Baby Research Subject

Olivia's funny quote of the week: While taking off her shoes, she said, "Oooh, stinky diaper feet!" Another funny thing Olivia has been saying lately takes place when she wants us to turn on the radio. She says, "Yucas on." This means "Music on." I'm not quite sure why she substitutes a y for the m, or reverses the last two consonants. Sophia has been participating in a research study for bi-polar and schizophrenia. After she was born, I got a letter in the mail asking if I was interested in having her participate in this study. It sounded kind of interesting, and they pay me $30 each time I go. The pay averages out to about $20 an hour, which is pretty good for an unemployed lady like me. Anyway, most of the study is done while she's asleep. They put 7 electrodes on her face and head, and then I'm supposed to figure out how to get her to sleep. Not only do I have to get her to sleep, but I'm supposed to keep her asleep for more than 30 minutes. They need 15 minutes of REM time, and I understand it takes at least 15 minutes to get to the REM stage. The first time we tried we didn't quite make it. She only slept for about 20 minutes. Part of the problem is that I'm holding her. We got all sweaty. I have a hard time sitting still that long, and because she falls asleep so easily I rarely hold her while she sleeps. We've had 3 appointments so far, and tomorrow is our last one until she's 6 months old. The next sessions are at 12 months and 18 months. I'd try to explain what they're trying to determine with the study, but I'm afraid I wouldn't do a very good job. It has to do with trying to determine if an infant is likely to end up with schizophrenia or bi-polar as an adult. I'm glad we're doing it, but I'm also glad we only have a few more sessions left. At least this gives me something to talk about at parties since I don't have any work stories to tell. People don't usually want to hear about how many diapers I changed that day, or how hard I had to scrub to get the dried up applesauce off of the chair leg.