Our dirty little family secret....

Pacifier, Binky, Paci, whatever you call it, they are the most amazing and habit forming item on your baby registry. We started with them early. The first thing parenting books tell you is that if you are breastfeeding, a binky will cause nipple confusion and only provide you with problems when nursing. I wanted to give breastfeeding a fair shot. I wanted to do it right. So no binkies. That lasted about 12 hours in the hospital. I caved to a crying little face that didn't want to eat but just needed some comfort. Here we are 3 1/2 years later and we have created a full blown addict. I have watched enough Intervention on A&E to know that for every addict there is an enabler. I AM THAT ENABLER (but don't give Tom too much credit here....he has been known to push the binkies at the right moment too). Let me back up a second....that fateful night in the hospital did NOTHING to change how successful Jack was at nursing. He was a champion. No problem and so the binkies got pushed and pushed. They mostly were saved for bedtime/naptime, meltdowns in the car, horrible procedures (staples to the back of the head, for instance), etc. We quickly cut out the car binky and the day time binky use. I thought I was super mom. All that was left was the nap/bedtime binky....how hard would that be. HA HA HA. This is where the enabler in me came shining through. Tom told me that when Jack turned 2 we HAD to get rid of those binkies. We had a new baby on the way. They had to be gone before Will arrived. Ok I said, but in my heart I knew I couldn't take them from him. His 2nd birthday came. Tom was ready to take them away. I gave up every and any excuse I could find.

Jack receiving his binky in the mail from Kay Kay after we left it in Florida. Made his day!

"I am 6 months pregnant, I am exhausted, I can't be up all night with Jack crying for his binky, We just moved him into a big boy bed, there is so much that is going to change, they are his source of comfort, what is the real difference between him having a binky and a blankie?, No one has to know, He only uses them at night.....and the list went on and on. Tom gave in. Jack kept the binkies. We continued to ENABLE his addiction.

Will arrived and promptly got started on the path to a binky addiction of his own. No trouble with nursing this kid. I bought more binkies. We got to the point where we decided we were no longer buying Jack binkies-if they got lost, that was it, they were gone. And then he started chewing on them so much that they got these big holes in them and I was afraid a piece would fall off in his sleep and he would choke. I broke down. I bought 2 MORE BINKIES. Pirate ones, no less, to ensure he would NEVER give them up, I guess.

My stance on keeping them was strengthened when at Jack's 3 year well visit the doctor and I had this exchange.

Doctor: (after looking in Jack's mouth) "Does he suck his thumb?"
Me: (VERY PROUDLY) "No, HE DOES NOT SUCK HIS THUMB."
Me: (head lowered and in a whisper) "but he does still use a binky-BUT ONLY AT NIGHT"
Doctor: (looking from Jack to little Will) "No big deal. You have much bigger things on your plate. He will give it up eventually."

I was ELATED!! I was waiting to be scolded and here I was ALMOST praised. No need to stop using them now. Then we moved. And the excuses and bad timing just kept piling up like old junk mail.

Here we are today-Jack gets his binky at bedtime ONLY. They are otherwise stored in a drawer in my dresser so he can't "steal" them for a fix during the day. He comes into bed with us each morning, has some milk and watches a show until Will gets up. All the while barking orders at us through a clenched teeth, binky mouth. IT MAKES ME CRAZY!!! "Take those binkies out when you want to talk" I have been known to bark in the early morning hours. I have finally reached MY breaking point....THEY HAVE TO GO!

Enter BINKY FAIRY!

Jack currently has 3 binkies that he holds near and dear to his heart, the green one, the blue one and the pirate one. He is allowed 2 at a time each night. One he sucks on and one he first rubs on his eye lids to help him get to sleep and then it falls into the covers or ends up under the bed. The reason this has been something I have delayed is very simple....

At bedtime, we brush, we read, we get the binkies, DONE. Why mess with something so easy and wonderful?! I know that 4 is fast approaching and I am fearful of what the dentist will say when we go. I know he can't have it forever. Tom and I decided that this was going to be it, we were just going to do it. I read a little online about "plans of attack" and "protocol" for getting rid of the binky. The binky fairy seemed like a great choice for us. We started talking about it 3 days before by giving him a little chat in the morning and then again at night-each time counting down the days until the binky fairy would come and reminding him what a big boy he is and that the binky fairy would leave him a special surprise if he gave up his treasured binks. At first he was ok with it. On day 2 when I said "....in 2 more days...." he promptly  refuted, "but you said...'in 3 days'". Yes, I explained, that was yesterday, now it is only 2 days and tomorrow it will be ONE more day. His other gem of a response- "Why doesn't the binky fairy just go buy the babies NEW binkies? They don't want my old ones." Aaaahh the little germ-a-phobe. Another favorite of mine, "So when the Binky Fairy takes my binkies and Will's binkies..." "He is only taking yours." "WHAT?!"

And so here we are....THE DAY HAS ARRIVED!! (or it did YESTERDAY)

We made a special envelope and put the binkies inside. Jack said "How about we just put ONE in this time?" but in the end he put all three. We put 2 special stickers on the envelope and walked as a family out to the mailbox to put them inside. A brave face the whole time.

Into the envelope they go...1, 2, 3...

Are you serious about this? 

Off to the mailbox

In they go...see you later binks!

Oh My GOD, what did I just do....

High fives!

At bedtime we did our normal routine, but at the last minute, the little bottom lip began to quiver and he asked if we could go to the store tomorrow to get him some "big boy binkies." Good try, but NO.
"but I need something to chew on to keep me warm."
"Here is your sheet and blanket, good night."

He got up once to check that the binkies "were safe" and gave them a pretend snack for their trip with the binky fairy. There were some tears, but they didn't last long. Tom laid in his bed with him until he fell asleep. He came into our bed at 2am. Never once asked for the binkies again and fell right asleep. Night one was deemed a success. A pile of presents with a special note waited downstairs for him and he was so excited. Tom and I both told him how proud we were of him. He said he was proud of himself too. This kid cracks me up. Since it is "Free donut with a drink day" at DD, I caved and got him a chocolate donut to reinforce his "braveness" about giving up the binkies. I am trying not to think about bedtime tonight. We will cross that bridge when we get to it! Wish us luck. In the meantime, I am sure to further the habit of our other child so that I can be writing this same post in 2 more years.

Thanks Target $1 bins!

The LOOT

Here is a screen shot of the letter from the Binky Fairy.

Have a great and binky-free weekend!

When you wish upon a star....

So here it is, a little recap of our Disney Day. Tom and I went back and forth quite a bit before our trip to FL deciding if Disney was right for us. We both have been a few times and know that it is something we would like our kids to experience, but we just didn't know if 3 years old was the right age. We were very torn. Jack loves The Disney Channel and knows almost all of the Pixar movies by heart. He is constantly turning episodes and scenes from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, The Octonauts and most of the Pixar movies into adventures of his own. I recently saw that a friend of mine, with a daughter that is 2, made a day trip to Disney while on a similar type vacation in FL. I contacted her and got the details-Did it work? Did you have fun? Was it enough time? Did she have fun and like it? Was it worth it? The answers to all of these were-YES! We started some preliminary planning. This is what we decided.

1. Will would stay back in Port St. Lucie for the day with my parents. No need to torture a now constantly moving boy with being strapped into a car seat and stroller. This turned into the best decision of the day!

2. We would get up early, drive up to Disney and head back around dinner time. Jack is not into fireworks, so there was no need to stay to see them.

3. We would see what we could and not get stressed or try to pack too much into the day. Low expectations!

"I'm SO excited!"

Once we arrived in FL, we looked at the forecast for the week and juggled it with the golf schedules. Wednesday would be our day. We decided to get up at our regular time and head out after breakfast. Our GPS made our ride up to Disney a little longer than expected by dropping us off at the Kissimee Airport, claiming that it was Walt Disney World. OOOOoops! We were only slightly off course and made it to the park in about 2 hours instead of 1 1/2. As we drove under the first signs stating we had arrived in at Walt Disney World, Jack started yelling- "I'M SO EXCITED." Tom and I both chuckled, knowing he hadn't even seen anything 'cool' yet. We started getting more and more excited for his interpretation of the day and to see him take in all the wonder that accompanies a trip like this. We parked in the heroes lot: Peter Pan, row 60, boarded the tram and started off towards the park. Under advisement from my friend Julie, we bought our tickets at a vending machine and avoided standing in line.

Riding the monorail into the park.

This is how Jack 'rode' around the park most of the day.

We decided that our first "ride" of the day would be the monorail (one of Tom's favorite parts of Disney as a child). Jack loved it! We zoomed off towards the castle. After standing in a couple more lines (one to have my bag of goodies checked and one to process our tickets and attach a fingerprint to each one) we were INSIDE. It turned out to be VERY hot-at least 88 degrees, if not 90 and VERY crowded. March is a very busy month with the Florida school vacations, college spring breaks and other state's school vacations. We were greeted by a massive sea of people. Jack held tight to Tom's hand and was very quiet. My sensitive, inquisitive boy, taking it all in. We headed up Main Street and stopped to have our picture taken with Cinderella's Castle in the background. As we navigated the park, we remarked over and over, how glad we were that Will was at home. It was too hot and the stroller would have just gotten aggravating to maneuver in the crowds. We started in Fantasyland.

Our first ride was The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh. The best part was that while you wait there is a lot for the kids to do to pass the time. While in line we got the low down on how to work a Fast Pass and headed straight to the Buzz Lightyear ride to acquire one.

Hiding in Rabbit's Cabbage crates. 

Waiting in line for Winnie-the-Pooh

We ended up spending a majority of our time in Tomorrowland riding on the Speedway, The People Mover, seeing the Carousel of Progress and then returning to The Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (Jack's favorite ride). We missed getting to have our picture taken with Buzz Lightyear, but decided that since we were only there for the day, our time was better spent on rides and seeing more of the park.

Jack telling me-"GO FASTER, so we can beat Daddy"

The People Mover

The best part of the day-"Shooting lasers at Zurg"

We headed to Adventureland where Tom and Jack rode on the Aladdin Magic Carpet ride while I got an ice cream. We had planned to take our time, not rush and have a nice lunch for a break while we were in the park. I think we both got caught up in the fact that there were so many people there and we really wanted to make the most of our time so we just kept moving. I packed lots of snacks and fruit and drinks for Jack, so we kept feeding him while we were in line waiting. Tom and I drank the water I brought but really didn't eat anything. By three o'clock, we could see Jack fading. The heat was getting to him, he was overwhelmed by the masses of people and generally sick of standing in line. He never complained, but was asking to be held a lot. (Looking back-maybe his ears were starting to bother him since he started with the ear infection the next day). We decided to start to wrap things up. We sat down inside for Mickey's Philharmonic show in 3D. A nice, cool break inside and then made our way to the Walt Disney Railroad for a train ride back to the entrance of the park.

Waiting our turn for the train

"Let me just see that map for a second"

A long and wonderful day!

Jack's little souvenir

The day went by so fast. We saw a lot, but certainly didn't see everything. Most of you will be disappointed to hear that we never made it on Pirates of the Caribbean (but Jack doesn't know that). We kept to our plan of seeing what we could and not getting stressed or worried if we didn't see everything. We pushed Jack as far as he could go, but saw when he had reached our limit and headed to the car. We took the ferry boat back to the parking area (another ride in my book). Tom and I both thought that Jack would pass out as soon as his head hit the car seat back-but the opposite happened. He started talking and talking. The "wow" moment we had been waiting for while we were at the park had happened, just on the inside. He started telling us all about the rides we went on and what his favorite part was. He stayed awake the whole ride home. As we pulled onto Greenbrier Circle, we spotted Kay Kay and Bampa taking Will on a walk. Jack was so excited to see them. He ran up to the stroller and gave Will a big hug. He then started talking a mile a minute to update Kay Kay and Bampa on what we saw and the rides we went on.

SUCCESS! 

Overall, I think we had a great day. Jack saw a little piece of the magic of Disney, but we left a lot to see for next time. Tom and I had the chance to relive a part of our childhood through Jack. My camera's battery started dying at the mid point in our day, so I stopped taking pictures to be sure to save it for the rest of the day and the rest of our trip (I forgot the charger). 

...and our trips to the Emergency room start?

While Kay Kay and Bampa were visiting, it was VERY cold. The coldest it has been since we moved down here. The temperatures plummeted into the teens! BRRRRR. On Wednesday, there was a promise of a warmer day, but it started off pretty chilly. We finished up our busy Wednesday morning routine-a trip to the Y to see Phyllis, a quick nap for Will and a quick shower/change for me followed by story time at the library. We had a great time, as usual, at story time. Jack, ever eager to get a drum during the instrument portion, raced up to the librarian as she read a story about a snake getting sent in the mail and arriving in a big brown box (a lot of the stories have props). She sat with a large brown box on her lap and she asked the kids "What do you think was in the box?" It was at this point, that Jack jumped from his seat and ran up and started poking his little nose over the edge of the box to see inside while he exclaimed-"A DRUM". At this moment she was opening the box and pulled out a large, stuffed SNAKE. All the other kids yelled "SNAKE" and Jack just looked confused. "Where are the drums?". I sat back giggling to myself. He is so adamant about getting one of those damn drums! HA The librarian kindly and softly asked him to sit down by her and that is where he remained for the rest of the story-ready to pounce when the drum part started. Needless to say, he acquired a drum and played his little heart out during the instrument song.

Meanwhile, Will had a blast "reading" a book and shaking his maraca during instrument time.

With the sun shining in the sky and the temperature rising up into the 60's, we decided to go to a new playground after lunch. While I cleaned up from lunch, Jack and Will played in our "other" playroom (this ugly red dining room that we just have more toys in). There is a bay window with a window seat that opens like a toy box. We have a few toys in there. Jack was climbing in and out while I was on the phone. I watched in slow motion as the top fell shut on top of his hand-pinning his thumb inside the box while a blood curdling scream echoed from his mouth. I rushed to him, hanging up on my phone call. Instantly the thumb was swelling and turning purple. I called Tom at work to come take care of Will. Jack and I headed to the pediatricians where they wanted to have an xray done. Thankfully, the ER is right across the parking lot and was a quick walk over. Jack and I enjoyed some time just the 2 of us talking about the stories from story time, following "foot prints" and "walking on our tip toes" to be extra quiet while we waited. I explained to Jack what an xray was and what would happen. He was cool as a cucumber-until we went into the exam room. He started screaming, crying and arching his back against. All the while yelling "I want to go home" and "I'm SCARED". It was breaking my heart. I gave as much reassurance as possible and with the help of 3 xray techs we were able to get all the images we needed. No breaks! Back at the doctor's, he got a splint and a wrap to help protect it and give him more comfort. He finished the afternoon and evening sitting on the couch watching movies with his arm held up in the air, refusing to let you so much as LOOK at it. Poor little buddy! 

I guess this is just one of many trips for injuries, especially if he is MY son. ;)

A pirate turns 3!!

We still can’t believe that it has been 3 years since Jack was born. The time has flown by. For his first birthday Tom created a photo montage representing his first year and set it to the three songs-Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears, Show Me What I’m Looking For by Carolina Liar and When You Were Young by The Killers. We played it for all of our family at his 1st birthday party, which fell on Thanksgiving! On Saturday, while Will napped, the three of us sat down and watched it again (I can admit that I have watched it a few times since the first airing J). Jack thought every picture was of Will while Tom and I couldn’t get over the fact that we were looking at the same person. Boy has he changed!

At three, he is a very sweet, sensitive, happy little boy. Made up of equal parts mischief and sweetness. He has a very expansive vocabulary and speaks very well for his age (that’s what people tell us). He works the ipad and our iphones better than we do. He says “Hi” to everyone he sees and makes friends wherever he goes. He loves to tell knock knock jokes. He knows 3: Knock, Knock. Who’s there? Boo. Boo who? Don’t cry it is only a joke. And Knock, knock. Who’s there? Olive. Olive who? I LOVE YOU TOO. And finally, knock knock. Who’s there? Banana. Banana who? Knock knock. Who’s there? Orange. Orange, who? Aren’t you glad I didn’t say banana (that one is drawn out much more and sometimes the fruit gets messed up, but you get the hint). If something scares him, he says “Oh Mama, I don’t think this is right for me.” or “I don’t know about that”. His imagination is amazing. He is always pretending to be one thing or another, or taking us on one kind of adventure or another. We have gone to the center of the earth, to mars in a rocket ship, on a pirate ship looking for treasure and on and on. I know he gets some of his “ideas” from the Backyardigans and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, but boy does he go with it, believe it is real and want you to be a part of it. I love to see his mind working. We made him a rocket ship out of a huge box that delivered diapers to us. It was a staple in our living room for a few weeks until it took a ride into outerspace and never returned (translation-I hid it in the garage and then took it apart). He is very stubborn and knows what he likes, doesn’t like and will be sure you know too. He will not do anything he doesn’t want to. We are quickly seeing that this fierce independence is a wonderful thing, but an exhausting one. In the weeks leading up to turning three we have seen this ugly beast rear it’s head. I was told once during a terrible two’s temper tantrum that 3 is much worse than 2 and I am seeing that now. In a fit of frustration and stubbornness he will start swinging his arms, kicking his legs and going crazy. We have learned that the more we get upset, the funnier he thinks it is and the madder we get….a vicious cycle! Now we just ignore him and try our best to carry on with the activity whether it is putting him in his car seat or getting dressed or putting a jacket or shoes on. He doesn’t like being ignored and stops instantly. Time out is our friend for particularly bad behavior too.

But three isn’t all bad….Jack loves to make people laugh, especially Will. He will make funny faces or do a funny dance just to get a reaction from Will. Will in turn participates and finds his big brother hysterical. I love watching them together. He loves to give Will hugs and kisses and for the most part is very gentle with him. Jack is so snuggly and loveable. I know that this won’t last forever, so I take all that I can get now! Every morning starts with him in our bed snuggling and “watching a show” with some milk. On the days when I would have to jump out of bed to get ready for work, he would beg me to get back in “just for a minute” to snuggle. I love it!!

Jack continues to be a very picky eater. He has a large sweet tooth and will call out when we are passing by a Dunkin Donuts to tell me it is a “perfect day for a munchkin” or that his “tummy needs a munchkin in it”. Who can resist that cute little face? J He can count to 15 and say his ABC’s. He loves to sing and dance. He sings along to “Someone Like You” by Adele, “Life is a Highway “ (the lightening McQueen song) by Rascal Flats, “Bubbly Toes” by Jack Johnson (Caity’s song), “Cowboy Take Me Away” by The Dixie Chicks and a multitude of others while we are in the car. It makes my heart so happy to hear him start in on a song that is a favorite of mine and sing along.

Don’t be fooled-HE IS ALL BOY! He loves cars, trucks, guns, swords and “fighting”. He told me once that I don’t make the right gun or car noises-I guess only boys can do that. I just started laughing! J He loves taking a bath, which is good because he gets really dirty. We tell him he must have had a good day because he has a ton of “fun” under his nails when they are really dirty. George is his night time buddy. We read a story from a Curious George collection book he has before bed and then he snuggles up to a wonderfully soft stuffed George. I found decals online at Pottery Barn Kids of George that decorate his walls. I don’t know if they will make the move, but Great Grammy painted 3 wooden plaques with George for Jack and Will that will come with us. I am trying to wait patiently for the matching sheets to go on sale, but I might have to splurge and buy them once we get to SC.

Jack is quite a character and I love watching his personality develop.
Some phrases we hear a lot of include:
“Can I watch another show?”-usually Backyardigans, or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, but some of his other favorites are: Team Omi Zoomi, & Jake and the Neverland Pirates. He told Kay Kay once, when she was having trouble getting to one of his shows, “Just use On Demand”.
“I want some milk”-his favorite drink.
“Can I have the older one?” translation “Can I have the OTHER one?”
“Just give me one second.”
“And I will have a donut” in response to me placing my coffee order with Tom.

We are so proud of all that Jack can do, but most proud to say that he is fully potty trained. One day back in September I decided it was time and I was going to give it a go….and it worked! We are happy to report that he has had very few accidents and even wears his big boy undies overnight! No more diapers, no more pull ups.

So after a summer of pretending to be a pirate; of making people walk the plank and talk of scurvy pirates and gold dablumes, it was only fitting that Jack was not only a pirate for Halloween, but then had a pirate birthday party. It was a wonderful time and we even had a treasure hunt outside. The kids started by digging for special gold dablumes and then made a puzzle to give them their next clue. The next clue was found under a tree in a bottle. This clue lead them to the finale-a large treasure chest filled with streamers and balloons that revealed small treasure chests on the bottom. Finally, they swung at a treasure chest piñata and collected all the pirate booty that they could. We held the party at Gramma and Poppa’s (Tom’s parents) and had all Jack’s cousins over along with all our of family. It was a crazy, wonderful night. In the end it turned into an impromptu going away party too. It was a great way to end the insanity of one week, before the start of another!

So that is our Jack. He makes my heart happy. Every night when I kiss him good night I whisper to him that he is a good boy and that he makes me so happy. I hope he knows how true that is and how wonderful he has made our lives and all those around us.


Here’s to making it through year 3! ;)