Morgan Week 13

Morgan continued to expand his repertoire as he enjoyed his first Christmas. It was spent at home and on Christmas Eve there was a family dinner with Sumei, Kelvin, Johanna, Siva and Keeran and all of us. The following day saw a late Christmas lunch with the arrival of three couples, Joelle& Huw’s friends. Each couple contributed and it was a very cosmopolitan meal – salad, spaghetti, shepherd’s pie, meat balls, shrimps & nut roast, and all. Morgan coped well with all the attention and charmed everybody when he smiled and started his ‘talking’. He generally reacts well to company and settles easily.
He now burbles and babbles on at some length using quite a mixture of sounds. Occasionally there is a loud and distinctive yelp but it does not seem to signify anything in particular. He coos quite a lot and seemed intent at times on using his tongue to explore his mouth, make kissing and clicking sounds and generally try out little noises. He does not say a lot when shown his cot mates each morning but when on his own he does ‘dialogue’ with them through smiling, laughing and assorted quiet noses. He now reacts positively to a wider range of books. He takes in and concentrates on the pictures silently but still gets quite excitable at seeing what he likes (the gosling series and the night and day monkey book.). He continues to respond very vocally and with interest to the mobiles.
He enjoys the morning walk which has become an established routine. When something ‘new’ crops up, such as a child playing on a swing or an adult talking to him on the concourse, his concentration is total. The traffic also grabs his attention and not just the buses. On one occasion he was smiling at his reflection in the mirror in the lift. At what age, I wonder, do children become knowingly aware of their reflection? Music continues to engage him, especially when we join in by using spoons and other rhythmic sound producers. He appears to be noticing the different objects in the mural by his cot and gets satisfaction through lying there looking at them. In short, he manages without being given attention and seems to be developing the capacity to amuse himself.He enjoys the gym and is happy to spend time in it. He is now making some effort to touch the objects dangling from the cross pieces and was knocking them on one occasion. His firm grip on my finger enabled him to hold on when I was pulling him in his chair and this gave impetus so that the chair started rocking through his effort. He now grasps the jumbo rattle much more easily and grasps the assorted plastic coloured rings and pulls against the pressure when you tug at them. He made more sustained efforts to lift himself when on his stomach than he did the previous week. He understandably finds such effort tiring and frustrating, but he does persist a little more now. It is amusing to see him balancing the ball on his feet and even manipulating it with them. This is his performing seal act!

Morgan Week 12

Marked developments were noted this week – physical, intellectual and social. We enjoyed walking downstairs and through the areas below the apartment. This meant that Morgan was able to look at traffic on the road and the trains, see people and displays in the shops and concourse and observe young children in the little playground. Going out in the fresh air clearly benefitted him and it prompted sleep soon after. He reacted well to the small children in the playground and was very responsive to three ladies sitting at the cafe; he favoured them with a beaming smile. These social jaunts should become a regular feature of his daily activities.He is responding very well to aural stimulation. He watches Joelle, Margaret and Rowena very closely when they look at him and talk opening their mouths widely. He responds with a range of sounds and facial expressions that are particularly appealing. This expressiveness can be seen when he is quietly lying in his cot communicating with his companions like Pooh and Peter Rabbit. He looks closely and intensely at them and smiles beguilingly every now and then. Music now livens him up very well and he greatly enjoys the beating of spoons, clapping and Rowena’s clicking as an accompaniment. He now seems to listen to and enjoy the children’s songs such as Teddy Bear’s Picnic and the Runaway Train. He continues to be amused by Margaret’s whistling and kissing sounds: he seems to realise they are distinctive. It is very clear that Morgan cannot be over-stimulated as far as sound is concerned.Morgan takes an increased interest in stories. Peedie continues to be a favourite and it soon brings out the chuckles, admonitions and general cacophony. He seems to take a more specific interest in the detail which seems to mean more to him. Similarly, the increased familiarity of the Llama llama book brings positive rejoinders. The pictures make him almost agitated and by the end of the week he was keeping up a series of comments as the story unfolded. By the Sunday his reactions were quite comical. His communicative development is enhanced with these stories. He seems to relate directly to those who are talking to him and communication is certainly taking place. He also takes note of the flashcards and certainly takes them in as each is shown to him. The mobiles continue to enthral him and he seems to take great pleasure in studying and observing them. He sounds very amused and chuckles when Margaret moves them to and fro or towards or away from him. It is noticeable that he does not ‘talk’ at the mobiles or even his cot ‘mates’. Communication seems to be reserved for people who communicate with him.He is showing strength and physical changes in a variety of ways. He grasps much more firmly and holds on to fingers and rings. Morgan kicks lustily and had a phase of lifting a ball with his feet and balancing it. He now makes more sustained efforts to raise his head and is managing to push his head and shoulders off the ground with his arms for longer periods. He also edges himself backwards on his back by pushing his legs hard against mine. His attention span is certainly getting longer. What was striking during his visit to Papa’s office and the lunch afterwards was the intense way in which he gazed at his surroundings. He concentrates fiercely and nothing is allowed to distract him when his surroundings have his attention. The waitresses in the restaurant fascinated him. What is emerging is an engaging personality and a capacity for self-amusement.

Morgan Week 12

Marked developments were noted this week – physical, intellectual and social. We enjoyed walking downstairs and through the areas below the apartment. This meant that Morgan was able to look at traffic on the road and the trains, see people and displays in the shops and concourse and observe young children in the little playground. Going out in the fresh air clearly benefitted him and it prompted sleep soon after. He reacted well to the small children in the playground and was very responsive to three ladies sitting at the cafe; he favoured them with a beaming smile. These social jaunts should become a regular feature of his daily activities.
He is responding very well to aural stimulation. He watches Joelle, Margaret and Rowena very closely when they look at him and talk opening their mouths widely. He responds with a range of sounds and facial expressions that are particularly appealing. This expressiveness can be seen when he is quietly lying in his cot communicating with his companions like Pooh and Peter Rabbit. He looks closely and intensely at them and smiles beguilingly every now and then. Music now livens him up very well and he greatly enjoys the beating of spoons, clapping and Rowena’s clicking as an accompaniment. He now seems to listen to and enjoy the children’s songs such as Teddy Bear’s Picnic and the Runaway Train. He continues to be amused by Margaret’s whistling and kissing sounds: he seems to realise they are distinctive. It is very clear that Morgan cannot be over-stimulated as far as sound is concerned.
Morgan takes an increased interest in stories. Peedie continues to be a favourite and it soon brings out the chuckles, admonitions and general cacophony. He seems to take a more specific interest in the detail which seems to mean more to him. Similarly, the increased familiarity of the Llama llama book brings positive rejoinders. The pictures make him almost agitated and by the end of the week he was keeping up a series of comments as the story unfolded. By the Sunday his reactions were quite comical. His communicative development is enhanced with these stories. He seems to relate directly to those who are talking to him and communication is certainly taking place. He also takes note of the flashcards and certainly takes them in as each is shown to him. The mobiles continue to enthral him and he seems to take great pleasure in studying and observing them. He sounds very amused and chuckles when Margaret moves them to and fro or towards or away from him. It is noticeable that he does not ‘talk’ at the mobiles or even his cot ‘mates’. Communication seems to be reserved for people who communicate with him.
He is showing strength and physical changes in a variety of ways. He grasps much more firmly and holds on to fingers and rings. Morgan kicks lustily and had a phase of lifting a ball with his feet and balancing it. He now makes more sustained efforts to raise his head and is managing to push his head and shoulders off the ground with his arms for longer periods. He also edges himself backwards on his back by pushing his legs hard against mine. His attention span is certainly getting longer. What was striking during his visit to Papa’s office and the lunch afterwards was the intense way in which he gazed at his surroundings. He concentrates fiercely and nothing is allowed to distract him when his surroundings have his attention. The waitresses in the restaurant fascinated him. What is emerging is an engaging personality and a capacity for self-amusement.

Morgan Week 11

This week our (Margaret and Tony) visit to Hat Yai (Sunday pm to Thursday am) meant that we saw a little less of Morgan. We missed him and we like to think that he recognised us and was pleased to see us back.

He has developed a lovely smile, one that seems to beam out, sometimes unexpectedly. It is, in fact a form of laughter, as it is significantly different from the quiet smile one sees when he is sleeping or quietly lying on his own. This is evidence, once more, of his expanding range of expressions. When lying and looking at his cot toys, posters or the mobiles he seems to be genuinely preoccupied and varies his expressions as he looks at them. (J: He has, since he was about 2 months, been sucking his one fist and twirling his hair with the other while engrossed with the posters. Occasionally when he gets suitably excited, he would kick one leg agitatedly.)

It is good that he simply lies and looks – it could help develop the capacity for occupying oneself on one’s own which is important. Huw had this quality as a child and youngster and it is a key to being comfortable in one’s own company.

Morgan continues to respond well to stimulation. The mobiles still hold his attention even when presented en masse. In fact he increasingly seems to distinguish the illustrations one from another. He is particularly attracted to Milfred the Monkey! He seems fascinated with the book Peedie the gosling. The colours are well contrasted, the pictures small and clear and his reaction to them shows quite a degree of excitement at times. (J: I think it is the level of detail and the amount of focus he has to give to each of the pictures. Perhaps he is anxious to take it all in!)

He burbles at the pictures and the story read to him and his face shows quite a range of expressions. Similarly, he seems to like the llama story with its alliteration and sharper distinctive shapes and colours. The book about the tiger does not make anywhere near as great an impact, possibly because the pictures are much more diffuse and the colours more subtle and blended.

The morning parade of his cot companions is bringing out good responses. He also follows your finger when the different shapes and objects are pointed out on the mural on the wall by his cot. At times he seems to be striving to communicate but does not show any frustration. Up to now he has cried to show that he is hungry. Now he sometimes gives out a distinct yell, not a crying sound, demanding instead of crying for his food. (J: However, when he does get really hungry, he cries bitterly to show his anguish.)

He seems to accept the music and likes the Welsh songs sung by Margaret. Rowena’s singing of lullabies in Tagalog/English accompanied by her dancing has a soporific effect and gets him off to sleep. (J: The furious patting of his bottom paired with vigorous swaying also lulls him to sleep.)

Morgan Week 10

Morgan continues to expand his repertoire of sounds, expressions and gestures. As noted last week, crying is no longer the only signal he uses when he is starting to feel hungry. He makes quite demanding noises that merge into louder ones that are almost shouts. Inevitably this then becomes his powerful cry for food but it is good to see him going through a gamut of orders at this stage! In response to talking he has also expanded his range of expressions and sounds. His looks range from the serene to the quizzical and he seems to look quite disdainful when he is clearly no longer prepared to tolerate my clowning. In contrast, he seems to respond to and focus on the much more low key interaction Margaret and Joelle effects with him. He appears to select his responses in accord with the mode of communication used.
Physical progress has also been made. He now grasps a finger and smaller objects much more firmly. The grasping toys attract him and he even seemed to reach out to one of them as it dangled above him. As yet there does not appear to be any awareness of externals or that objects are there to be grasped or manipulated. In this he is still at a passive stage and has to be more or less encouraged to grasp and hold. He continues to be vigorous and throws his arms and legs about with great gusto. In so doing he knocks his cot companions about with unconscious glee – it will be interesting to see when he begins to realise that he is able to do this with intent and purposes. He likes to be in the little chair in which he seems to be lulled into a quiet mood through gentle rocking, and this is preferable to being carried in the sarong. In short, he is developing well, physically.
His attention spans are certainly extending. This is most notable with the mobiles. It is now possible to leave him for longish spells watching these with interest. It is now quite clear that he looks at them individually. This can be observed because Joelle has devised quite a wide range of contrasting pictures on the mobiles. For example, he keeps his eyes on the monkey figure as it goes further round in a clockwise direction, and clearly ignores the replacement above him as his attention remains fixed on the monkey. Margaret gets good responses from Morgan with the 3D mobile during her morning ‘exercises’ with him. He also seems to focus on and become engaged with the bears when they are put on the rails of his cot. Margaret sensed that he was puzzled one morning because they did not speak to him. He certainly pays great attention to the shape of the mouth and facial expressions when being talked to. The library story books are a boon and he is starting to notice the pictures. Margaret senses from his responses that the Brandenburgs please him best; he digs Bach! Indeed, jigging his legs and arms to music does seem to induce a good mood. This is also indicated by his responses to Welsh songs and action activities also.
He seems comfortable in company. He responded well to Rowena from the start. In addition, he took a big family gathering in his stride on the Saturday and managed to exchange pleasantries with Keeran! A walk with Grandpa and Grandma around the block proved soporific and induced sleep; this was duly noted! Morgan has commenced his third month in good form!