Picture time frame: 07/05/09 to 08/20/09
For the first three months, Dylan was perfectly happy to look at blank walls. They were fascinating to him. The lighter colored and the less textured, the more interesting they were to him. He would choose one and stare at it, unblinkingly, for a disturbingly long period of time.
We took him to Trader Joe's early on in his life. We were eager to see his reaction to the bustling noises and movements of people grocery shopping and the colorful patterns of the cans and boxes on the shelves. As we entered the store, we spoke to him and pointed out people, patterns and things. His eyes became big and round and he looked quickly straight ahead, then turned quickly to the left and right. Slowly, his eyes and head tilted up toward the white drop ceiling. His face immediately lit up in happy amazement. I think he stared in awe at the ceiling for the entire shopping trip.
We would dangle toys over his head using the infant gym. He would quietly lay there, just watching. He would turn his head to look at us, as if to scoff at us and say, "What do you want me to do with that?"
So it was very exciting when he grabbed a toy and his face lit up, as he suddenly realized that it was under his control to make it move and make noise. A couple of the first toys he played with were soft plush toys, that wouldn't hurt him when he quickly kicked it away or flailed his little arms at them. Some were made with various textured fabrics, some jingled when they were moved and some crinkled when they were grabbed by little fingers.
He particularly liked to explore things with his feet. That is how I first discovered that he was playing with his toys intentionally, on his own. I had put him in the infant gym, with noisemaking toys hanging above each foot and above each hand. They were far enough away from him so that he would have to reach out his hand or foot in order to make the toy make noise. The toys were all inherited from older children, both friends and family, who had generously donated toys for Dylan's collection. It was convenient, for the purpose of my little science project, that each toy made a different noise. Occasionally, Dylan would flail an arm or a leg by chance, and one of the toys would make noise. I could tell which limb he flailed by the noise of the toy. I put him in this arrangement for a few minutes every morning. Eventually, he would get tired, bored or hungry, so he would vocalize for me to take him out.
One day, I put him in the infant gym. A minute later, I heard one of the toys sound off with a "ring-ring."
"Oh, great!" I called to Dylan, without even really looking at him, thinking he had randomly flailed yet another time. A few seconds later, I heard that same toy make the same "ring-ring" noise. I moved to where Dylan was and I looked at him intently.
"Did you do that on purpose?" I asked. Dylan looked at me, as if to say, nonchalantly, "What?" And then he stretched out his leg, pointed his little foot, and hit the toy again.
"Ring-ring." Dylan smiled. He was very pleased with himself. Then he kicked the toy several more times. "Ring-ring, ring-ring, ring-ring!" Dylan sang out a loud, high pitched "Aaaaaaa!" in excitement.
He had discovered toys.
For the first three months, Dylan was perfectly happy to look at blank walls. They were fascinating to him. The lighter colored and the less textured, the more interesting they were to him. He would choose one and stare at it, unblinkingly, for a disturbingly long period of time.
We took him to Trader Joe's early on in his life. We were eager to see his reaction to the bustling noises and movements of people grocery shopping and the colorful patterns of the cans and boxes on the shelves. As we entered the store, we spoke to him and pointed out people, patterns and things. His eyes became big and round and he looked quickly straight ahead, then turned quickly to the left and right. Slowly, his eyes and head tilted up toward the white drop ceiling. His face immediately lit up in happy amazement. I think he stared in awe at the ceiling for the entire shopping trip.
We would dangle toys over his head using the infant gym. He would quietly lay there, just watching. He would turn his head to look at us, as if to scoff at us and say, "What do you want me to do with that?"
So it was very exciting when he grabbed a toy and his face lit up, as he suddenly realized that it was under his control to make it move and make noise. A couple of the first toys he played with were soft plush toys, that wouldn't hurt him when he quickly kicked it away or flailed his little arms at them. Some were made with various textured fabrics, some jingled when they were moved and some crinkled when they were grabbed by little fingers.
He particularly liked to explore things with his feet. That is how I first discovered that he was playing with his toys intentionally, on his own. I had put him in the infant gym, with noisemaking toys hanging above each foot and above each hand. They were far enough away from him so that he would have to reach out his hand or foot in order to make the toy make noise. The toys were all inherited from older children, both friends and family, who had generously donated toys for Dylan's collection. It was convenient, for the purpose of my little science project, that each toy made a different noise. Occasionally, Dylan would flail an arm or a leg by chance, and one of the toys would make noise. I could tell which limb he flailed by the noise of the toy. I put him in this arrangement for a few minutes every morning. Eventually, he would get tired, bored or hungry, so he would vocalize for me to take him out.
One day, I put him in the infant gym. A minute later, I heard one of the toys sound off with a "ring-ring."
"Oh, great!" I called to Dylan, without even really looking at him, thinking he had randomly flailed yet another time. A few seconds later, I heard that same toy make the same "ring-ring" noise. I moved to where Dylan was and I looked at him intently.
"Did you do that on purpose?" I asked. Dylan looked at me, as if to say, nonchalantly, "What?" And then he stretched out his leg, pointed his little foot, and hit the toy again.
"Ring-ring." Dylan smiled. He was very pleased with himself. Then he kicked the toy several more times. "Ring-ring, ring-ring, ring-ring!" Dylan sang out a loud, high pitched "Aaaaaaa!" in excitement.
He had discovered toys.
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