BYE-BYE BINKY

TALIA IS TURNING TWO NEXT MONTH AND I REMEMBER THIS TIME LAST YEAR BLAKE AND I WERE TELLING EACH OTHER THAT WE WOULD BREAK TALIA'S HABIT OF THE BINKY BEFORE SHE TURNED ONE. WELL.....

EVERYONE I'M SURE IS JUDGING US BEHIND OUR BACKS BUT WHATEVER! WE KNEW WE WOULD DO IT EVENTUALLY.

WE TRIED ALL THE SUGGESTIONS PEOPLE GAVE US. SNIPPING THE END, ONLY GIVING IT TO HER AT NIGHT ETC. SHE STILL WAS A BINKYAHOLIC. DURING THE TRIP TO DC SHE MADE ME CRAZY. SHE WOULD LOSE IT THEN CRY TILL I FOUND IT. I WAS DONE!

THE MORNING WE GOT HOME I SAID "ALRIGHT TAY TODAY WE ARE GONNA THROW YOUR BINKY IN THE TRASH." I FOUND ONE BINKY AND WALKED HER OUTSIDE. I OPENED THE TRASH CAN AND SAID "THROW YOUR BINKY AWAY".. SHE SAID "NO" (OF COURSE) AND THEN I PROMISED HER A COOKIE AND AFTER MUCH THOUGHT SHE TOSSED IT IN. I PRAISED HER BY JUMPING UP AND DOWN SCREAMING HOW WONDERFUL SHE WAS. SHE WAS TICKLED PINK AT HER ACCOMPLISHMENT.

AN HOUR LATER I GOT ANOTHER BINKY AND ASKED HER TO REPEAT WHAT SHE HAD DONE EARLIER WITH THE FIRST. THE REST OF THE DAY IT BECAME A GAME AND SHE GLADLY TOSSED THEM IN ONE AT A TIME. ALL DAY I WOULD REMIND TALIA THAT SHE THREW THE BINKY IN THE TRASH AND IT WENT BYE-BYE. THAT WHEN SHE WENT TO BED SHE COULD NOT HAVE IT ANYMORE. (I HAD NO CLUE IF SHE UNDERSTOOD)

THAT NIGHT AFTER HER BATH WE WENT IN HER ROOM AND I READ HER THE "BYE BYE BINKY" BOOK. SHE CRIED AS I READ IT AND I PUT HER TO BED. WAS IT A LONG NIGHT??? HELL YES IT WAS A LONG NIGHT!!! SHE WOKE UP EVERY COUPLE HOURS CRYING. THE WEIRD THING WAS SHE NEVER ASKED ONCE FOR THE BINKY SHE JUST CRIED. I WOULD CUDDLE HER AND TELL HER I WAS SORRY THAT THE BINKY WAS GONE BUT THAT SHE WAS A BIG GIRL NOW. THE NEXT MORNING WE FOUND ANOTHER BINKY. SHE INSTANTLY POP-ED IT IN HER MOUTH TOOK A FEW LAST SUCKS AND TOSSED IT IN THE TRASH. THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANY WORD OF IT SINCE. SHE ALWAYS CRIES FOR HER BINKY. ITS PRACTICALLY HER FAVORITE WORD BUT SHE HAS NOT SAID IT ONCE.

THE WEAKNESS IN THIS WHOLE SITUATION WAS BLAKE AND I. WE WOULD ALWAYS START TAKING IT AWAY BUT THEN GIVE IN. NOW WE CANT. THEY ARE ALL GONE!

THE TRASH MAN SHOWED UP AND WE RAN OUTSIDE TO WATCH HIM DUMP THE TRASH INTO HIS TRUCK. WE BOTH WAVED GOOD BYE TO THE BINKY'S AND TALIA YELLED "BYE-BYE BINKY" WITH A SMILE ON HER FACE..... MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.