Child development

 

 I was looking in a drawer and came across a little old A7 spiral-bound notebook ("Compact Note Book B. N. 12. A John Dickinson Product. Made in Great Britain"). The colour cover is a still life of a jar of five roses, four pink and one red. What would be suitable to write in such a book? The first lines answer the question: "William Robert b. 15 September, 1972. weight 7lbs 13 ozs". 

 The book is a journal of 22 pages of brief observations by my mother of the first two and a half years of my life (which is why she chose a pretty, rather than plain notebook to write them in). These run to about 1,450 words. It may be of some general interest as a record of infant development two generations ago. I don't know if much has changed since then in terms of practice or attitudes. I have certainly found it a useful record for myself personally. No-one is left alive who remembers much of me as a baby, so it is curious to be able to observe myself then, a time when I was developing consciousness but before I have specific memories of (they start about the time of the notebook's final entry). The chronology feels right.

 It is also, of course, reassuring to read a personal account of a mother's love for a child when that child was yourself. I came across this journal at the same time that Meta's new generation of smartglasses were launched with the direct pitch to distracted parents, "Never miss a moment". I know that I'd much rather come across a record like this of myself as a baby (observations that she thought worth writing down) than a copious digital file of recordings.  As a character in a Robert Holman play says, "Love is paying attention":

William Robert

 

b. 15 September, 1972

weight 7lbs 13ozs

 

20^th Sept-12 Oct in Special Care Baby Unit with twitches.

 

12^th Oct  Home – weight 9lbs 3ozs, on phenobarbitone medicine

 

*

 At just over 6 weeks W can hold his head up well, smile (just) & make a little cooing noise. He looks at things attentively & can bang on his pram beads.

 

At 3 months W smiles & laughs & babbles very engagingly. He seems very sociable – loves to be talked to and bounced about. He can hold up his head very strongly & just about sit up unassisted for a short time. He eats small quantities of solids and sleeps through the night until 8 or so. I’m still feeding him last thing at night but thinking of downturning this. 

At 4 months

 W now on 4 feeds a day – milk at 7.30-8, milk & cereal at 11, milk & broth at 2, milk & fruit at 6. He then sleeps through the night. He has just learned to turn over from his front to his back but cannot do it without support. Can only sit alone for a very short time. Is more wary of strangers & strange places than he was before but full of smiles for those he knows.

 

Jan 23^rd [1973]

  In hospital – W cut his first tooth! Has settled down well to hosp. routine and smiles at all the nurses.

 

Jan 26^th

  W can now get his thumb to his mouth to suck.

 

Feb 6^th

 W off pheno-barb!

 

 W at 5 months weighs 17lbs 7oz. Is on 3 meals a day most days (though sometimes 4). Likes cereals & fruity things but has turned against savoury tastes.

 

 He is very active and interested in everything. Can pick things up and convey them to his mouth and has discovered his feet – likes to kick them in the air and touch them. Likes to feel the texture of everything. Can’t yet sit without support but likes to be propped up.

 

W at 6 months

 Weighs 18lbs 6oz. Much as at 5 months but can turn over fairly easily now and can also move around the floor by kicking his legs in the air. He’s a very jolly happy baby – simply loves attention and looks at everything that is going on and reaches out for anything he can grab. 4 teeth at [? ?] now coming through. He likes to play with his toys and holds out his hand so that C[atharine] and I can pretend to bite it!

 

April 3^rd

 W can now sit up for short periods unaided.

 

April 21^st

 W at 7 months & is getting much more active though still cannot crawl. Yesterday grabbed some papers of C’s while she was not looking. Makes a varied repertoire of sounds b, d, g etc.

 

May 20^th

 W at 8 months is getting quite a mischievous little boy. He weighs 20lb 6oz. He can move very quickly on the floor by turning over and is always getting out his things. He can pick up small objects delicately between finger & thumb. He makes all sorts of noises & enjoys a game of peep-bo. He cannot yet sit up unaided though he tries. He still has his bottle and shows no sign of being weaned.

 

June 29^th

 W at 9 months + is looking very bonny – rosy & brown, blue eyes, very fair hair with a touch of ginger in it. He now weighs 20lb 7oz but cannot yet manage to crawl through he manages to reach things one would suppose out of reach. For instance he can reach shopping at the bottom of the pram.

 

 He looks at everything very attentively and babbles away in his own language. He has a definite sense of humour & a lovely laugh.

 

 Has just cut 7^th tooth and has given up if unwillingly – his midday bottle. Sucks his thumb a lot.

 

Aug 23^rd

 W weighs 21lbs 13oz. He has been crawling since he was 10 months & is now adept at opening doors & into everything in a flash. Now beginning to try to stand. He seems very bright – likes little games of fitting things with other things. He loved the beach when we were away. Still puts things in his mouth but [?] less than he did. Imitates sounds quite well – says something like ‘William’! Is now on to one bottle a day at rising.

 

Sep 29^th

 W weighs 22lbs 1oz. He is very active & can crawl very fast. Today he first succeeded in pulling himself to his feet in his cot but he has for able to stand with support for some time. He enjoys playing with little cars. He puts them on the seats of chairs and even makes a noise that sounds like car going along.

 

Oct 16^th

 W can now pull himself into standing position quite easily and take a few tentative steps holding on to play pen. Today he managed for the first time to stand one brick on another – beginning of building! He’s mostly cheerful & contented. Has a marvellous appetite. But he also has a furious temper.

 

Nov 7^th – W said ‘bye-bye’ and waved (not [?] at appropriate time). Walks all round the furniture but doesn’t yet stand alone.

 

Dec 4^th

 W still not walking though he gets around very fast by holding on to furniture. Has just started to take an interest in TV & smiles with appreciation when he recognises something. Can build up bricks (or around them!) v. competently.

 

Jan 5^th [1974]

 W can now stand unsupported for a few minutes at a time but still can’t walk. Can say ‘William’ & ‘baby’ but I doubt if he knows what they mean. Likes to build with bricks & push toy cars along but loves to play with my cookery books best of all – piling them up & replacing them in the shelves.

 

Jan 7^th

 W gives up bottle & takes first steps!

 

Jan 22^nd

 W acquires new skills – he has begun to feed himself, can roll a ball to me across the floor and point at pictures.

 

Feb 26^th

 W can now walk quite well though still slowly. He can also climb all the way upstairs & scribble with a pencil. He tries to copy what we say & dislikes being left alone in his cot. Some sleep problems.

 

March 30^th

 W at 18 months. Walks v doggedly – can get to the end of the Lane unaided. Knows about 6 words – no!, dog, egg, ball, nana, yum yum. Can climb stairs. Fetches his cup & bowl when hungry, brings his coat when he wants to go outside & loves to play in the garden & dig the dirt. Has a v strong will of his own.

 

April 7^th

 W’s vocab: no, gone, more, egg, nana, ball, dog, car.

 

April 15^th

 W can now do lovely smacking kisses.

May 31^st

 W now knows about 25 words & will imitate anything I say. He can climb on a chair, walk as far as the Keep, run quite fast. Has just learnt to call me mummy. Still eats with great greed but more discrimination, wanting biscuits rather than bread. Enjoys playing with water, with sand and earth & with cars; does not greatly care for other toys.

 

 List of W’s words: car, biscuit, sweet, ball, mummy, flower, no, teddy, golly, up, more, bye-bye, gone, home, toes, bath, dog, (ba)nana, tea, William, pussy, egg, [Kerry?], honey, door.

 

W at 2 ½ Yrs [1975]

 Appears very bright and observant. Talks fluently – uses short sentences and has a large vocabulary. He obviously enjoys trying to communicate. He is also interested in letters and books. Can sometimes identify the letters A, B & O & recognises the colour orange.

 

 Is very affectionate to me – likes to sit in my lap and suck his thumb saying ‘nice & warm’. He is also generally friendly to others – runs to greet them, shouting ‘hello’. With other children he appears gentle but determined – resists having toys taken away from him. One of the greatest thrills is to go on the train to London & he loves going to Morely College creche. Another treat is painting which he does very seriously.

 

 He can walk quite far – from this house to the village & the heath, but is nervous of stairs and steps. He is still, alas, totally un toilet trained – good results are purely the result of luck. Still has a pretty good appetite.

 

 Is very determined & has a foul temper when thwarted. He is good at building with bricks and at doing simple puzzles. Just recently he has started enjoying imaginative games involving pretend cups of tea, sandwiches, etc.