PRESAS_JoachimRay_MIDTERM PROJECT FINISHED

MY LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT A MIDTERM PROJECT CREATED BY : JOACHIM PRESAS

MY LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT CREATED BY : JOACHIM PRESAS PRESAS, JOACHIM RAY A.

TABLE OF CONTENTS pre-natal 4-5 period 6-7 8-9 INFANCY 10-12 PERIOD EARLY CHILDHOOD MIDDLE AND LATE CHILDHOOD CONTENT BY : JOACHIM PRESAS PHOTOS CURATED BY: JOACHIM PRESAS DESIGN LAYOUT BY: jOACHIM PRESAS

pre - NATAL PERIOD II wwaass ccoonncceeiivveedd aarroouunndd tthhee mmoonntthh ooff JJuullyy aanndd ffoorrttuunnaatteellyy,, mmyy ppaarreennttss wweerree aabbllee ttoo ggoo tthhrroouugghh tthhee pprroocceessss ooff nnaattuurraall sseelleeccttiioonn ssuucccceessssffuullllyy,, wwhheerreeiinn,, tthheeyy wweerree bbootthh aabbllee ttoo lliivvee lloonngg eennoouugghh ttoo pprroodduuccee aann ooffffsspprriinngg aanndd ppaassss oonn tthheeiirr cchhaarraacctteerriissttiiccss ttoo ssuucchh ooffffsspprriinngg,, wwhhiicchh wwaass mmee!! AAss mmyy mmootthheerr oofftteenn rreeccaallllss,, hheerr pprreeggnnaannccyy wwiitthh mmee wwaass nnoott aa wwaallkk iinn tthhee ppaarrkk.. NNoo pprreeggnnaannccyy iiss eevveerr aann eeaassyy pprroocceessss,, bbuutt ttoo hheerr ppeerrssoonnaallllyy,, sshhee wwaass ssccaarreedd ddeessppiittee hheerr aanndd eevveerryyoonnee aarroouunndd hheerr bbeeiinngg ccoolllleeccttiivveellyy tthhrriilllleedd wwiitthh hheerr pprreeggnnaannccyy..77 wweeeekkss iinnttoo hheerr pprreeggnnaannccyy mmyy ppaarreennttss wweenntt ttoo tthhee ddooccttoorrss ttoo hhaavvee uullttrraassoouunndd ssoonnooggrraapphhyy ddoonnee wwhhiicchh iiss eesssseennttiiaallllyy iiss aa pprreennaattaall mmeeddiiccaall pprroocceedduurree wwhheerreeiinn hhiigghh-- ffrreeqquueennccyy ssoouunndd wwaavveess aarree ddiirreecctteedd ttoo tthhee pprreeggnnaanntt wwoommaann’’ss aabbddoommeenn tthhuuss ggeenneerraattiinngg aann iimmaaggee ooff tthhee ffeettuuss aanndd iittss iinntteerrnnaall ssttrruuccttuurreess.. IItt wwaass aa ssuucccceessssffuull pprroocceedduurree aanndd tthheeyy eevveenn ggoott ssoommee cclluueess aass ttoo wwhhaatt sseexx II aamm ccaatteeggoorriizzeedd wwiitthh.. MMyy mmootthheerr ttooookk ccaarree ooff hheerrsseellff aanndd mmee vveerryy wweellll iinn oorrddeerr ttoo hhaavvee aa ppoossiittiivvee bbiirrtthhiinngg pprroocceessss aanndd hhaavvee aa hheeaalltthhyy bbaabbyy aatt tthhee eenndd ooff tthhee 99--mmoonntthh pprreeggnnaannccyy.. SShhee eexxeerrcciisseedd aass aa wwaayy ttoo bbee aaccttiivvee aanndd hheeaalltthhyy.. SShhee aallssoo ttrriieedd hheerr bbeesstt ttoo eeaatt cclleeaann aanndd hhaavvee aa hheeaalltthhyy aanndd bbaallaanncceedd ddiieett.. WWhhiicchh ooff ccoouurrssee,, hheellppeedd hheerr pprreeggnnaannccyy pprroocceessss aanndd mmaaddee iitt aa lliittttllee bbiitt eeaassiieerr ffoorr hheerr.. TThhee ffaacctt tthhaatt sshhee wwaass ggooiinngg tthhrroouugghh pprreeggnnaannccyy wwiitthh mmyy aauunntt aanndd ssoommee ooff hheerr ffrriieennddss wwiitthh tthheeiirr rreessppeeccttiivvee pprreeggnnaanncciieess hheellppeedd aalllleevviiaattee hheerr mmeennttaallllyy aanndd eemmoottiioonnaallllyy.. AAss sshhee ssppeenntt ttiimmee wwiitthh ootthheerr pprreeggnnaanntt wwoommeenn tthheeyy wweerree aabbllee ttoo rreellaattee wwiitthh oonnee aannootthheerr wwhhiicchh tthheenn ccrreeaatteedd aa hheeaalltthhyy aanndd ppoossiittiivvee eennvviirroonnmmeenntt ffoorr bbootthh tthheemm aanndd tthheeiirr bbaabbiieess HHeerr pprreennaattaall ccaarree aaccttiivviittiieess oobbvviioouussllyy hheellppeedd ddeelliivveerr aa hheeaalltthhyy bbaabbyy!!

MMyy ddeevveellooppmmeenntt iinn tthhee wwoommbb wwaass ffoorrttuunnaatteellyy nnoorrmmaall aanndd ssaaffee.. II,, ooff ccoouurrssee,, wweenntt tthhrroouugghh tthhee tthhrreeee ppeerriiooddss ooff pprreennaattaall ddeevveellooppmmeenntt nnaammeellyy,, tthhee ggeerrmmiinnaall,, eemmbbrryyoonniicc,, aanndd ffeettaall ppeerriiooddss.. TThhee ggeerrmmiinnaall ppeerriioodd iiss eesssseennttiiaallllyy wwhheerree ffeerrttiilliizzaattiioonn ooccccuurrss,, ccrreeaatteess aa zzyyggoottee,, aanndd hhaappppeennss wwiitthhiinn tthhee ffiirrsstt 22 wweeeekkss ooff pprreeggnnaannccyy.. CCaann yyoouu bbeelliieevvee iitt?? II wwaass oonnccee aa ttiinnyy zzyyggoottee aanndd ffrroomm tthhaatt zzyyggoottee,, iitt bbeeccoommeess aa bbllaassttooccyysstt ffuullll ooffff cceellllss bbeeffoorree eesssseennttiiaallllyy bbeeccoommiinngg aann eemmbbrryyoo.. AAfftteerr tthhee ffiirrsstt ttwwoo wweeeekkss,, tthhee bbllaassttooccyysstt ((mmee)) aattttaacchheess aanndd iimmppllaannttss iittsseellff ttoo tthhee uutteerriinnee wwaallll aanndd oonnccee tthhaatt ooccccuurrss mmyy mmootthheerr aanndd II wweerree uusshheerreedd iinnttoo tthhee sseeccoonndd aacctt ooff tthhee pprreeggnnaannccyy ddeevveellooppmmeenntt,, tthhee eemmbbrryyoonniicc ppeerriioodd.. FFrroomm tthhaatt bbllaassttooccyysstt,, II tthheenn ttuurrnn iinnttoo aann eemmbbrryyoo aanndd tthhee tthhrreeee llaayyeerrss ooff cceellllss ssttaarrtt ttoo ffoorrmm.. NNooww,, tthheessee tthhrreeee llaayyeerrss aarree tthhee eemmbbrryyoo’’ss eennddooddeerrmm ((ttuurrnnss iinnttoo iinntteerrnnaall oorrggaannss)),, mmeessooddeerrmm ((oorrggaannss tthhaatt ssuurrrroouunndd tthhee iinntteerrnnaall oorrggaannss)),, aanndd eeccttooddeerrmm ((ssuurrffaaccee oorrggaannss)).. DDuurriinngg tthhiiss ttiimmee II wwaass aallssoo ffllooaattiinngg aarroouunndd tthhee aammnniioonn,, wwhhiicchh wwaass aa ssaacc tthhaatt ccoonnttaaiinneedd cclleeaarr fflluuiiddss,, mmyy mmootthheerr’’ss ppllaacceennttaa aanndd mmyy uummbbiilliiccaall ccoorrdd ssttaarrtteedd ttoo ddeevveelloopp ccoonnnneeccttiinngg mmee ttoo mmyy mmootthheerr’’ss ppllaacceennttaa.. BByy tthhiiss ppeerriioodd tthhee mmaajjoorr oorrggaannss hhaavvee aallrreeaaddyy ssttaarrtteedd ttoo ffoorrmm aanndd aarree ddeevveellooppiinngg aanndd tthhiiss iiss tthhee pprroocceessss ccaalllleedd oorrggaannooggeenneessiiss wwhhiicchh iitt iiss tthhee oorrggaann ffoorrmmaattiioonn tthhaatt ttaakkeess ppllaaccee wwiitthhiinn tthhee ffiirrsstt 22 mmoonntthhss ooff pprreeggnnaannccyy.. SSoo aatt tthhaatt ttiimmee,, II wwaass ffoorrmmiinngg!! AAnndd oonnccee tthhaatt hhaappppeenneedd mmyy mmootthheerr aanndd II wweerree uusshheerreedd ttoo tthhee lloonnggeesstt aanndd ffiinnaall ppeerriioodd ooff pprreeggnnaannccyy wwhhiicchh wwaass tthhee ffeettaall ppeerriioodd.. TThhiiss ppeerriioodd ssppaannnneedd ffrroomm tthhee 33rrdd mmoonntthh uupp ttoo tthhee llaasstt mmoonntthh ooff pprreeggnnaannccyy,, tthhee ffeettaall ppeerriioodd.. MMyy ggrroowwtthh aanndd ddeevveellooppmmeenntt ccoonnttiinnuueedd tthheeiirr vveerryy ddrraammaattiicc ttrraannssffoorrmmaattiioonn aass mmyy mmootthheerr aanndd II wwaass iinncchhiinngg cclloosseerr aanndd cclloosseerr ttoo mmyy bbiirrtthh ddaattee.. OOnn tthhee tthhiirrdd ooff MMaarrcchh aatt 55::3300 iinn tthhee eeaarrllyy mmoorrnniinngg,, II wwaass bboorrnn!! AA hheeaalltthhyy aanndd hheeaavvyy bbaabbyy bbooyy wwiitthh aa lloott ooff hhaaiirr((aaccccoorrddiinngg ttoo mmyy mmootthheerr aanndd tthhee nnuurrsseess II aallrreeaaddyy hhaadd aa lloott ooff hhaaiirr oonn mmyy hheeaadd )).. HHoowweevveerr,, iinn oorrddeerr ffoorr mmee ttoo bbee hheerree,, pprrooppss ttoo mmyy mmootthheerr ffoorr ggooiinngg tthhrroouugghh tthhee tthhrreeee ssttaaggeess ooff ggiivviinngg bbiirrtthh.. IItt wwaass aa nnoorrmmaall aanndd nnaattuurraall bbiirrtthhiinngg pprroocceessss aass sshhee uunnddeerrwweenntt tthhee hhaarrddeesstt aanndd tthhee lloonnggeesstt bbiirrtthhiinngg ssttaaggee,, tthhee ffiirrsstt ssttaaggee,, wwhheerree tthhee ccoonnttrraaccttiioonnss bbeeggiinn aanndd bbeeccoommee mmoorree ffrreeqquueenntt ffoorr mmee ttoo mmaakkee wwaayy iinnttoo mmyy mmootthheerr’’ss bbiirrtthh ccaannaall ffrroomm hheerr uutteerruuss aanndd ssiinnccee mmyy mmootthheerr wwaass hhaavviinngg hheerr ffiirrsstt pprreeggnnaannccyy,, tthhiiss llaasstteedd ffoorr aabboouutt 66 ttoo 1122 hhoouurrss.. AAss mmyy hheeaadd mmoovveess tthhrroouugghh mmyy mmootthheerr’’ss cceerrvviixx aanndd tthhee bbiirrtthh ccaannaall,, tthhee sseeccoonndd bbiirrtthh ssttaaggee bbeeggiinnss.. WWiittcchh eeaacchh ccoonnttrraaccttiioonn,, mmyy mmootthheerr wwaass ppuusshhiinngg mmee ddoowwnn oouutt ooff hheerr bbooddyy aanndd bbyy tthhee ttiimmee mmyy hheeaadd iiss oouutt ooff tthhee bbooddyy,, tthhee ccoonnttrraaccttiioonnss bbeeccoommee mmoorree ffrreeqquueenntt aanndd ssttrroonnggeerr wwhhiicchh wwiillll tthheenn aallllooww uuss ttoo ggoo tthhrroouugghh tthhee ffiinnaallee,, tthhee sshhoorrtteesstt bbiirrtthhiinngg ssttaaggee,, tthhee aafftteerrbbiirrtthh.. AAnndd aafftteerr tthhee ppoopp,, tthhee ppllaacceennttaa,, uummbbiilliiccaall ccoorrddss aarree tthheenn ddeettaacchheedd ffrroomm mmyy bbooddyy.. EEvveerryyoonnee wwaass tthhrriilllleedd aanndd eexxcciitteedd.. DDeessppiittee tthhee vveerryy ddaauunnttiinngg rreeaalliittyy tthhaatt mmyy mmootthheerr aanndd ffaatthheerr wweerree ffiinnaallllyy ppaarreennttss bbyy tthhee ttiimmee II wwaass bboorrnn.. MMyy mmootthheerr’’ss ppoossttppaarrttuumm ppeerriioodd wwaass ddiiffffiiccuulltt,, jjuusstt lliikkee aannyy ootthheerr wwoommaann wwhhoo rreecceennttllyy ggaavvee bbiirrtthh.. HHoowweevveerr,, sshhee ddiidd nnoott eexxppeerriieennccee aannyy wweeiirrdd ssyymmppttoommss ooff ppoossttppaarrttuumm ddeepprreessssiioonn.. SShhee wwaass aabbllee ttoo aaddjjuusstt mmeennttaallllyy,, aanndd pphhyyssiiccaallllyy wwiitthhiinn tthhaatt ppeerriioodd aanndd ccaammee oouutt ssuucccceessssffuullllyy wweellll aanndd hheeaalltthhyy.. DDeessppiittee iitt bbeeiinngg ddiiffffiiccuulltt aanndd ssttrreessssffuull aatt ffiirrsstt,, bbootthh mmyy ddaadd aanndd sshhee wweerree aabbllee ttoo ccoommee oouutt ooff tthhee ppoossttppaarrttuumm ppeerriioodd wweellll aanndd ookkaayy aanndd tthhaatt wwaass bbeeccaauussee ooff tthhee hheellpp ooff mmyy ggrraannddmmootthheerrss aanndd tthhee eennvviirroonnmmeenntt mmyy ppaarreennttss aanndd II wweerree iinn.. TThheerree wweerree aa lloott ooff sslleeeepplleessss nniigghhttss aanndd ssoommee ffiigghhttss hheerree aanndd tthheerree bbuutt mmyy ppaarreennttss pprreevvaaiilleedd aanndd ccrreeaatteedd aa ssttaabbllee aanndd hheeaalltthhyy bboonndd wwiitthh mmee tthhrroouugghh bboonnddiinngg!!

As I look back to picture frames, albums, photo books, and other memorabilia, I looked like a happy infant. So well-taken care of, peaceful, and privileged. I weighed around 7 pounds. Healthy, smiley, but quiet. That was what my parents and caretakers told me. Everything back then felt like a blur, I do not remember anything at all, which is funny because I was at a point in my life where I was unable to understand anything or know anything at all. Very amusing to me of course. However, with the help of my mother’s memory and pictures, I am able to have a mid-average grasp of what my life was like when I was an infant. Like I said as an infant, I do not recall that much as I was still, inchoate and still had to go through a lengthy process of development for me to be fully aware and be mature enough to form coherent thoughts and actions. However, that may be because I was sleeping a lot. Well, that is what I assumed myself to be doing when I was an infant. Sleeping takes up an infant’s life. Well, according to my parents I slept a lot and even mentioned that I was an infant who was easy to be put to sleep. My parents told me I was a peaceful sleeper and did not have any problems with going to sleep. Which could be linked and fully credited to my mother’s healthy lifestyle and good health status while she was pregnant with me. Through the pictures I have seen, I always shared a bed with my parents/caretaker when I was asleep. This is the concept of shared sleeping, where I shared my bed with my parents which was fun to look back into since in the pictures, they would always hover above me whilst I was asleep. Like normal infants, my growth was episodic and had no complications up until I accidentally slipped and hit my head on the cemented floor at 1 year and 10 months old. I was admitted to the hospital and it was found that I had a swollen right lobe of the brain which was found through EEG and had seizures for three weeks. I was on anti-seizure medications for the next three months and underwent the process of EEG every month within the three-month period. As for my nutritional needs and eating behavior, it was all normal. The process of nourishment and sucking of milk from my mother’s breast was from when I was a baby to when I was near the end of my 4th month alive on Earth. INFANCY, YOU !

INFANCY, YOU ! By the time I hit 2 years old, I started to drink milk from bottles. When I was an infant my mother said that I would suck anything when an object was placed in my mouth or near my mouth and this is a reflex called a sucking reflex which apparently was very common to me when I was at that age. As for my activities as an infant, I did not do much until they thought me how to walk at the right age. This might be with the help of my perception and senses. This can be linked to the Dynamic Systems theory, where I, as an infant and my environment, at the time helped me build my motor skills and act and use my perceptions as I start reaching my goals as an infant (learning how to walk, move). As an infant, I was fine with being held by anybody. I was a baby that was passed around by many people every day. From people in my family to daily visitors of my grandparents, to my aunt’s friends, and many more. I did not really show many tantrums whenever my parents would pass me around or leave for work and I think it is safe to say I was a securely attached baby to my caretaker /parents but I was very jolly and obedient and liked being held by a lot of people! I was told that I was an easy infant/ toddler. I did not complain much, I was quiet and calm most of the time. And whenever I was misbehaving, all they had to do was turn on MYX and I would stop fussing around and get quiet. I would sleep easily and most of the time always put on a smile and was joyous. I was probably what an easy temperament infant/toddler was but I don’t think my parents knew at the time. My days of being an infant are over as I developed and got older. The joyous, easy temperament, the smiley baby is now constantly unhappy and miserable, despite that, I am relieved that I was an easy infant to my caretakers and my parents.

My early childhood days were always fun to EARLY remember even if I do not remember a lot, I just have this sense of feeling that it was fun CHILDHOOD and joyous and I felt like it truly was. As shown in the picture, I looked innocent and mischievous at the same time. Unfortunately, I do not fully remember what I was like back then but through pictures and hearing the accounts of my caretakers and parents, I have a small idea of what I was truly like during my early childhood. Well for one, I watched a lot of television. These would include teleseryes, Disney channel, and of course, MYX. What I was exposed to and my media consumption of course affected the way I interacted with the people around me. My parents said I was very intuitive. Always asking what's and why's despite being very young. This would of course fall into the Intuitive Thought substage under Piaget's Preoperational Stage.

My mom said she got tired and stressed out by the number of questions I used to ask her which I find amusing because I do notice kids asking A LOT of questions and being very imaginative. I did not really have a lot of playmates that were around my age, so my older cousins took me in and played a lot with me! I was the youngest and the new one to the family so I did enjoy my time with them. I was also able to bond with my cousin who was a year younger than me and in many of my pictures throughout my early, middle and late childhood, we were inseparable. Because of the interaction, I got family- wise and the interaction I got in school, that kind of shaped the way I presented myself to my family members, friends, people, etc. I was not a shy child during my early childhood. I was all over the place and that is linked to the theory of Vygotsky, where the cognitive development of a child is driven by the kind and amount of social interaction they got. My parents were authoritative with me. They were strict at the same time they gave me the right amount of liberty which helped shaped me to become the person I am today. This worksheet was really enjoyable for me despite not being able to recall much about it. I really appreciate and value the input my parents have told me about my early childhood self. I never would have thought it was this nice to remember and write about the past and incorporate them with the knowledge have today. I truly thank my cousins, parents, caretakers, and friends who have made my early childhood enjoyable and melancholic!

MIDDLE LATE & CHILDHOOD My middle and late childhood. I frankly remember too much, I really don’t know where to start. That phase of my life felt so long. I felt like so many things happened during that time that well, had a hand in shaping my beliefs, principles, outlook, attitude towards myself and other people, and life in general. It was truly a whirlwind of new emotions, new activities, and new experiences that felt more…real. To begin, I was one of the tallest boys in class. They would always put me at the back with other tall people (both boys & girls). In pictures, I was always placed at the back, at the time I did not know growing taller pertained to human development. I just assumed it was because of the constant drinking of cherifer and growee syrups. Aside from the height growing, my weight changed immensely. I got bigger and chubby. Because of that, my parents enrolled me in almost every sport available. Swimming, Taekwondo, Basketball, Badminton, Tennis, and during my late childhood, trained in running. It was safe to say my gross and fine motor skills worked normally and were much smoother than when I was in my early childhood phase. One would say that would make me into a sporty child. But no, I dreaded every time I had to do any of those. Especially running and circuit training, which I actually miss the most now. I hated all of it, I just wanted to stay at my grandma’s house, eat food and watch Disney! Because of being constantly enrolled in many sports, I later realized my parents did it to keep me fit and thin. And because of that, I now have really bad body image issues which resulted in me doing very unhealthy habits in the future during my adolescence. I personally think I was a hard kid. Oftentimes, I threw tantrums around most people during my middle childhood. I did have bad behavior, I admit. I was very immature and childish and I would always get reprimanded by my parents or any authoritative figure around. I don’t know exactly if I had emotional and behavioral disorders, or it was just the by-product of being a very very spoiled baby. However, I did have people ask my parents if I had autism which was damaging on me personally because I had a very shallow and stigmatized mindset on autism. I thought that even if I was not autistic, people thought I was and felt like there was something wrong with it.

MIDDLE LATE & CHILDHOOD In terms, of my education, I went to a good private school. I feel so privileged saying that, but I just wanted to be honest since this is about me. It was a very hard, rigid, and strict school that upheld high standards in both academics and personality. It was also a Direct Instruction Approach since there was a teacher that directed and had control over their students, higher standards, and expectations for students and basically helped me as a student to maximize my talents. All throughout my 12-year stay in that school, I had learned plenty of values and lessons but that was only when I was in JHS and SHS. During my elementary years, I always had a hard time in Mathematics. That was the only subject I had the most struggle with. I constantly went to tutorials every after-school from 4th grade to 11th grade. However, I may be bad at math, but I did well with everything else, especially when it came to debates, declamations, and overall just presenting in front of an audience. I had good public speaking skills despite being very young, I was good with checking up on the thoughts and emotions I had and was always pleasing to the people I interacted with that were outside of my family of course, mostly with my peers and teachers. This was during my late childhood when I was a little bit grown and more mature than my middle childhood self. This is where I would like to bring in Howard Gardner’s 8 frames of mind/intelligence. I may have been lacking in mathematical intelligence, but I am verbally, interpersonally, intrapersonally intelligent. And because of that, I was always supported by my parents with almost every school activity or outside school activity where it asked me to speak in public or in front of an audience or work behind articles since I loved to write too and has been praised for my writing skills (before, I do not know about now). Looking back at it, I can relate this now to Erickson’s 4th theory, which is Industry vs Initiative, since they have always been supportive of me with both the things I was very good at and the things that I lacked in.

MIDDLE LATE & My m iddle and late childhood was the CHILDHOOD very last time I saw my grandparents happy and healthy. Later in my adolescence, they passed away due to stress which I will expound more on later on in the next worksheets. So remembering that that was the very last time I got to experience their love physically and emotionally, made me sad a little, and to be honest, am tearing up as I write the last paragraph. I apologize for going on another tangent with this, but to conclude everything that has been said, my middle and late childhood was a whirlwind. Old me would say a whirlwind of good and bad, but now I would just characterize it as a whirlwind of mostly good since life does get as one gets older. I am happy to say that I had an amazing middle and late childhood and am very thankful for that.