Yeah for Ainsley!!!

Monday was a big day for Ainsley. It was the day we said bye-bye to her binkies. Chant and I had been thinking for a while about what would be the best way to get rid of them. With Brinnley, we had her plant them in a rock pile in our yard and then she watered them and they grew into a baby doll. But we knew that would not work with Ainsley. She would just want to unbury them. We tried to talk her into giving them to Porter and she said no. Chant even told her that she was a big girl just like Brinnley and Mommy. Ainsley said,"Yeah, I am a big girl." Then Chant told her that big girls don't have binkies. And Ainsley said, "I'm not a big girl."

Sunday night I was babysitting and Chant was home with the kids. He asked Ainsley if she wanted to mail her binkies to Grandma and then Grandma would give them to the Binky Fairy. Ainlsey said that she would do it. We were excited because that was the perfect situation. That way she would see them go away and she would know she couldn't get them back and there would be noone to ask for them back because the Binky Fairy would have them.

So Monday after Family Home Evening we gathered up all the binkies she had all over the house and then went to the Post Office. She got to pick an envelope and then she put the binkies in it. Ainsley wrote Grandma a letter asking her to give her binkies to the Binky Fairy because she was a big girl and didn't need them any more. Ainsley was just fine until we gave the envelope to the man behind the counter. He put the postage sticker on it and then took the envelope away and she screamed! On the ride home she would be fine and then all the sudden start screaming again for a few minutes and then she would be fine.

The past few days have actually gone better than expected. She only asked for her binky once and then I told her we mailed them to Grandma and she remembered about the Binky Fairy. Then another time she told me the man took her blue binky to give to Grandma. She did great! She didn't cry at all during the day time. Naptime and bedtime were the hard times. Naps took about 20 minutes of crying before she fell asleep. Monday night it took about an hour and Tuesday and Wednesday a little less. But yesterday was our breakthrough. She only took about 5 minutes to cry herself to sleep during her nap and last night was the miracle. She got into bed, grabbed Monkey, rolled over and went to sleep. Yeah! She did it! And I think she is happier now. She isn't constantly looking for it and worried about where it is. And we are not constantly helping her search the house for it. I am so proud of her. She was extremely attached, but she did it. She is a big girl!