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.