Babies Sleep Funny

This morning Ellie fell fast asleep on my shoulder. I carried her, a limp sack of potatoes, to her bedroom and put her in her crib. As soon as she hit the mattress she rolled onto her left side and stuck her legs straight out in front of her, perfectly stiff, still asleep.

I went immediately to my bed and tried the same pose. Lying on my side, legs stiff and stuck out at 90* from the rest of my body. A good hamstring stretch, but not a comfortable way to sleep.

I also don't wake up in the night to find myself lying on my stomach with all my legs and arms tucked underneath me, bum high in the air.

Nor do I sleep in the center of my bed, spread eagle. Or splayed out like a frog (with no hip joints). Or twisted in the middle with my neck cocked at an awkward angle and my legs sticking out between the crib bars. And I simply can't make my body do one of Ellie's current favorite positions: flat on my belly with one foot up by my face.

I do sometimes stick one arm straight up in the air, but I'm usually half awake when I do that. What can I say; it's comfortable. So I guess I can't be too critical of babies.