Bodysnatcher

Just so you don't worry too much, we have not found a replacement body for any of us growing in the basement or in a greenhouse. There, now you can read this post without worrying. But, we might as well have, because we are beginning to think that Ben is not our child. We have a couple of reasons for thinking this:

1) He wakes up happy. Now, I realize that perhaps that is true for most babies, but not for ours. Josh used to go from sleeping to screaming in 0.0 seconds. Not an exaggeration. Michael used to take a few minutes to rev up to a full scream after his nap - and I thought that was both normal and a relief from the Josh years. Ben, on the other hand, will often wake up and lie there squirming with glee until you come and get him. After our first two, this almost seems abnormal.

2) He sleeps through the night sometimes. Last night he slept from 9:30p to 7a. Un.be.liev.able. Josh never slept through the night on his own. He didn't sleep through the night until we let him cry it out at 9 months. In fact, some nights Jason would get up about every 10 minutes to put the pacifier back in Josh's mouth. Also not an exaggeration. I have very few memories of Josh's first year - it is a gray, hazy period in my mind. (Although, I think I have repressed some of it and had PTSD.) Michael also woke up frequently until 6 months when we let him cry it out. I have some memories of Michael as a baby, but still feel like their are large gaps. I may actually remember Ben's infancy with fondness.