For example, he sleeps about 18 hours a day, including an 11- to 12-hour stretch overnight.

When he is awake, he's perfectly happy to lay on his back on the floor and coo at his toys. Or to sit in his swing and coo at his toy bears. Or to hang out in his vibrating bouncy seat and coo at his toy fish or singing toy monkey. Or to lay on his tummy, with his head whipped up and -- this will surprise you -- coo at his reflection in his tummy-time toy.

And when he's tired, we take him upstairs to his crib, lay him down and -- I'm dead serious here, people -- he goes to sleep. By himself. With a minimum of fussing, or, about half the time, no fussing at all.

Where did this child come from? Did he read some sort of "How to be a Baby" manual before he came out? And how did Sam miss getting her tiny hands on a copy when she was in utero?

I'm not sure how such a laid-back personality will fit into our family in the long term. I mean, many adjectives have been used to describe my husband and me. I can guarantee you "laid-back" was not ever, and will never be, one of them.

But does this mean Noah will always be so calm? Or is he just lying in wait, biding his time until he's 2 or 3 -- or, worse yet, 12 or 13 -- and will then unleash some new, intense, tantrum-throwing, back-talking, kid-biting personality?

But for now, he's just so freaking cute and sweet (and drooly, but that's another topic altogether). I'm trying to take advantage of being able to smooch him and love him up while he's still unable to push me away or say something awful like, "Ew, Mom, stop hugging me!"

Are any of your kids laid-back and easy-going? Were they always that way?

And, by the way, no, you can't have him. He's mine. *smile*