December 27, 2000 - Wednesday
One of Harry's favorite Christmas presents was from his grandfather. It's a gumball machine-like toy called the "Ball Party" and has a hole in the top just big enough to put the balls in and a lever on the side that, when pulled fully, releases a ball out the front and rings a bell. In his second day with the Ball party, Harry is still working through the idea of the lever and often tries unsuccessfully reaching inside the top to grab a ball. His hand fits in, but can't come out if it's holding a ball. The 'putting' part is old hat and Harry has no trouble with that.

This evening while we were all sitting around watching, Harry made quite a production of the process of 'putting.' He'd dramatically place a ball on top so it rested over the hole, babble for a moment presumably about what he was doing, then aggressively hammer the ball into the Ball Party with a swift slap of the hand and an emphatic huzzah-like declaration. The exciting part of this display was that Harry apparently knew he was the center of attention and seemed to be playing to the crowd. As he babbled he would look around a bit, as if explaining his approach or technique for banging the balls through the top of the clear plastic dome. It's clear with this flair for the dramatic that Harry has become more animated and that his personality is emerging in more detail. It also suggests that Harry is becoming self-aware.


Comments, opinions?