I’ve been under a lot of pressure lately to get rid of the pacifiers (binkies) since the girls are almost 2 ½ , they don’t look good in pictures and the girls frequently drop them in the night requesting me to find them which is not a sustainable sleep pattern for me.
We had a party last weekend and I decided to use that time to celebrate a “going away party” for the binkies. I discussed with Emily & Lilly a few days ahead to prepare them for what was coming. At the party we all sang “happy going away to you, happy going away to you, happy going away, little binky, happy going away to you”. Then, since I wasn’t organized enough to purchase balloons that would lift the binkies up and away, I decided the girls could just throw them over the wall in our backyard. Ben and I each held one of the girls as they zinged their little binkies over the wall with a smile.
We went on to have an Easter egg hunt since we were all too sick Easter weekend with the stomach flu to do anything. We had about 10 kids over so it was a lot of fun for the girls. Then I gave each of the kids some different flower seeds in little cups and gave them a little digging tool and set them free in the back yard to plant flowers. They were so excited and so was I thinking about what might pop up in about 4 weeks time. I’ve been doing this planting flowers exercise with the girls for a few weeks now, so I can just imagine the possibility of one day looking out at an English Garden in my own back yard. Won’t that be fun!
The party wound down and the girls were ready for bed. At that point Emily was very upset that I did not have her binky. She said, “Mommy, I need it, I need it” as she cried. I told her binkies were for babies, not big girls like her. She responded with, “I AM A BABY!, I need it!” I felt horrible for her. Can you imagine someone introducing you to cigarettes, and then once you’re addicted, asking you to throw your cigarettes over the wall never to be seen again. I felt awful about not giving in right then and going to get the binky (I went around the fence earlier in the day and scooped them up, not wanting to litter and in case my entire plan failed). I stayed strong and she calmed down after a while and drifted off to sleep.
The next night I went in to check on them before going to bed myself and Lillian was still awake lying in her bed. I heard this little voice squeak out, “mommy?” and I went over close to her to see what she needed and to give her a kiss. She said, “Mommy, I accidentally threw my binky over the wall”. I almost started crying. I explained to her that it was ok and that the binky needed to go back to binkiland in order to help other babies that were just starting out. She said, “I’m a big girl and I don’t need a binky?!” It sounded like a statement and a question at the same time. I brushed her hair back and gave her a kiss; put her ceiling stars light on and said goodnight. Emily woke up at 1 am and refused to leave my side and so we slept in the spare bedroom together. I think I have become the replacement to Emily’s binky, which does not bode well for my restraining order ideas.
I think they are doing well now and binkies are behind us. We've moved on to facination with the toilet. Good stuff!
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