, babies are far smarter than we think!) Getting the mobiles to move also extends his concentration. He could start distinguishing his cot ‘mates’ if they are introduced regularly each morning (Madam Hippo, Teddy Brown, Pooh, Jumbo et al). The flash cards with words also attract his attention. (J: Hopefully, Morgan will be able to read his own little story books by the age of 2!). Variety and consistent presentation seem to be important at this stage.
Physically Morgan seems a strong and wiry little boy. His grip continues to strengthen and he grasped the handling pieces well when he was introduced to them. He seems readier to hold onto things and clasp them to him. He is not yet taking the initiative, such as grasping or deliberately knocking down his cot mates. He kicks well and responds to pressure by vigorously pushing away a hand placed against his foot or feet. He still seems full of pent-up energy, at times going like a perpetual motion machine as his feet pedal, arms pump and wave, and passing through the gamut of his expressions and sounds. It gives joie de vivre a new dimension! Music seems to make little impact as yet but he seems to like Margaret’s singing and sing-a-long tunes. Also, we started playing salsa and jazz at his bath time, and he seems to be dancing to the beat. We took him ‘round the block’ in his push-chair for the first time and this seemed to have achieved what he wanted – much needed sleep. A major current drawback is that he is not getting his full three and a half hours sleep each day. He seems to have catnaps and a daily sleeping pattern has not yet been successfully established. However, and this is possibly more important, he sleeps very well at night. This possibly accounts for his bounce and chirpiness at first light in the morning. Perhaps he is going to be a ‘morning person’!
Joining the library has brought benefits. He seems to listen to stories and is interested in the brighter and more obvious illustrations. Alliteration, rhyme and odd sounds all bring a response and he was attracted to the Little Honey Bunny book and the little honeys song. Some way needs to be found of arranging reading so that he can look at pictures as the story is being told. As it is, when he is lying in his cot his attention has to be drawn to the pictures after the page or story has been read. Synchronising the reading with seeing the pictures would be beneficial. The more complex mobiles and wall pictures devised by Joelle increasingly hold his attention, and he can be left to look at these for quite long spells. Margaret’s three dimensional mobiles are also particularly successful but, so far, she has not got him to differentiate between a pyramid and a cylinder – but give him time! (J: According to the book by Doman, one should flash objects and cards quickly as babies take less time to process information than adults. We tend to think that they may need to stare at something for a while before information is assimilated. Apparently, babies are far smarter than we think!) Getting the mobiles to move also extends his concentration. He could start distinguishing his cot ‘mates’ if they are introduced regularly each morning (Madam Hippo, Teddy Brown, Pooh, Jumbo et al). The flash cards with words also attract his attention. (J: Hopefully, Morgan will be able to read his own little story books by the age of 2!). Variety and consistent presentation seem to be important at this stage.
Physically Morgan seems a strong and wiry little boy. His grip continues to strengthen and he grasped the handling pieces well when he was introduced to them. He seems readier to hold onto things and clasp them to him. He is not yet taking the initiative, such as grasping or deliberately knocking down his cot mates. He kicks well and responds to pressure by vigorously pushing away a hand placed against his foot or feet. He still seems full of pent-up energy, at times going like a perpetual motion machine as his feet pedal, arms pump and wave, and passing through the gamut of his expressions and sounds. It gives joie de vivre a new dimension! Music seems to make little impact as yet but he seems to like Margaret’s singing and sing-a-long tunes. Also, we started playing salsa and jazz at his bath time, and he seems to be dancing to the beat. We took him ‘round the block’ in his push-chair for the first time and this seemed to have achieved what he wanted – much needed sleep. A major current drawback is that he is not getting his full three and a half hours sleep each day. He seems to have catnaps and a daily sleeping pattern has not yet been successfully established. However, and this is possibly more important, he sleeps very well at night. This possibly accounts for his bounce and chirpiness at first light in the morning. Perhaps he is going to be a ‘morning person’!
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