Lex has a lot of energy. More energy than we think he should have at this age. He enjoys playing about in the world much more than he enjoys taking his naps, but at the cost of crankiness.

Here is a shot of me bouncing Lex on an exercise ball while he “rests” in the Bjorn. He kept staring straight up at me and smiling brightly as if to say, “Look how cute I am. Why would you think I need a nap? Now, dance monkey boy!”

We’ve lost count of how many times Lex has scratched himself. His nails grow fast!

No pictures to post, but just thought I’d mention that today was a MUCH better day than yesterday. Lex got more rest and we had a peaceful time putting him to bed this evening. I’m not sure what makes one day so different than the next, but we’re grateful!

(pictures of Tim and Mr. Cranky)

Wow. If I was a golfer, today I would call for a mulligan, because we definitely need a do-over. The napping situation remains difficult and today was really bad. This morning I spent over two hours getting Lex to sleep in his crib, and then he finally slept…for sixteen minutes. Sixteen minutes! And I’m not being unreasonable here - I’m waiting for all the sleepy cues (rubbing eyes, yawning, etc.) The kid is definitely tired. He just refuses to give in to it. God help us when the boy enters “the terrible two’s,” because he can put up one helluva fight.

So this afternoon I took Lex to a spring bazaar over in Hillsboro that I’ve been wanting to go to. At least he napped during the twenty-minute drive each way. (I actually tried staying in the car with it running to see if he would stay asleep for a little longer once we were back home. But of course he woke up.) Tonight he was so over-stimulated by not sleeping that it was a battle royale to get him to bed. I even set a timer because I was going to let him cry in his crib for ten minutes. But after five minutes I couldn’t take the choking sobs anymore and had to try to soothe him again. Finally he passed out from pure exhaustion. I think I’ll do the same…

Call Hogwarts! We’ve got a Harry Potter wannabe. Lex must have scratched himself last night because he woke up this morning with a giant slash on his forehead. It’s not quite lightning bolt shaped, but close enough…

Today we took a trip to the library. There was a free harpsichord concert and we also wanted to check out some books. Lex did great. I wore him in the Bjorn and he fell asleep during the concert. Unfortunately every time the audience clapped he woke back up, so I eventually had to leave and just go look at books.

This afternoon Lex showed us how LOUD he can be. That boy can scream! We didn’t know that 5 1/2 month olds could throw temper tantrums, but we sure found out that they can. We made the mistake of trying to swaddle him during one of our nap attempts, and he threw the biggest fit ever. Apparently our son doesn’t want to be swaddled. Now we know…and the people next door know…and the people across town know…