Bye Bye Binkie

So, we decided that since Ellie is over 3, it was time to say goodbye to her longtime friend, the binkie. Ellie and the bink weren't always on good terms--we had to push and push to get her to overcome an oral aversion from severe reflux and having so many tubes in her mouth. We used the binkie when she was tiny to help get her used to having something in her mouth that didn't cause discomfort. She wasn't a big fan until she was over 4 months old. Then, then she and the binkie were inseparable! 

Some friends suggested taking her to choose a stuffed animal and then have her "pay" with her binkie. Then, when she needed comfort at bedtime, she could snuggle with her new toy.  She really wanted a pink bear from Build-A-Bear but I dreaded taking her to a germ-infested mall. She had been talking about this bear for weeks, so we headed out at a time when I hoped the mall would be less busy. We lucked out and ended up being the only ones in the store--phew! The lady that helped us was so cute! She suggested that Ellie put her binkie inside the bear with the stuffing. My first thought was that it would be a great idea until Ellie got so desperate for her bink that she got out the scissors for some emergency surgery. But, Ellie was sold. We left the store with "Bubbie" (not sure where she got that one) and a very happy girl! Bubbie did everything with us for the rest of the day. However, when it was time for sleep things changed drastically. First, Ellie tried to rip the poor bear's head off to get to the bink. Next, she tossed Bubbie to the floor with dramatic flourish! Then she cried and cried. About a half hour later, she told me to put Bubbie in the doll cradle on the floor (without a blanket though) and she was done. She went to sleep and hasn't asked for her binkie since. Phew! Now we have survived potty training and binkie removal successfully. Bring on the Fontan later this year! 

This is "Bubbie" and a happy girl 

Reality hits--notice Bubbie in the bottom corner of the photo