37 weeks and 4 days
Monday, 24th March 2008 by Julie
Today Jonathan is 37 weeks and 4 days old. Not a particularly significant milestone to anyone except us I suppose. But we know that Jonathan’s (thoretical) gestation period was 37 weeks and 4 days!
So as of today, he has been out here in the world for as long as he was inside me.
In that time he’s turned into an an amazing little chap who we love to bits.
He’s always had a very happy, easy-going disposition; these days reflected more and more in big happy grins, and an infectious laugh which can be triggered by the simplest of things. (Just having Tom in the room is often enough!)
And he’s a real flirt when the camera comes out. 
The last big milestone we saw was sitting. Since then, young Jon has been refining his balance during many happy hours of sitting and playing with a variety of toys.
He’s got amazing flexibility in those little legs and has been witnessed getting into a lying-on-his-front position purely by leaning forwards far enough from sitting up!
These days, once on his front, he shows a surprising lack of ability to roll over onto his back. (This used to be one of his most rapid-fire party tricks!)
Instead there is much frustrated wiggling back and forth which usually culminates in him collapsing, panting, in tears of exhaustion, and a sympathetic parent flipping him over onto his back.
The sweet baby burblings, of which we hear a lot, sometimes also work themselves into long strings of bah-bah-bah’s and, more recently, dah-dah-dah’s. Very encouraging for Mom and Dad! 
Day by day, Jon’s figuring out more and more about his hand co-ordination. Tom spotted him clapping a few days back, which was ever so cute.
He’s also become astonishingly adept at using his hands to parry unwelcome parental advances on his face. Something that makes
once-simple tasks (administering eyedrops, blowing his nose, cleaning his face) require a whole new level of skill (or an extra hand)!
On the feeding front, our little fellow tends to take just about anything.
He’s mastered finger foods but not what they call the “pincer grip” (thumb and forefinger grasping of things). This tends to leave him with a soggy fistful of whatever it was he was eating, which he’ll happily suck at through his clenched fingers if he wants it badly enough.
And, er, he’s not a tidy eater per se…
Jonathan has great affection for a variety of toys which share his bed.
He’s still a brilliant sleeper who is generally thrilled to go to bed and play with his toys. Chattering and laughing away in complete darkness for ages some nights…
And lastly, I do love the way he prefers to recline with his ankles crossed. So wonderfully, unaffectedly nonchalant.
Our gorgeous, charming, amusing little guy… It’s been such a pleasure getting to know you.
