MushBrain

Day 5 Mission: POSTPONED due to continuing success with initial destruction of binky. Continuing with Day 4 Mission.

Tantrum Threat Level: LOW. Lilly’s passion for the binky is waning.

Progress: Yes! Yes! Yes! We have definitely turned a corner. Lilly is a free woman now, no longer kept awake by her memories of binkies past.

Analysis: Bedtime on Day 5 was epic. Lilly was in a good, playful mood. We went through our routine as usual. In the old days, it was not unusual for Lilly to request a binky before she was even out of her bath. So it was a minor victory when she waited until she was in her crib and had exhausted all other methods of procrastination. But then, it happened.

Lilly asked for her orange binky. I reminded her that she doesn’t like it and asked if she still wants it. She did, so I complied. As usual, she took one look and dropped her hand, defeated.

I don’t like it. Blue one.

We’re down to two binkies: orange and blue. I gave her blue. She threw it to the end of the crib.

I don’t like it!

Here we go again, I thought. Lilly sat up, grabbed the blue binky and threw it to the end of the crib again. She leaned forward, grabbed it again and started to drop it into the sliver of space between the crib and wall.

Don’t do it, Lilly. I won’t get it.

Kerplunk!

Then she grabbed the orange one, gave me a defiant look and moved toward the side of the crib. I warned her:

Lilly, I won’t get it and then you won’t have any binky.

Kerplunk!

Well, now you don’t have a binky.

She looked at me and laid down. I walked out of the room. And then do you know what happened? Nothing! She went to sleep! How cool is that?

Now, it’s possible that when I left the room, Lilly immediately began to panic and started fashioning a binky-saving device from her blanket and stuffed sheep, but I don’t think so. And even if that was the case, it was done quietly and ultimately unsuccessfully. The binkies are still under the bed waiting for a time when I can stealthily extract them without reminding Lilly of their existence.

Given the obvious political parallel, I hesitate to announce, “Mission Accomplished!” because there is still the potential for relapse. But we’re close. We’re very, very close.

There’s been progress on the binky front. Lilly does not ask for the binky at all unless she is trying to sleep. And she is sleeping through the night without fits of frustration and whimpering. That’s all good news. read more…