Don't worry, we've already saved up for therapy

So, way back when we were still just pregnant, our friends Rick and Wen-Fei Uva told us about a DVD called The Baby Human. It was a compilation of programs that ran on the Discovery Channel and included footage of infants being experimented on to figure out how they learn to talk, walk and interact with the world around them.

It was completely fascinating. And, of course, Preston and I were both intensely curious about two things. First, who knew there were all these people doing experiments on babies? Second, where do they get the babies to experiment on?

You see where this is going, right? A few weeks back Preston and I got a letter in the mail from St. John's University. They were conducting an experiment involving infants. Would we like to participate?

Would we! After sending back the form we got a call from St. John's. The experiment was simple. They wanted to put a mobile over her crib and then tie a ribbon to her foot. When she kicks her foot, the mobile moves. They do this over three days, then come back in a week to see if she learned the connection between the kicking and the mobile moving.

It was all very fascinating. Today was the final session, so I made a video. Check it out:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLd8MlJW3jI&rel=0&color1=0xcc2550&color2=0xe87a9f&border=1&hl=en]

She did learn the trick. Actually, it was funny. When we put her in the crib and she saw the colored bumpers being put up around her she started to smile and get excited. She clearly remembered the game.

Of course Preston and I are prepared for the conversation when she is fifteen. "You did what??"

It was worth it.