Binky No More!

And Lochlain's 1st visit to the dentist - featuring Guest Blogger Mommy!

So it finally happened – the binky is no more! A moment of silence please….

For anyone that does not know – Loch was a binky addict! We successfully got him down to just once a day at bedtime almost a year ago but he craved that thing and was so happy and satisfied when he got it at the end of the night I just could not bear to take it away. He would tell me how much he loved his binky and that binky was his best friend – so sad. We have been trying to think of a way to have him give it up on his own but came up with zilch…

Well though I am happy about the end result, the way it happened was a little traumatic – for me anyway, Loch seems to be faring pretty well. One day while going pee-pee Loch dropped his binky in the toilet. Loch was very upset as he was now told binky was dirty and he could not have it back – well Daddy came to the “rescue” with a backup binky he found, much to Mommy’s chagrin. Loch was happy and all was right with the world. About 3 weeks later, it happened again. After the slow motion tumble and very audible plop into water, Loch burst into hysterics and had to be physically restrained from going in after his friend. It was heart-breaking to watch, he clearly knew what this meant and with no backup binky in the mix there was no turning back. We braced ourselves for what we thought would be a rough couple of nights ahead, but the first night he asked for it, tried to look through the garbage for it, cried for just a bit and then just seemed to give up and went to sleep. Over the next few days there has been the occasional request but after reminding him what happened, he drops the topic and moves on – might still be too painful to talk about. It was hard on me, this was the last symbol of my little baby but he is now, almost officially a big boy…potty training is still a work in progress.

Another big boy accomplishment was Loch’s first trip to the dentist this morning. He did not enjoy it. If you have ever seen Loch get a haircut, it was kinda like that. Wasted time trying to cajole, much screaming, a little restraining and when they are all done he hops down with a big smile and acts like nothing just happened! Well, happy to report no cavities but signs of a slight overbite (takes after his Mom!).

With a nod to the aforementioned potty training, we are slowly learning what it will take to get Lochlain to go the bathroom. Lochlain loves Scooby Doo, and is not allowed to watch it unless he goes bathroom on the potty (or gets his whole Star at daycare). Lochlain also now (like his Daddy does and Uncle Richie did) loves comic books, too. Daddy got him a Super Friends comic book the other day and gave it to him as a reward for being a good listener and he loved it right away! We have to read it every night before bed. This has also introduced Lochlain to the idea of other comic books (like Scooby Doo). We're putting together a chart and sticker system to motivate him to go - I hope it works!