Last night Alex was very wired, and didn't end up going to bed until 8, which has been determined to be the end of the line for her every night. She wasn't ready to sleep, though, and like many other nights this week, she entertained herself in her crib by talking to herself for about a half hour. She very rarely says too much that makes sense but goes off in sound tangents, making up words that begin with the same sound but end differently. Every once in a while her volume picks up dramatically too. It's very cute to listen too, especially when it's paired with the usual bouncing up and down. I wish we could set up a video camera in the dark to film her ridiculous can't-sleep rants and bounces. (No we don't have the surveillance-type baby monitors that you can set up so you can watch them sleep. Even Alex needs a little privacy, and if she's not screaming or on fire, or both, we're not worried.)

And last night before the talking in bed, she found Dadoo's sneakers. They're a rare treat, as they live in the closet all week until volleyball night and don't come out of the gym bag until he's ready to go. But last night they were mid-living room, and she took full advantage. Her favorite thing to do with them is grab one, stick a lace in her mouth, and run around with it dangling from her teeth. Needless to say, that gets me fearing for the integrity of her teeth. So, after much chasing (me doing the chasing) and giggling (her, obviously) I wrestled the shoes (repeatedly) from her mouth. They ended up as a strange mantle decoration until Dadoo put them one. Thwarted, Alex moved on to spinning in circles with an animal cracker. It was a fun night.