Revised Intro to Classification Essay

               The morning dew glistens from the rising morning sun - signaling the start of a new day. As the sun warms the air, the dew slowly drips off the trees, and the lake slowly ‘wakes up’ as it goes from being calm to having gentle ripples. Through this liquid mirror, the fish take a quick peek above water as they collect their breakfast. At the same time, the frogs slowly soften their nighttime singing as the loons proudly share their lovely morning solo. All is quiet, except for the harmonies of nature. Upon taking a deep breath, you feel completely rejuvenated. The fresh, crisp air is so pleasurable that smiling becomes involuntary. There are no people arguing, no television, no drama, no work, no school, no nothing – just you and nature. The easygoing morning hours let you clear your mind and free it up for noteworthy thoughts. This is a lot of the reason why I love the outdoors. That is why most of my hobbies take place outside. If it is a good day, I could easily have a morning like this while doing my favorite hobbies: hunting, fishing, and camping.

Outro of Classification Essay

                The only thing that is just as good as watching the sunrise, is watching the sunset. The sky illuminates with an array of oranges, yellows, and hints of red. As the shadows from the trees become longer, the crickets begin their choir as the geese flying up above let everyone know they’re about to settle down. Once in the twilight, the frogs begin their nightly chorus and, behind them, you can hear the plop….plop….plop of the fish getting their last minute meals. Looking across the lake, you see a beautifully reflected picture of the sky up above. Following the reflection, you see the sky completely extended across with bright, shining stars. Of the billions of stars, you gaze at one in particular and remember that childhood rhyme. Star light, Star bright, The first star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, Have this wish I wish tonight: For many more days like these.

Intro 2 of Classification Essay

                The rising sun shines through the morning dew clinging to the leaves and grass - signaling the start of a new day. The birds gently stir as they stretch their wings. The fish take a quick peek above water as they collect their breakfast. At the same time, the frogs slowly soften their nighttime singing as the loons proudly share their lovely morning solo. All is quiet, except for the harmonies of nature. There are no people arguing, no television, no drama, no work, no school, no nothing – just you and nature. You are able to let your mind wander from the daily stresses of life to the invigorating thoughts of your surroundings. Your mind is free to think about whatever you want. This is a lot of the reason why I love the outdoors. That is why most of my hobbies take place outside. If it is a good day, I could have a morning like this while doing my favorite hobbies: hunting, fishing, and camping.

Intro 1 of Classification Essay

                Once you are out there and take a deep breath, you feel completely rejuvenated. The fresh, crisp air is so pleasurable that smiling becomes involuntary. The morning hours are quiet with gently stirring critters. You stare as nature does its work: the morning dew slowly drips off the trees, the sun warming up the air, and the lake slowly ‘waking up’ as it goes from being calm to having gentle ripples. The easygoing morning hours let you clear your mind and free it up for noteworthy thoughts. There is nothing better than being outside. That is why most of my hobbies include being outside. If the day is right, I have mornings like these while I'm doing my favorite hobbies: hunting, fishing, and camping.

Graf #17 (Reaction to Comment)

                I was really glad that Mr. Goldfine liked my essay. I was happy that I was able to pull it all together nicely. I already explained most of what was running through my mind in Graf #15. I think about Jazz all the time – it’s sad to have gotten rid of her. When it comes to the comment, I’m not sure what a real intro and outro is, though. I’m assuming it just means a good intro/outro? In addition to his comment, I do not know what he sees in poodles! They are said to be the world’s smartest breed of dog. I have never seen a poodle, so I can’t judge. Be that as it may, I still love my shepherds! They are the perfect dog for me!

Graf #16 (Reaction to Classification Essays)

                I read a couple of the classification essays, and they were really great essays! I read the first one about guys being snakes, snails, and puppy dog tails. I thought that was a brilliant essay! She really defined most men right through a simple nursery rhyme. I wouldn’t classify all guys as being that way; although, it sure seems like it is. The other one I read was about that person’s mystery fish on their line. I go fishing all the time and he really nailed what each one of those fish were like to catch. Salmon are definitely the best ones to catch because they give the biggest fight. His essay took me back to the numerous occasions I went fishing. I haven’t gone fishing in a while. Maybe my classification essay will be about the outdoors. I love being outside!

Graf #15 (Meta-Graf)

                It was late at night, and I had just gotten Sirus to sleep after an hour and a half of rocking. I took out my laptop and just stared at my intro and outro of my cause essay. I was stumped. I didn’t want to write about my dog at that moment. All I could think about was how soon I was going to see Kevin. I tried to clear my head and think about my dog instead. I chose to write about my dog after reading one of the example cause essays about a guy’s dog. It made me think about how much I missed my dog. With my mind now jumbled with thoughts of Kevin, my dog, and everything else that could possibly enter my mind, I stood up and walk over to the crib. As I gently tucked Sirus in a little more, I began to think about our future. I began to think about how Kevin wanted a Rottweiler and I wanted a German shepherd. Then how I would want the dog to act like – Jazz. Finally thinking about Jazz, her personality, and her little quirks, I sat down on my bed, grabbed my laptop, and began writing.

Essay #1 (Cause Essay)

                It’s about ten o’clock at night and she’s outside. I sneak out the back door of the house, quietly slip down the stairs, and then bolt down the shadows of the lawn. I’m dressed in a couple hooded sweatshirts with one of the hoods covering my head. I make it just around the house when, all of the sudden, it feels like I was just hit by a truck. As I’m crashing to the ground, she’s on top of me biting my arm. “Jazz, it is okay it’s just me,” she perks her ears, wags her tail, and licks me in the face. “That was a good job! You’re a good girl.” Unscathed, we walk back to the house. That was just one of few tests I would randomly (and stupidly) do to just test how protective my German shepherd was. I always knew I was safe with her around. German shepherds have always been my favorite dog. There are so many reasons why, but the top reasons are: loyalty, smarts, and protectiveness. I could always relate each one of those to my German shepherds.

                German shepherds are known for their protectiveness. I always felt safe with any of my dogs around – especially Jazz. She was always on alert. When someone was at the door, she would come and let me know by barking. She could always recognize people who had been to the house. So, when someone stopped by that she didn’t know, she would get VERY protective until I showed her that it was alright. She always would make sure I was safe. She would get really anxious when my friends came over and we would rough-house around with each other. She hated it. She didn’t want any chance of anyone getting hurt, so she would try to get us to stop by giving small barks. If we continued, she would try to draw our attention away by lightly nipping one of us. German shepherds are very protective of the ones they love!

                These dogs are also incredibly loyal. No matter what I did to that dog, she would always listen to me. If she was bad one day (got into garbage) she definitely knew it. However, once she realized that it was okay to come out of the kennel, she would be such a kiss-ass to me to try to make up for it. No matter who was in the room, or what the situation was, she would always listen to me; except when she saw another dog – never quite got her to break that habit. She knew who her owners were and listened to them reasonably well.

                Finally, German shepherds are also well known for their brains. They are unbelievably smart dogs! It took me very little time to train her. She knew that the kennel meant either bedtime or punishment. Once she was trained, I never had to shut the door to the kennel. If she was bad, I would simply say, “Jazz, kennel!” and she would march right in there and stay there until I said it was okay to come out. If she was being a nuisance, I would tell her to “go to bed”, and she would go. She knew “let’s go to bed” meant that it really was bedtime and she would jump up in bed with me and go to sleep. On the weekend when I slept past seven o’clock, she would wake me up by licking me in the face. She was always so used to me getting up at seven during the week days because of school. When I took her outside and she was getting too distracted to do her business, I would just have to tell her to “go pee, Jazz” and she would run off and do it. I never really taught her these things, I just talked to her all the time and I think she picked up on it.

                Jazz always knew exactly what I was saying to her. I could tell her to do something, just about anything, and she knew what I meant. That dog was incredibly smart! She went everywhere with me. She was my pal – my friend. Unfortunately, I had to get rid of Jazz a few years ago because of living situations. It broke my heart. Hopefully, when Kevin and I finally get settled down into a place of our own, we might get a German shepherd. It would be nice having a German shepherd, again. I miss my bed-hogging, protective, lovable Jazzy!

Graf #14 (Isearch Research Plan)

               For my research, I plan on mainly using the internet and a couple of baby books that I have (and have never opened yet). If I can’t find an answer to one or more of my questions, I may start asking other mothers that I know, or Sirus’s pediatrician. I believe I can find most, if not all, of the questions that I asked. I am sure that baby developmental stages are quite easy to find on the internet or in any baby book. When I use the internet, I am not using Wikipedia. I do not trust that site. People can go in and change anything or write anything they want – I have tried it, and succeeded. I am going to use trusted sites. I am also using popular books for child development. I also am definitely going to use a timeline. It will help bring everything together more easily.

                One of the problems that I foresee is that each site or book will have a different age for different developments. This is because each child develops differently. Conclusively, my answers for the age of different developments will most likely be a range then an estimate. If the range is too high, I will talk to the pediatrician about it. Sirus will be my little experiment while this project carries on. He will also help me narrow down those age ranges.

What I already Know

               I do not know much about the different developments of a baby, but I am learning from watching my baby, Sirus. Before I had Sirus, I knew that babies can typically walk before they are the age of one. Unfortunately, that’s all I really knew. Now, with Sirus, I have learned that babies have full head support by two months of age. I have also learned that they start actually smiling by around one month of age. I know that Sirus definitely knows who his momma is! I think that he has started to recognize people, as well. He is 11 weeks old now and growing like a weed!
 

                What I don’t know is basically everything else that is happens beyond 11 weeks of age. I still don’t know when about babies start to crawl, sit up, walk, or run around. I believe they start to crawl around five months, sit up around six months, walk around eight months, and run around ten months. However, I do know that all babies develop differently. Which was also another one of my questions: why do some babies develop faster than others?

I believe encouragement has a lot of beneficial factors to a baby’s development pace. If the baby is consistently encouraged to do something and is applauded when that goal is reached, they will probably develop faster. If a baby gets no encouragement and is not congratulated when they achieve something, they will probably not try that ‘stunt’ again. With having Sirus, I try to encourage him to hold on to a toy all the time. He is slowly getting the concept of it, but I don’t believe he understands what he is holding. He probably won’t understand what a toy is (another one of my questions) until five months of age. I am just estimating ages, I really have no idea.

How long should a baby breastfeed for? If I’m not mistaken, I am pretty sure up to one year old is very healthy to do. That is my plan – to breastfeed Sirus until he is one. His pediatrician thought it was very good that I was going to continue breastfeeding him until he is a year old. Another question concerning food was: when do babies start to eat solid foods? Considering babies need to have teeth (I think) before they have baby food, they probably won’t get their teeth until nine months old. That is just a shot in the dark; I don’t have the slightest clue when they get their teeth. I am hoping to learn so much more through this project. I am excited to learn all the steps my child is going to experience!

Outro #1 of Cause Essay

                Jazz always knew exactly what I was saying to her. I could tell her to do something, just about anything, and she knew what I meant. That dog was incredibly smart! She went everywhere with me. She was my pal – my friend. Unfortunately, I had to get rid of Jazz a few years ago because of living situations. It broke my heart. Hopefully, when Kevin and I finally get settled down into a place of our own, we might get a German shepherd. It would be nice having a German shepherd, again. I miss my bed-hogging, protective, lovable Jazzy!

Intro #2 of Cause Essay

                She always knew exactly what I was saying to her. I could tell her to do something, just about anything, and she knew what I meant. That dog was incredibly smart! She went everywhere with me. She was my pal – my friend. German shepherds have always been my favorite breed of dog. That is why I have owned so many. Each and every one of them had just about the same traits. They are traits that are very important to me for a dog to possess. Protectiveness, smarts, and loyalty: it’s what separates the good dogs from the bad.

Intro #1 of Cause Essay

               It’s about ten o’clock at night and she’s outside. I sneak out the back door of the house, quietly slip down the stairs, and then bolt down the shadows of the lawn. I’m dressed in a couple hooded sweatshirts with one of the hoods covering my head. I make it just around the house when, all of the sudden, it feels like I was just hit by a truck. As I’m crashing to the ground, she’s on top of me biting my arm. “Jazz, it is okay it’s just me,” she perks her ears, wags her tail, and licks me in the face. “That was a good job! You’re a good girl.” Unscathed, we walk back to the house. That was just one of few tests I would randomly (and stupidly) do to just test how protective my German shepherd was. I always knew I was safe with her around. German shepherds have always been my favorite dog. There are so many reasons why, but the top reasons are: loyalty, smarts, and protectiveness. I could always relate each one of those to my German shepherds.

Graf #13 (Reaction)

                When I opened up the link to read the cause essays the first time, I read all the wrong ones because I wasn’t paying attention to the headings. Stupid, I know. The second time around, I got it straight. Now, I have a better understanding of what a cause essay is all about. I really liked the first one about dishonesty, fear, and selfishness when it came to love. I think she nailed that topic. I think a lot of women could relate to that. Her essay kept me reading on. The ballerina one was cute. I think a lot of little kids look up to someone older than them and try to be just like them. I think I am still going to keep my topic that I chose for my cause essay. Even though I did not do it right the first time, I am going to revise it to make it work.

Graf #12 (Place)

                I knew we were almost there once we drove past the sign with the town slogan, “Don’t get useless in Eustis”. We were driving to my most favorite camping site, Natanis. With my face pressed to the glass, I watched the Chain of Ponds guide us to our destination.  I had never been happier to reach that bumpy dirt driveway after a long three hour drive. Once seeing that old, rickety ‘sign-in’ building, I knew we were finally there.

                After we signed in, we drove around the corner… and there it was. That long narrow strip of land that cut across the ponds. I gazed at the beauty of nature’s openness as we crossed the bridge. The vast majority of the camp sites were on the other side of the pond, but we found their secret spot that very few knew about. On this strip of land, the whole length of it on one side is a beach; so, we used it as our boat launch. We put all our camping supplies into the boat, drove underneath the bridge, and sped off down one of the ponds. At around a mile out, we came to a stop at a secluded ‘island’ (it looked like an island, but technically it wasn’t). We stopped the boat on a little beach and tied it up to a tree. The island was raised about six to seven feet; so, there was a steep incline until level land. There were tree roots that acted as stairs, which made things easier to carry up our load.

After everything got set up, I would just sit in the sun and take in the beauty surrounding me. Trees bordered the island to offer us a little privacy. Mountains were in the background over every angle you looked at. The pond beautifully reflected the trees and mountains before it. It was also an amazing place to fish. At night, the sky was always so clear. We would often have a huge bonfire as we sat beneath the stars, reminiscing about old times. The frogs would sing us to sleep and the loons would gently wake us in the morning. There is nowhere in the world I would rather be then spending the summer here with the people I love.

Graf #11 (Real-Life Research)

                You’re running through the deep, dark woods as fast as you can, trying to get away from whatever is chasing you. You’re lost, but you just keep on running and running. All of the sudden, you find yourself in Wal-Mart. You are hurriedly looking down each aisle for that person who was after you. You are scared, but curious – so you keep looking. When you glance down one of the aisles, you see a bear just sitting there peering around. Nobody seems to notice this bear. They all just keep on walking by as if there is nothing out of the ordinary. Dumbfounded, you approach the bear. It seems gentle until you see a flash of teeth and… BAM! You thought you were about to be this bear’s lunch, but instead you’re waking up after jumping ten feet in the air. You just had one of those strange dreams, again. Curious about what they all mean? Each dream has a meaning. Those random, misplaced objects that strangely appear, those weird actions you do, and those disorienting setting changes – they all have a meaning.

                For years, I was always curious what dreams were all about. Dreams that would scare you, dreams that would bring back memories, and even dreams that left you wanting to come back to the dream world. While at school (and not doing what I was supposed to be doing), I looked up all the different meanings of dreams and the symbolisms behind them. I was so intrigued that I actually wrote down all the different types of dreams, why we have them, websites to understand different symbolisms, and so on. It's amazing that a sophomore in high school actually did research on their own time! So, I did my best in finding the answers.

               When you wake up from a dream, you will sometimes be left pondering: “Why was that in my dream?” I bet it wasn’t the first time sometime strange appeared in your dream. There is a reason why it happened. Seeing a bear in a Wal-Mart – weird. However, spotting a bear in your dreams symbolizes life and death; much like going through a period of self-renewal. There is a wide assortment of different objects that symbolize different emotions that you are experiencing. How about the woods? Running lost through the woods signifies that you are having anxiety about leaving something behind that is familiar to you. Finding yourself in a store indicates that you are emotionally or mentally strained. So, put the dream all together: you are seeking self-renewal by leaving or getting rid of something that is close to you, but it is causing emotional or mental instability.

                There are several different types of dreams, although there are two that are the most common. Let’s say that this dream often repeats itself. This is called a Recurring Dream. It usually means that there is a conflict in your life that you are not dealing with – and until it is solved, that dream will continuously come back. Maybe you are really bothered by to leave that object behind. You have to learn to cope with this issue. If you let this issue eat away at you, you may always find yourself having this same dream (or something similar to it). It is much the same with nightmares. Nightmares usually occur because you are refusing to accept something that has happened or is happening in your life. It also may be showing that you have a fear of confronting something. Talking to someone about these dreams or life situations may be the only way to cease the horrid dreams.

                In your dream, while running through those dark woods, you feel a strong sense of panic. Panic often signals that you feel a lack of power in your life. What you see in your dreams may be important; however, what you are feeling is also very important. Although you are curious at the details of your dreams, you should ponder about what your emotions were throughout the course of the dream. What you are feeling in your dream corresponds to what you actually feel in real life whether you know it or not. Your mind tries to uncork all those bottled up emotions that you kept throughout the day, or longer. Understanding what your dreams are trying to tell you may help you figure out important life decisions, issues, or even why you have been having all those migraines lately!

                It’s amazing to know that running through the woods, to searching Wal-Mart, to finding a bear can all mean so much! Figuring out what your dream is trying to say can help you a lot in life. Your dreaming state opens up your subconscious to reveal all those deep, dark feelings or desires that you didn’t know you had. Dreams can also teach you more about your thoughts, goals, and aspirations that you didn’t know about yourself. Learn from your dreams – or else you may experience recurring dreams or nightmares over unresolved issues. So, if you are having anxiety over leaving your ‘Blankie’ at your mother’s house, you may continue to have bad dreams about running around lost in the woods! It’s time to cope with the issue and immerse yourself into a nightmare-free world!

Graf #10 (Person)

                It’s all about impressing your friends in middle school; especially for the guys. There is always those few guys who try to out-do each other by seeing who gets into the most trouble. You know – the ones who start the candy war in the gymnasium. Or, the ones who decide to draw cartoons of massacres in Art class. Even the ones who try to tick off the teacher while already in detention. Well, these guys were in my class, and I was a part of them.

                Kevin and I were friends with the same interests: getting into trouble. It was just a game to us. Once one of us got kicked out of class, the other one followed shortly after. Walking down the hall towards the office, we would spot each other and just grin a devilish little grin, “Ha ha, good job. What did you do?” We would then proudly share our story. Detentions meant nothing to us except an hour of our time either doing homework or pissing off the teacher. We were an unsuspecting pair. Teachers thought nothing of us until they had a few classes with us. We just had our way and had fun with it.

                Soon enough, we became best friends. As best friends, we did what best friends do. We shared secrets of the past, explained our worries to each other, and just helped a friend in need. Ultimately, without realizing it, we were having the same conversations with our mothers: “You two should date!” “No way, he/she is just my friend.” However, time got the better of us. We figured out that it was worth a shot to try dating. Long story short, we are now engaged and have a baby boy together!

Why I'm Writing

                The reason why I chose the developmental stages and skills of a baby is because I do not know much about a baby. I had never been around babies that often growing up and I had never taken care or baby sat one. So, consequently, all I knew about babies is that they eat, sleep, and poop. Now, I have a baby of my own. I am learning every day on what they do, why they do it, and how to take care of it. As a new mother, since I wasn’t all that prepared in the beginning, I want to be prepared for the future. I want to learn what the different developmental stages and skills that a baby goes through and when it will happen. I want to be prepared so that I can have the house baby-proofed and the cameras ready! Especially since his daddy is in the Marines. I want to know what Sirus might begin to do, or already be doing, on the few occasions that Kevin will be home. Some of my questions are…

·         When do they understand the concept of grabbing ahold of objects?

                 o   When do they understand what a toy really is?

·         How many months old is a baby when they begin to crawl, sit up, walk, or run around?

                 o   Why do some babies develop faster in these areas than others?

·         When do babies begin to retain information, such as recognizing people’s faces?

                 o   When do they recognize people’s voices?

·         When do babies start to eat solid foods?

                 o   How long should a baby breastfeed for?

Isearch Background

            Babies are the one topic that I really know nothing about. Growing up, the only person I babysat was my brother who is only three years younger than me. I never babysat anyone else. There was no need for a babysitter because my aunts and uncles already had a daycare provider. I am the oldest cousin on my dad’s side of the family (rarely see my mom’s side) and, so, I have been around little kids. However, the youngest of the cousins, besides my younger half-brother, is only six years younger than me. That being said, I was only six when she was a baby. With my half-brother, he is nine years younger than me. I do remember him being a baby, but I wasn’t around a lot to see him grow up. The most I remember of him being a baby is crying, eating, and sleeping. This is pretty much how I thought of babies about a year ago. I was never really around babies as a kid, never babysat one, and never really talked about them. When I went to daycare, there were older babies and toddlers. I would watch them scream, throw stuff, cry, scream again, take a nap, and then scream some more. The daycare provider always seemed to be running around trying to satisfy the needs of each kid. I did not want to have a kid!

All that changed last year in September once I found out that I was pregnant. Given my experience with babies, I was skeptical on how I would take care of one. I looked back on all the experiences I saw with someone taking care of a baby, and tried to hold on to those memories for future assistance.  I read books, looked online, and talked to other moms. I tried gathering all the information I could, but I still didn’t feel ready to be a mom by the time I was in labor. I was scared, but everything seemed to come naturally. My maternal instincts kicked in. I am learning every day with my son, but I would like to learn more.

Graf #9 (Object)

             Right in the beginning, soon after Kevin and I started dating, he got a ’95 Chevy Blazer. We spent a lot of good memories with that Blazer. It gave us good times and bad times, dirty times and dirty (wink wink) times. We went to Hell and back with that vehicle; however, it was persistent and kept on trucking through all the chaos we put it through - even if we didn’t treat her right all the time.

            There were those times where we would cruise through the woods in no man’s land. Bottoming out on rocks, clipping trees, spinning out in wet mud, and somehow burning rubber on the small patch of tall grass we would find. That Blazer really took a beating when we went trail riding or mudding out in the woods! When it was just Kevin and I, after we were done our fun in the woods, we would decide to call it a night and just park in the middle of the woods, lay out the sleeping bag in the back (no backseat), and go to sleep.

            The woods weren’t the only beatings that Blazer took. One night in the middle of winter, we were headed back to my house. On the way to my house, there was a very steep hill. We started going down the hill and realized that there was a police vehicle stopped at the stop sign at the bottom of the hill. Kevin tried to slow down but the road was just glazed with ice. He was able to veer away from the cop before hitting it, but instead we crashed into a massive snow bank – almost flipping the Blazer sideways. The cop never noticed… Then, later that same winter, Kevin was dropping me off at my house. My landlord was plowing and didn’t see Kevin behind him and slammed into the vehicle causing $2500 in damage. The Blazer went out of commission for quite a while after that.

            I would always be looking for that grey Blazer. That Blazer meant Kevin was driving – which meant happiness. When I was having a bad day, I would be looking for that Blazer to come pick me up. When I was lonely, I would anxiously await that Blazer to pull into my driveway. When I was bored, I would be running out to that Blazer once spotting it. That Blazer, although we beat the shit out of it, meant a lot to me. It meant fun, comfort, and happiness – especially when Kevin put new front seats in so that I could sit right next to him with his arm around me. It was perfect.

 

Graf #8 (Reaction to Isearch Samples)

                When I saw the different samples of the Isearch projects, I was shocked to see that none of them were at least a five paragraph paper. When I did an Isearch project in high school, it was set up like a research paper. Yes, there were headings and subheadings, but we were expected to write paragraph after paragraph. I am glad to see how the Isearch is supposed to be set up. These people were obviously very interested in their projects and put a lot of time into them. I’m afraid that I won’t find the time I need to put into this project while juggling four other classes and a newborn baby. I knew this would be the case and I am determined to stick it through. My project is over a baby’s developmental stages and skills, so I will be able to learn while taking care of my baby. I think I will be able to do very well with my topic choice.

Graf #7 (Isearch Brainstorm/Topic Ideas)

                Concerning my topic of the developmental stages and skills of a baby, I am going to attempt (and hopefully succeed) to brainstorm a list of questions, angles, ideas, and possibilities that this topic could potentially have.

                When does a baby’s memory begin to retain information? When does a baby obtain hand-eye-coordination? When do they understand the concept of grabbing ahold of objects? When do they understand what a toy really is? Babies get lots of different toys. Some are rattles, stuffed animals, puzzles, blocks, different textured objects, and music makers. Is there a favorite among all babies or does each baby have their own taste? Do their own personalities begin once they are born? Does personality come from genes besides environmental factors? Babies crawl, sit up, and walk by their self before they reach their first year (I think). How many months old is the baby for each of these things? Some babies start to walk and talk earlier than other babies. What causes this to happen? Does it have to do with genetics or is it from the amount of encouragement they get? When do babies begin to speak? When can they start to use the toilet? Does this all have to do with the amount of encouragement they are given? What happens at three months of age? Four months? Six months? Kevin doesn’t get out of boot camp for another month. How long does it take a baby to enjoy being with someone new? Do they recognize faces now at two months of age? When do they recognize faces? Kevin talked to him all the time when I was pregnant. Would Sirus recognize his voice? Do babies recognize their father’s voice once they are out of the womb? Do babies like the foods you craved while pregnant? When can they start to eat solid foods? How does the mother differentiate between breast milk and solid food? What are the health benefits for breastfeeding? Does breastfeeding have a lot to do with the earlier development of babies compared to those babies who drink formula?

                Now that I have a broad range of questions, I have a better confidence that this project will get me to where I want to go. It will answer all those underlining questions I never knew I had. I am looking forward to researching this topic and learning more about what’s to come with my baby.

Graf #6 (Unique)

                What makes me unique? I’m 18 and engaged to an amazing man, Kevin, in Marine boot camp. We have a precious little boy together named Sirus. We wanted to be unique and pick a name that you never hear. Maybe it’s deeper down which makes me unique. I have always been the shoulder to cry on, the one to listen to your problems, the one to share secrets with, and the one who always had your back. I always hung out with my friends during my teenage years and partied, partied, partied! I lived each and every day to its fullest. My best friend, Dashiell, and I got matching sun tattoos at age 16. We both got in trouble with the law after getting cornered once out of many of our illegal ways. We always broke the rules. We snuck out late at night, hung out with guys we hardly knew, did things we probably shouldn't have, and did things we will never regret. We did what we wanted while disguised behind a mask of innocence. We were never suspected for doing anything wrong or bad, which is also what makes me unique. Deeper down to the core, you find that I have a bow and arrows in my closet, a .30-30 Winchester in the gun cabinet, mounted antlers from my first (and only) deer on the wall, and trophies from catching largest fish at fishing derbies on the shelf. The picture frames on the wall show my close relationship to family and friends. We always did things together: camping, swimming, fishing, and everyone always just hung out together. Concerning my appearances, I have a stud nose piercing, two ear piercings on each ear, and a scar on the corner of my right eye. Let’s just say that I’m glad little kids don’t play with metal Tonka trucks anymore. I also bear scars from my beloved German shepherd whom I rough-housed with all the time. This is what makes me unique. People who really know me would have lots of wild stories to share about me; meanwhile, the ones who don’t would say that I was just a quiet, shy, innocent girl in school. If only they really knew…

Graf #5 (Isearch Brainstorm Reaction)

            Seeing that list of words made me envy this person. They have such an ease of mind that they can easily list off whatever comes to mind first. Then from those words, they chose a topic. I was never taught how to brainstorm growing up in school. I have no idea how to do it. It seems ridiculous to me to just list off a bunch of random words. It seems foolish. My mindset has always been to think of a topic in your head and then go from there. However, I then second guess myself over every topic I choose. Is it appropriate? Will I be able to answer all my questions? What if I don’t find all my answers? I tried the brainstorming idea – didn’t work out too well. Instead, I just sat in bed trying to get my baby, Sirus, to sleep, when it suddenly came to me: What are the different developmental skills and stages of a baby?

Isearch Worksheet

What do you want to write about? 

Developmental skills and stages of a baby

What do you want to find out about your topic?

I want to know when babies begins to sit up on their own, crawl, walk, run, grab things, talk, etc…

What are your questions about the topic?

1. When are a baby’s eyes fully functional and can see everything?

2. How fast do babies gain hand-eye-coordination?

3. When do babies begin to form words?

4. What are the ages for when babies begin to crawl, sit up, stand, walk, and run?

5. When do they begin to learn how to use the toilet?

Subquestions?

1. How old are babies when they can recognize faces?

2. Why are some babies developmentally faster/slower than others?

3. What is the best way to encourage a baby to keep going?

How does the topic connect to your life? Don't say 'curious' or 'interesting.' Or don't stop there anyway....

                Besides taking care of my two month old baby boy, I have never had any other experience with a baby. I have no idea when these certain stages happen. I am very curious of when these things typically occur. Especially with my fiancé/his daddy in the Marines – I want to know what might happen when he is around.

Give three reasons you like the topic

1. It personally connects to me.

2. It is information that I would like to know being a new mother.

3. I can carry this information with me during the rest of Sirus’s baby years, and possibly for any future children.

Give three ways your life might change if you answer your questions

1. I will be better prepared for when these developmental skills happen.

2. I will become smarter in the role as a mother.

3. It may open a possible career in pediatrics.