These go great with the room and were totally worth the minimal effort! So, for those of you that don't know, Ms. Lauryl LOVES her binkys. We started debating how to get rid of them around her second birthday and just never came up with a good answer. Little miss has always found great comfort in these little suckers and we just didn't have the heart to proceed with extraditing them from her. We've had the binkys only in bed rule FOREVER and she's always been fine with it. The sweet girl will remove herself from the scene of a meltdown mid-tantrum and walk upstairs to go lay in her bed and suck on one just long enough to calm down. I mean, these things were like serious lifesavers many times over so who were we to consider taking them away?
We've been talking about saying goodbye to them for awhile now. Our attempts to devise an agreeable plan were futile. We had her so upset about the possibility of leaving them for the Easter bunny last year that she refused to sit on his lap and truthfully didn't even want him in her line of sight at the mall! Don't think this made us stop trying, but our suggestions became more theoretical and we accepted the binky may be around awhile.
One night last week after tucking Lauryl in, she came walking back downstairs asking to sit with us. On an off chance I threw out an option of throwing away a bink if she wanted to stay up a little longer and she said okay! We went upstairs, got the bink, and tossed it away. She told us that she still had red binky and Nathan binky and seemed totally fine with losing green binky. WooHoo, score one for us.
A couple nights later she informed us that she was ready to toss red binky. Same deal as before, walked it to the trash and said goodbye without a hesitation. This left us with only one binky, the much coveted 'Nathan binky'. We have no idea why this particular binky was named after her BFF, but it has been Nathan binky for over a year and is the most coveted of all the binkys we have ever had. We figured Nathan binky would be sticking around for quite some time.
Fast forward to yesterday. It came time for nap and we realized that Nathan binky was MIA. We went on an all hands man hunt to try and find him. At one point Lauryl said to Rob "if we don't find it than I won't have ANY binkys'. It was a matter of fact statement and she didn't seem overly concerned. Well, they found it. It was in the trash can in their bathroom. She asked innocently if I had thrown it away and I reassured her that it was her binky and I would never throw it away without her saying it was okay. She accepted my answer and took a great nap.
My parents showed up last night with adorable Christmas PJs for the girls. Both kiddos were pretty wound up by the time they left, so I sat them down with Frosty to start preparing them for bed. They joined me for the end of my workout and then the two of them cuddled up in the recliner in Lauryl's room and Kendyl 'read' bedtime stories to Lauryl as Lauryl laid on her pillow and sucked on her trusty bink. They both laid down and I jumped in the shower. Lauryl yelled that she had to pee and Rob took her to the bathroom. When I came downstairs she was talking on the monitor and I asked Rob to go check on her. He came back down with her and said that she had informed him that she wanted to throw away Nathan binky. We talked with her a little bit about the fact that this would mean no more binkys. She informed us that she was big and didn't need them anymore. She tossed him in the trash and smiled proudly. We cuddled up on the couch for a bit and then I offered to let her fall asleep in my bed with me. It lasted about 5 minutes before she asked to go to her own bed (girl likes her own space at bedtime, just like her mama!). She laid right down without another word and was soon fast asleep.
Compared to Kendyl's reaction when we took away the binkys this was so much easier on all of us. It really is good to let them lead the way whenever possible. We're so very proud of our baby girl, but I'm also a little sad to think that I'll never see her with her binky again. Just one more reminder that she's growing up and no longer a baby even though we still see her that way.
Decided to try out a new family tradition this year- the lighting of the Easton Holiday lights and the much anticipated arrival of Santa Claus. The entertainment wasn't quite what we expected and Lauryl is STILL terrified of people dressed up in full costumes. Overall though we still had a nice time. The jugglers were cool and it was fun t try something new to ring in the holiday season.
A rare family photo with all eyes open and everyone looking!
Trick or Treat could not have happened on a better day this year, the weather was beautiful! We started the night with some photo ops:
The Moore kids joined us for the festivities b/c their projected Trick or Treat night was slated to be rainy and cold. We were delighted b/c we love sharing this holiday with them!
These little girls have been friends for so long and I'll never get tired of seeing their smiling faces in pictures together.
It was fun watching Nathan and Lauryl really get in on the action this year. Lauryl still dropped out early, but she made it so much longer than last year. What a great night!
