Firsts

Every day seems to be loaded with new things. Today we took a trip to the park and I got to go down a slide and ride on a swing for the first time ever. It got me thinking, I do a lot of firsts. In the last six months I’ve been to another country, driven across the US twice, and flow in four airplanes. There have been ponies, kitties, doggies (lots of them), and fish that I’ve met. A couple of weeks ago I moved from one side of the country to another. I’ve been to concerts, restaurants, the ocean, lakes, rivers, museums, pools, picnics, a wedding, parties, flea markets, the mountains, and a Greek festival.

Not to bad for a six-month-old. I wonder what firsts are coming in the next six months?

Learning Curve

My parents tell me that I’m learning at a tremendous rate. Starting to stand, responding to some simple commands, recognizing situations and people, but all of that seems normal to me and it’s very frustrating.

Here I am not able to fully communicate, working to comprehend everything, still losing my fight with gravity and balance, and they think that I’m “coming along nicely”. Who in the name of Mordor do they think that they are kidding?!?! I want to run, I want to climb trees, I want to read books to myself, and I want to explore everything now.

“Coming along nicely”

Humph.

On My 6 Month Birthday

Large organisms such as human beings have an average of about one mutation per ten gametes - that is, there is a 10% chance that any given sperm or egg cell produced will have an inherent change in the genetic instructions that determine the makeup of the next generation. These mutations occur at random and are almost uniformly non-harmful - it is rare that a precision machine is improved by random change in the instructions for making it. So as I look back and try to take stock of my last six-month journey to discover who I am in relation to the world around me, I’m struck by how much different I am from everyone else.

Yesterday I was diagnosed with SGS by my Grandma Joan - she is an expert on these things. The random 10% chance that I had in getting a mutation must have brought on my disease. My only hope at “normality” is to attempt to hide said disease from the world. It is either that or I buckle down and show the world that someone with SGS can be a productive member of society. I hope that over the next six months I can work to decrease how obvious my disease is and work to increase understanding of just how deadly living with Silly Goose Syndrome can be.

My Teeth Are Coming, Run For Your Lives!!!

My soon-to-be teeth
Are causing me grief,
They make me cry and whine.
But soon they'll be in,
The start of a grin,
And then I’ll be feeling just fine.

Are You Going to Eat That?

Food envy can be a nasty thing. Fortunately, I’m only just now starting to get it. Take yesterday for example. My parents made pancakes for breakfast and ate them in front of me. There was real maple syrup, fresh squeezed orange juice, blueberries and strawberries. At lunchtime they held me there in front of the roasted pig at the neighborhood BBQ, picked out choice parts, sides, and then sat me on the table to watch them eat once again. Dinner was at the Greek Festival. They had gyros, stuffed grape leaves, spanikopita, saganaki, paximadia, and baklava. They ate all of this over the course of a couple hours in front of me! Is there any wonder why I drool so much?

We have talked it over and we’ve decided that I am to occasionally get to try some solid foods. They see no reason to put my food in a blender, as I don’t quite have the coordination to move solid food from the front of my mouth to the back for swallowing. They told me that that I should make the transition to solid foods gradually and that I’m to try to stay on breast milk for as long as possible. I was also “informed” that I had to meet four criteria before they would do more then hold a piece of watermelon in my mouth for me to gum on. So before I get any solid foods I have be able to hold my head in a steady, and upright position, and sit without support. The other two things, eating at regular intervals and being interested in what they are eating, I soooo have down.

Arrested Development

I’m now 17 weeks old and I’ve finally started to roll over. Within hours I plan on running, climbing, and, maybe, flying. We’ll see.

While developing as fast as I can to spite the enjoyment of my parents, I’ve noticed that most of you people have no idea what happens when as a baby such as myself develops. So as a refresher, here are a couple things that are happening to me now and will happen to me in the near future:

I can now distinguish several hundred different spoken words; many more than are in my parents native language. My brain has organized itself around the words heard most frequently and is beginning to create an auditory map to process the languages efficiently. And even though there is no research to indicate that one kind of music or another promotes early brain development, I do respond positively to music. Mostly, to my parents chagrin, opera.

While I am now living in a predictable world that has some order to it, I am also able to sleep for longer periods of time, can go longer between feedings, and am establishing a new schedule for eating, sleeping, and experiencing the world. My blossoming mental abilities are helping me organize what I see, hear, smell, touch, and taste. When I am in comfortable and secure surroundings, I am especially responsive to people, objects, and new experiences.

My parents help by holding me so that the world has a sense of predictability. They talk back to by coos, bubbles, and random attempts at conversation, but have yet to fully grasp the complexity in which I can communicate. Hopefully, in time, their brains will evolve enough to be able to communicate with me.

Over the coming months I expect to keep moving up in the world. At six months I’ll be able to switch a toy from one hand to another, my speech should become clearer to my slow parents, and I should be able to sit up on my own. I’m not rushing any of these, and if I don’t meet some and happen to do others early, that’s all right too.

By nine months I should be turning pages in board books, looking at familiar objects and people when named, imitating others, sort-of crawling, and my vocabulary will expand a bit. At twelve months I will finally be able to meaningfully use certain simple words, pulling myself to stand up and cruising along furniture. I might even stand alone and take several independent steps, but I’ll wait and see how I feel about it.

A Time to Play

Since my mom and dad found out I was on my way they began preparing for me. In some ways they were like many new parents researching all the latest equipment and buying cribs, car seats, strollers and the like. Where they are a little different is that they went way overboard on buying books (I have a better library than some elementary schools) but neglected to buy me any toys. Thanks to Tom and Kate I at least had a few stuffed animals when I came home from the hospital.

Before I only had my play mat and my vibrating seat to keep me occupied but over the last several weeks my parents have finally gotten their act together and bought me some toys. It took them this long because they have to research everything. They wouldn’t dare to purchase something for me to play with on a whim because apparently it could kill me. These toys (among others) will help me learn, explore the world and understand new concepts as I find them. My favorite toy now is “Sophie” the giraffe. I like her because she squeaks, has great contrasting colors and tastes so good. I also have two new rattles that I like. One is made of cherry wood that has a matching teething ring made of maple and the other is a soft green frog. With any luck my parents will do a little less research and a little more buying of toys.