Not sure what the definition should be, but we were told from the being how impressed everyone was with DD's alertness. She was a C-section baby and helped deliver herself which freaked the doctor out. He had never experienced anything like that and being the head of the department he has delivered many infants. The nurses adored her because she was alert and active during the two days we were there. I remember laughing at one of the nurses who was gushing over DD and saying that you probably tell everyone that. She assured me they don't and my DD was different. Different how? I really didn't know.
DD was also a baby who never slept. She took cat naps and was up after 15 minutes ready to go. It was as if she was afraid she would miss out. At her 2 week check up the doctor was shocked at her self soothing abilities. When she laid her on the table DD was not happy about it but cooed herself out of the crying that was soon to follow.
We also noticed her attention span was lengthy and I have to consider this as part of alertness. She would recognize individuals and expect patterns such as when we visited my mom and grandmother. My grandmother would always reach out to hold her first but when DD was around 2 months my grandmother decided my mom should get the first cuddle time. This did not set well with DD and she became very upset. She looked confused by the whole experience. LOL
OH and during her first few weeks of her life she was consistently frowning. It really concerned me but I came to realize it was her way of focusing her eyes because she wanted to see everything. Once her eyes were fully functional her frowns went away.
I remember describing her as an old soul. There was just something in her eyes that looked like she knew things. This intensity that you could not escape ... if that makes sense.
