Feb. 17, 2000 - Thursday
This morning on the Gymini seemed a little different from yesterday
on the Gymini. I believe Harry has progressed from being able to fix on
a single object in front of him, or follow a single moving object, to switching
back and forth between multiple different objects. As he lay on his back today,
his eyes moved in a cycle, fixing briefly on each of three objects hanging from
the arches of the Gymini. His eyes retargeted surprisingly quickly and faster
than I would have thought they could focus at his age, but they distinctly paused
on each object in succession before advancing to the next.
I'm no medical expert, but it sure seemed as if Harry was discovering control
of his eyes and realizing that he could effectively manipulate what they looked
at rather than simply looking in the direction they were pointing. Maybe that's
not new for Harry, but my impression has been that before today his eyes were
more reactive than proactive and seeing more what they instinctively fell on.
Today is Harry's maternal Grandfather's 60th birthday and Harry will get on
an airplane for the first time tomorrow to be with him for a party on Saturday.
When the event first started to take shape, I have to concede that I wasn't
so enthusiastic about putting Harry on a plane in his tender youth. Admittedly,
that's in large part due to my pre-Harry experiences witnessing and hearing
the torment of other babies, their parents, and the other people corralled in
planes with them. However, as we've moved closer to the actual flight and I've
received advice and strategies from experienced friends, my apprehension has
ebbed to a point now of guarded optimism that Harry will do fine. We'll know
tomorrow.
