*updated* only 4 posts ago.....

.....I wrote about breaking him and boy have things changed.  The novelty of not staying in bed is somehow fun again and although it's always possible to spend 1.5 hours or more getting Ben to take a nap, it's just not worth it.  It's not worth it because if I do finally get him down, I just have to wake him up a short hour later or the bedtime routine is equally torturous.  I've tried the "start the routine extra early" trick too with no success.  So, we can spend 3+ hours a day trying to get him to stay in bed for nap and finally go to sleep sometimes as late as 11 pm or we can skip nap and spend 30 minutes at 8:30 pm and have him asleep by 9. I'm choosing the latter.  The other good news with this route is that he sleeps 12-13 hours when he doesn't nap.
He didn't quite sleep that long after no nap yesterday and today his teachers commented that he wasn't himself and laid down frequently.  After a delightful post-school visit and lunch with Nana Pat and great grandma Virginia, I was sure he'd take a nap today.  nope!! After more than an hour of struggle, I gave up and told him it was nap time and quiet time and that he'd need to entertain himself for a bit.  He did read books and play on his own for a while which allowed me a little time to tend to household business and sort through some email.
I do, however, feel like my whole routine has been thrown for a loop! Between this change and trying to manage the majority of both indoor and outdoor household tasks and upkeep while Ryan works so much, lots of things I enjoy like blogging, crafting and correspondence with far-away friends are taking a back seat.  I'm trying to focus on maintaining exercise as a priority and I know I will sort things out after a little shuffle-shuffle.  I always knew he wouldn't nap forever, I'd just grown accustomed to our wonderfully regular routine.
Today his Tante Mollusk sent me a quote she thought I'd like and I added a picture that for me reflects the sentiment.  Despite the upheaval to our routine, I'm so grateful for all we have, who we have and where we live.  And when what you really need is time to accomplish really important things, there is nothing better than a distraction like this to spend twenty minutes on and really re-focus...........

Update:
 As I sat and wrote this post, Ben came in and out of the office begging for the iPad, movies and other things "boys who don't nap don't get."  After several mini-fits, I held him and explained that he was tired and frustrated and maybe he should have a rest on the couch with Jelly.  Less than five minutes later I hit publish and went to investigate his quietness..............

Here we go again................can I get an "oy vey"??