6 bits of randomness

1. I had forgotten to follow up on the almost Thanksgiving horror story. Luckily Fischer was so distracted by all of the family and hoopla he didn't even notice the turkey. In fact the ONLY things he ate were ranch dip and cool whip! He ate his weight in white creamy substances. Gross. He loved Thanksgiving and was a huge ham for all of the relatives. Seriously, what did we ever talk about before he came along? Anyway, he still seems to be a vegetarian except for the occasional bite of chicken at someone else's house.


2. I also forgot to tell you about the pet psychic, I WILL tell you about that this week sometime. (Thanks for the reminder Angela)


3. Have I mentioned that one of the major downfalls to getting rid of the binky is that Fisch now licks and sucks on his hands? Just FYI in case you are thinking of getting rid of your babe's pacifier. Say goodbye to naps and hello to hands in mouth! Still want to do it? Let em' keep that thing till college... or at least till cold and flu season is over.


4. You know that poem, "When I am Old I Will Wear Purple"? You know, it is the one that inspired the Red Hat Society (of which my mother is the 'queen mother' of her chapter)? Well, somebody lent it to Sophie and Kaia... and now they think that because they are 10 years old, or 70 years old rather, that they can sit and sleep on the furniture - seriously right in front of me, with a look like "yah, so, what are you gonna do?" AND they have begun to eat off the counter and the table and the stove!!!! What? They never did this before. If I find out who tried to liberate my old lady dogs... well... I'm giving them to YOU!


5. We've decked the halls and trimmed the tree and we are oh-so ready for Christmas... and Hannukkah (Andy's mom is Jewish). We've already started reading books about these holidays and singing carols with Fischer. The new thought on my mind is... do I go with the whole "Santa brings you presents" thing? Or do I say "some people believe Santa brings you presents" Or we like to "pretend that Santa comes down the chimney". I want Christmas to be most importantly about the birth of Christ, however I think all of the Santa and reindeer stuff has a place too. How do you do it?


6. Yay, I finally finished my NaBloPoMo! 30 posts in 30 days! Were they all stellar? Not in the slightest, but I did it. Now if only I could devote that kind of commitment to something that really matters in my life. Well maybe this will propel me forward to the next 30 days of something. OK, OK - I'm going to do it for all of you to see... here I go>>> 31 days of exercise in December! I'm doin' it. Wanna come along? I'll keep you posted.

BTW: No More Binky = No More Naps

Ugh! The poor guy can't seem to get in the zone to fall asleep without the soothing effects of the binky. The binky sort of put him into a sleepy trance. I'm hoping that he'll get this figured out and be able to put himself to sleep soon. It is getting better at night, so there is a chance. Although, I'm worried that if it doesn't happen soon we'll be saying byebye to naptime for good! Yikes!

No More Binky = No More Baby

The binky is gone. I took all of the suggestions I received (and a few of my own ideas) for getting rid of the binky and listed them off to Fischer. I told him that since he was going to have to get rid of the binky sometime, we should think of a good way. You should have seen his horrified little face as I read off the ideas! I let him choose the best idea. He decided that he wanted to put the binky in an envelope and send it to baby Hadleigh.I told him that whenever he was ready to do that, we would put it in the mail box and then we'd go to the toy store. He could pick out any toy he wanted.

So we talked about it a few times, told Daddy about it, and within a few days... he told me he was ready (he happened to have met Baby Hadleigh for the first time earlier that day). We put the binky in an envelope, he put it in the mailbox, and we headed to the toy store.

I wanted to make sure that whatever toy he chose would be so fantastic that he wouldn't want to trade it back at bedtime. I was prepared to buy ANYTHING in the store (and figure it out later). We walked up and down every aisle while I pointed out all of the "greatest" toys. He kept asking "Where do they keep the garbage trucks?" We found them, there were only a few little cheapie ones, nothing screamed "World's Most Fabulous Toy". He grabbed a $5 dollar truck and carried it around while I pointed out "bigger" and "better" toys. In the end a car carrier caught his eye and we left only spending $10!! Anyway he loves it and was really excited to play with it.When bedtime came, he asked for his binky, and I reminded him that he is a big boy now and doesn't need it anymore. However he could not fall asleep for anything. After a million tries and one tired mommy, he ended up sleeping in our room and slept all night. That was last night.

Tonight after a 20 minute protest and me in and out of his room, it is finally quiet and I think he has fallen asleep!

I'm really proud of him! He has slept with a binky his whole life (approximately 922 days), and here... two days without and he has put himself to sleep! (I hope I'm not jinxing myself by talking about it!!!)

----------Let's have a moment of silence for another milestone passed.----------

Thank you all for your suggestions and support! Now, is it weird that I'm kind of sad? No more bottles, no more crib, no more diapers, no more binky... Oh my... my baby is growing up WAY too fast! I've just been helping him race along into practically adulthood. What have I done?

Banishing Binky: Help Wanted!

I could really use some brilliant ideas, opinions, and guidance. I'll take anything you've got. How do we get rid of the binky without getting rid of sleep? Right now Fisch only uses it for naps and bedtime, but he looks forward to going to sleep so that he can have it. Sometimes if he is upset, he'll tell me he wants to go to bed (so that he can sit there and suck on it). It is obviously very comforting and very soothing for him. He is 2 1/2 exactly, isn't it time? Other transitions haven't been too problematic... like the transition to the toddler bed, to underwear, to sippy cups... but this one seems HUGE. I'm aware that it could just be me... but I really don't think so. He is very particular, and will only use the Soothie infant pacifier (at right). These binkies show no signs of age. I did cut one once, and gave it to him... but he just wailed that he wanted to go to BFF's house (she has one there for him). Not, that I'm actually afraid that he will run away... but what Mommy wants to hear that her son wants to live somewhere else??? Help!

Oh... heh heh heh... totally off the subject, but on the subject of BFF. She slept over at our house on Saturday, and Fisch spent the entire evening telling everyone that he and BFF live together!

Then, when Sheila came to pick up BFF the next morning, Fisch and BFF were "fixing" some toys by using crayons as screwdrivers. Sheila asked what they were doing and BFF replied, "We're just screwing".

And since all of that was OK with me... I guess you could say that Andy and I are very progressive parents!!! ;)

Anyway don't forget to share your tips. What's worked for you, or someone you know, or on one of those Nanny shows?

Fischism

During a playdate with good buddy Z...

Me: "Fischer, did you know that Z is a big boy now and doesn't use a binky anymore?"

Fisch: Thinking...long pause... "Does Z wear diapers or underwear?"

Point taken.

(Fisch is in underwear, Z is not)