Giving up the binky

The binky fairy has come to our house. Z turned 3 right before we went on vacation and we'd told her for a couple of months now that when she was 3, she'd be a big girl and the binky fairy would come to our house and take her binkies and give them to the new babies. Chris' cousin is pregnant and Z got to see her about a month ago and my friend A2 has a new baby she has frequent contact with. The fairy would bring her a big girl toy that babies couldn't have to say thank you for giving her binkies to the babies.

Z was excited! She had picked out this Cinderella doll with a magic wand that made music when you waved the wand in front of Cinderella's necklace. Two of her favorite things - music and princess! She picked out the basket we would put all her binkies in, actually put them in all by herself and helped to set the basket out on the front porch. She said "bye bye binkies!" and waved goodbye and went back into the house.

I went to "check the sprinkler" and placed the doll into the basket, removing the binkies and putting them in my car. A few minutes after I came in, we went to see if the fairy had come and voila! Z's face lit up! Her Cinderella came! She was delighted!

Until it was time to actually go to sleep.

Poor kid was heartbroken. Really. Her binky had been her nap/bed time only friend since she was about a year and a half.

It took all I had NOT to go down to the car and give her a binky. Zoe can definitely throw a fit and has had her share of "I WANT IT" moments but this was "my friend is gone and I am devastated." And forget Cinderella. She represented what Z wanted that was now gone. She said she didn't want to be a big girl and wanted the fairy to bring her binkies back.

So here we are on night 4 sans binky. She's not napped any of those days and I stayed with her the first 2 until she fell asleep. She didn't want anyone to stay with her last night and she cried herself to sleep. Broke my heart.

I know this is what's best for her. She probably had it about 1 year too long but I think I wasn't ready to get rid of this last vestige of my baby being a baby. Last summer we got rid of the crib and the diaper, this summer is binky. I just need to tough it out along with Z. She's not crying right now. I hope she's discovering a way to self-soothe that doesn't involve her binky.

Now, the B? Nope. She can hang on to that.