We Four Bells: Prescott Masimo at Five Weeks ...

Prescott is just over five weeks old and growing fast... literally. At his two week checkup he had grown over .6 kgs (1.3 lbs - from 7lb 10oz to 9lbs). At four weeks he had gained nearly another kg (about 2 lbs - to almost 11lbs). For his slow start before birth, he is rapidly making up for lost time.

People from the US often ask if Prescott is a good baby, I never know how to answer that question. I think he is the perfect baby (not that I'm biased or anything) but he can be a bit ... um... determined (some say fussy or grumpy, but I think determined is more accurate). As this is my first baby, I have no experience to draw from in making that judgment but my neighbors (who hear his crying) say, 'Oh, that baby, he loves to cry too much.' When I'm walking down the street it is not uncommon to hear some adult loudly imitating a baby's cry, 'Ahhh-ee-Ahhh-ee Ahhh' (it usually sounds very much like Prescott's scream/cry). When I turn to look they laugh and wave. He certainly doesn't cry all the time, but he isn't afraid to make sure we know that he wants something or is just unhappy.

Prescott is also very alert for his age (or so everyone tells me). Unless he is about to fall asleep, he won't lie on his back - he wants to be sitting up so he can look around. As early as three weeks he could spend an hour or more with his eyes wide open gazing around the room. He doesn't like to be cuddled or held close unless he is sleepy and (much to my disappointment) usually won't stay in my sling for more than a few minutes unless he is about to fall asleep - he finds it too confining.

People also tell me that Prescott is very strong for his age. By three weeks he could use his legs to push himself up to standing with only help for balance and head support. Now when standing he grips our fingers for balance but can hold himself erect (although his head gets tired and starts to wobble after 5 or 10 seconds). If on his stomach he can hold his head up for quite a while and will turn it to look around. He doesn't like lying on his stomach very much and kicks his legs frantically trying to get into a different position. A week or two ago he started straining his legs to one side while kicking, trying to roll over.

He is a fairly average sleeper. Last night I was able to sleep 4.5 hours in a row (a new record) but it is usually between 1.5 and 3.5 hours - usually the longest period at the beginning of the night and then shorter and shorter periods as morning comes.

I wouldn't say he has started to smile intentionally yet. At times when I am playing with him he will give more of a smile than he used to - it looks like he wants to smile - but it isn't a full-on conscious smile.

Jon and I are both loving parenthood (although it is much more time consuming than we expected). Can't wait to introduce Prescott to many of you soon when we are in the US!