Sleeping "Through the Night"

This morning the baby woke me up at 6:30 am. Actually, my bladder had awakened me at 5:14 am and I had been drifting in and out of sleep since then. At 6:30, when Rufflebutt had made it clear it was time for breakfast, I asked my wife, "Did she sleep this whole time, or did I just sleep through it?" No, she had slept through the night. Now, you non-parents out there might need a translation. When a parent of an infant says "Through the night," they mean at least five hours. Let me tell you, that five hours is bliss. I fed her and then we played until it was time to get the 2nd grader up. He is another story. It's near impossible to get him into bed, but once in it, he'll sleep three days if you let him. The other day, I woke up at 7:30 after a rough night and lamented the fact that I only had half an hour to get him up, coax him into getting dressed, and feed him. Then I heard some strange noises: Little feet coming up the stairs and dresser drawers opening--the sounds of someone getting dressed. Could it be? Was he getting up and getting dressed without any signs of world war three? This heavenly thought was fleeting, for I remembered that his brother, the kindergartener gets up every morning by himself and gets dressed with no pleadings or threats. If only he were the one going to school in the morning. Afternoon kindergarten is wasted on him.