Breaking Bad Habits....

Well ~ as you can see our little Miss Annabelle was able to send all her "binks" to the "Bink Fairy" last week! This is truly a HUGE step for this very unsure little girl. Sure she is loaded with a personality a big as the Montana sky but she is also so very well reserved when placed in new situations and when around a lot of people. Her bink was the one thing she truly counted on whenever she felted unsure. Since coming home back in November 2008, I have been diligently working with her in feeling secure, confident, and loved. She has since been able to give up her bink when in public but still needed that reassurance when going down for a nap or night time. After doing a lot of soul searching within myself...conflicted within myself on taking away the one thing she felt she needed the most and feeling like the "Bad Mommy" for taking it away...I kept putting it off. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that our little Miss Annabelle starting waking up in the middle of the night calling out for me and me waking up to see what was wrong (thinking the worst) only to find her laying there on her back asking for her bink while it rested next to her head. The first few nights this happened I was very understanding and patient, but after a week of this going on...I knew what I had to do. So last Friday after having good night sleep with her bink (and me getting up because she was too lazy to look for it and place it back into her mouth) we said good bye to her binks and placed them in our mail box for the Bink Fairy to come and take them away for the children in China who so need them. And as you can see in the photo, she was very happy about her binks upcoming adventure to her birth country. Nap time on Friday, she cried very little and did sleep for about 1 hour and 20 mins (not her usual 2 1/2 hour nap) and Friday night, she only got up once crying for me which I got up and walked the hallway while carrying her until she feel back to sleep. Saturday & Sunday afternoon there was no naps so no issues, but Saturday and Sunday night...she was really missing her comforting-germ infested friend. She even asked me several times for it during her crying & sobbing and I felt terrible. I think I would of had caved (and give them back to her) if it wasn't for the fact that I did throw them away and I was not about to go digging through the garbage that has been sitting outside for almost a week waiting the salvage company to come and pick it up. So that was truly the end. And since this past weekend of major crying and sobbing at night of needing her little friend and not getting it, she has not had any more incidents of longing for her bink. She has gone back to napping for her normal 2 1/2 hours and has been sleeping thought the night since Monday with not getting up at all. I know some of you must be thinking, "What an awful mother she is!" And believe me, I felt the same way, but after seeing that it can be done (even with a few nights of crying and sobbing and maybe taking a chance that she would form some other bad habits)...she is much better off with out the nasty-germ infested-gross-bink and it was all so well worth it!!!

***Since giving up her bink, Annabelle did fall into the habit of pulling/twisting her hair. She did this about 3 days and with the help of a special glove she stopped that new forming habit quickly. She still does lightly rub her ears when "going down" and she now requests that her musical dragonfly play until she falls asleep...which is about 20 minutes. Not too bad in my opinion - if I must say!***

As for the other "breaking bad habits", my husband finally quit smoking after many, many , many years of doing so. It has been almost 3 weeks and according to him, he is never going back to that dirt habit! I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of him for doing this! He has tried in the past with only quitting three days at the most...so him making it three weeks smoke free - that is truly amazing! "Way to go Honey! I am so very proud of you!"

Well...there you have it on our end! Life here in our household has not stopped for one moment since our move! I don't know if it is the new home, new location, beautiful weather we have been having, or it is just because it is summer-time, but I can't seem to catch up (especially here in bloggerland). Just want to say to you all - Have a wonderful "rest of the" week and here's to a beautiful weekend ahead. See you all very soon...