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Prenatal Development: Germinal period
First I went through the germinal period where the blastocyst separated into the placenta. -
Prenatal Development: Embryonic Period
Next was the embryonic period where the blastocyst became an embryo. -
Prenatal Development: Fetal period
And finally the fetal period, where I formed all of my body parts and prepared to enter the world. -
Birth: Weight and Length
My birthday! At birth I weighed 8 pounds, 11 ounces and measured 22 inches long. -
First two years: Biosocial
I doubled my weight in my first six months putting me in the 90th percentile amongst other babies my own age. I slept 15 hours a day, and co-slept with parents which meant I awoke several times a night. My head was disproportionate to my body, Gross motor skills & fine motor skills developed at 6 months. I learned to walk at 14 months and self feed after breastfeeding. I recognized language characteristics as my brain developed. -
First two years: Cognitive
I experienced the 6 stages of sensorimotor intelligence by playing pat-a-cake, active experimenting, making mental combinations. My first word was "mama" at 13 months and first multiword sentence was muttered at 22 months. -
First two years: Psychosocial
At 9 months I experienced separation anxiety, I learned self awareness, and practiced trust in order to satisfy my basic needs. My temperament was calm and content. Due to proximal parenting I was compliant to my mom & dad. My social referencing occurred with my mom, whom I learned to obey and respect. I didn't spend as much time with my dad as he worked, where my mom stayed at home to care for me every day. -
Play years: Cognitive
I attended pre-school at this age where I learned through guided participation. It was a teacher directed program that emphasized step by step learning and repetition. My word bank increased to 1,000 words and I learned concepts such as conservation, where the same amount of water is put into different size containers. -
Play years: Biosocial
My weight stayed fairly light but my height soared high above my peers. I became a left-handed, somewhat clumsy 6 year old. I did manage to learn shoe tying, how to ride my bike, and draw stick figured pictures. I was a picky eater, mostly enjoying comfort foods such as macaroni & cheese, spaghetti, and breakfast food. -
Play years: Psychosocial
Through authoritative parenting, I was taught to follow rules but also to communicate with my parents. I discovered gender differences; I played a lot of make believe, pretending to be a mom, or a doctor, or a receptionist at a store. I had boy cousins who would play husband -wife make believe with me too, which helped me define my feminine role. My emotions seemed to be steadier now and my self esteem was quite high. I was set out to become an Olympic swimmer. -
School years: Biosocial
Childhood obesity is common during this time. I was fortunate to be tall and lanky, so weight was never an issue for me. My growth rate slowed but my muscles became stronger, which helped me to win a state championship in competitive swimming. I also became an aunt for the first time when my older sister had her first child. -
School years: Cognitive
I attended a primary school, where the phonics approach was how I learned to read. My language expanded with understanding metaphors, prefixes, suffixes, and compound words. I began to recognize the pragmatic use of language, being able to communicate with varied audiences in different contexts. -
School years: Psychosocial
My peers are very important during this time. It seems I counted on them to be loyal and helpful more I have in the past. My family life was very influential; stability was a big deal to me. I often felt terrified when my parents argued that they would get divorced. And many nights I awoke with terrible dreams of one of my parents dying. I was able to cope with my stress through my friends and through my church, where my social network was formed. -
Adolescence: Biosocial
I was 15 when I started my period and when I finally learned about puberty. I continued to grow taller and now I was much taller than my friends and most boys my same age. My secondary sex characteristics were slow to develop, leaving me tall, very think and small breasted. My hormones were in full swing. I had several boyfriends with a lot of drama that went along with it. -
Adolescence: Psychosocial
Identity issues, confused about goals or beliefs, My last brother left for college, moved from my childhood home, broke up with longtime boyfriend. -
Adolescence: Cognitive
I was very self centered; always thinking my parents should be paying more attention to me. I felt slighted by my friends and pretty much thought the world revolved around me! The learning part of school became boring; I was more concerned about the social part as well as dreaming big about winning the Olympics in swimming. With my driver's license and cell phone I thought I was invincible and was set out to conquer the world. -
Emerging adulthood: Biosocial
After several attempts at relationships, I ended up marrying a long time friend of my childhood. We dated for 4 years and didn't live together before we got married. Thanks to a strong sex drive during these years, we were able to have five beautiful children. Healthy eating became a huge priority for me and my family; I experienced being a vegetarian for some time. -
Emerging adulthood: Cognitive
My religious beliefs became stronger. We attended church weekly and our children attended Sunday school. Having children humbled me in ways that made be better able to get along with others. I wasn't so dramatic and could better reason with myself and those around me. The hardships were less dramatic and handled with more control. -
Emerging adulthood: Psychosocial
It was during this time I was able to make wiser decisions and we started a business. The huge responsibilities brought on anxiety as well as financial and marital stress. I relied heavily on stronger friendships, people who were supportive of me and who I could trust. -
Adulthood: Biosocial
Brain cells are beginning to be lost; signs of aging such as loss of acuity in hearing and vision are starting to happen. Hormone levels are shifting, leading to menopause. Financial stress continues to be a burden with the high costs of raising a family. -
Adulthood: Cognitive
Because of more life experiences, intelligence is altered to make better choices. Balance is maintained by finding ways to compensate for my physical and cognitive losses. Finding activities that I am capable of doing are important at this time. -
Adulthood: Psychosocial
This is an important time to focus on intimacy in my marriage and my relationships with my children. Being open, agreeable, and conscientious are factors to consider when approaching this age. Finding contentment and avoiding mid life crisis will be a priority for me. -
Late adulthood: Biosocial
Now I will see restrictions in my bodily functions and changes in my appearance. People will consider me elderly and will treat me as such. I will probably hear baby talk again and hear people speaking in very high volume to me. Most will treat me with respect and be very gentle with me. -
Late adulthood: Cognitive
Now I will be experiencing memory loss as blood flow decreases to my brain. Doing a life review will help me to feel a sense of achievement. Dementia or Alzheimers may come, causing me to speak and act out of character. -
Late adulthood: Psychosocial
Depending on my mental state retirement may be golden and my marriage could be blissful. I will be counting on both physical and social help from my adult children. It is now that I will be planning and preparing for my death and figuring out how my assets and valuables will be divided amongst my family. -
Death & Dying
I predict to die in 2052 at 78 years old. My church will follow their typical rituals for mourning and religious beliefs. My body will be in a very peaceful and content state. And I pray that my soul will be free from all sin and trials, and be safe in heaven eternal with my dear Savior, Jesus Christ!
