Bye-bye Binky

Yesterday afternoon, as I got Madeleine ready for nap, I discovered a big hole bitten through her beloved, and one and only, binky. I had been planning to try and wean her from binky over the summer, when I would be home from work and off from chorus rehearsals, so that I wouldn't have to subject baby-sitters to her potential non-sleep. However, the opportunity presented itself, so while explaining that binky was broken and that it was dangerous to use it with the plastic coming loose, I threw it in the garbage with Madeleine watching.

My hopes had already been pretty dim as to whether or not she would nap, seeing as every few days now she tends to skip a nap, a sign that perhaps she is beginning to outgrow napping. (Hopefully it will be a sloooooow, prolonged outgrowth, though...) Once binky was out of the picture, I figured the chances of nap were pretty marginal, though I was determined to try no matter what. As I lay snuggling her on the couch in her room, singing her a lullaby, I lost even more hope.

MADELEINE: Binky just BRAKED! (voice choking up) He just got a HOLE in him and you had to throw him away. (fighting back tears to no avail) And I just berry, berry SAD!

Luckily, we had Julia around to come in and save the day. "Madeleine, I have something for you," she said, running into Madeleine's room, beaming. Thrusting a piece of paper towards her sister, she exclaimed, "I drew a PICTURE of binky for you!"


Julia's picture of binky, with some additional drawings Madeleine later added to the picture

As authentic a drawing of binky as it was, it just would not do the trick, and Madeleine remained berry, berry sad as I tried to lull her into drowsiness.

So, is this going to be a story about how despite the odds stacked against us, Madeleine rose to the challenge and took her nap without binky?

Nope! No nap at all. I will give her credit, though; she didn't cry or lament at all during the two hours I had her in the crib. Instead, I heard various happy noises coming from her crib. Things like this: (loud, repetitive thumping noises) "JUMP! JUMP! JUMP!"

So, yeah. No nap. I looked towards the evening with dread, certain I was going to be woken up all night long by wails for binky. Thankfully, here is where she triumphed. Within a half hour of putting her to bed, I went to check on her, and found her sound asleep, albeit with a somewhat puckered grimace on her face, as if she dreamed of having binky in her mouth:



Not only did she conk right out, but she slept straight through the night. Hallelujah! Now, I am WELL aware that there will likely be other naps and nights of fractured sleep as she adjusts to life without binky, but I will happily take any successful night I can get. I have been telling her all morning how proud I am of her for sleeping like a big girl without binky last night. "Yeah," she affirms. "Cause he BROKED. He just got a HOLE."

In addition to drawing binky, Julia had an artistic inspiration this morning after watching an Elmo's World about mail. Running up to the printer to get a piece of blank paper, she announced, "Mama, okay, DON'T LOOK at what I'm doing!" The rest of the art project went as follows:

JULIA: (finished with her coloring) Mama, can you get me an envelope?
ME: (handing her an envelope)
JULIA: Mama! I can't get the envelope to stick shut!
ME: Did you lick it?
JULIA: Yes, but it won't stay shut! Can you help me?
ME: Why don't you go get your outfit on for school while I tape it shut.
JULIA: Okay, but when I come down I need a stamp! (trotting upstairs and coming down with her outfit.)
ME: Here, I taped it shut.
JULIA: Can you please get me a stamp?
ME: Well, I can't give you a real stamp, because they cost money. But I can give you a sticker that looks like a stamp.
JULIA: Okay. (taking the sticker from me, writing something on the envelope, and running down to the front door.)

A moment later...

JULIA: MOOOOM! It looks like we got MAAAAAAIL! (running upstairs and handing me an envelope addressed as such:



JULIA: I know it must be for us because it says 322!

I opened the envelope and found a picture of two flowers inside.
ME: I LOVE IT! What a beautiful picture!
JULIA: (nearly exploding with eagerness) It's from ME! Did you think it was real mail? It's from ME!

I NEVER would have guessed.