Thurs. morning, at about 5am, Amelia started crying because she couldn't find her binkie. I looked and looked, turned the light on and looked, took all the covers off of the bed and looked, moved the bed and looked . . . and could not find her binkie. I knew the "sleep fairy" hadn't taken it, but I couldn't find it. I promised Amelia we'd look again in the morning and she went back to sleep without it.
I didn't fall back to sleep, but laid there thinking that perhaps this was a good excuse to get rid of Amelia's binkie. I don't think I was ready and I know that Amelia wasn't ready for the binkie to go away, but we did it anyway.
After Amelia woke up, I found her binkie in a corner of her bedroom that I had missed at 5am, quickly hid it from Amelia again, then asked Amelia to help me look in her room for the missing binkie. We looked and looked, but no binkie was found, so I told Amelia that she must have lost it in her sleep and just like when we lost one of her binkies in a store and one while we were traveling, this binkie would be gone for good too.
She wasn't too upset then, but come nap time, she just was so sad. And since she's always used her binkie to fall asleep, she just didn't know how to get to sleep without it. After an hour of trying all sorts of things, including lots of crying (from both of us) we both gave up - and neither of us got a nap. I came so close to "finding" the binkie, but knew I should be strong and get rid of it.
I let Amelia stay up really late so that she would be super tired at bedtime, and with just a little encouragement, she went right to sleep - without her binkie!
We survived Day 1 of no binkie, but the first thing Amelia asked for this morning was her binkie. It's hard giving up something you really like, something that soothes and comforts, something you've had all of your life. But she did it and each day will hopefully get easier for her . . . and hopefully she'll still take a nap in the afternoon - because I know I still need a nap each afternoon.
1 comment:
Hang in there Amelia, and Sharon! It'll get easier. I used to always wish my babies would take a binkie- I tried and tried! But I guess it's good that we never had to break the habit. Hope this week goes more smoothly!
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