Ahhhhhhhh-ff They Go

We've been trying to convince Avery that she doesn't need her "ahhhhhhs" anymore, since she's "such a big girl." I have been telling her for months that the day will come when we'll have to gather them all up and mail them to the new babies so they can have ahhhhs, meanwhile Nana Noma has been telling her that when she's done with them we'll put them in a tree and the binky fairy will come take them away and leave a special present for Avery. Yesterday she mentioned a couple of times that she was "such a big girl" that she was going to give her ahhhhhs to the new babies, but then quickly recanted.

Today she told me the same thing -- and seemed much more serious about it. She helped me pick the bag, put the ahhhhhs in herself, wrote her own note to the binky fairy & the new babies, and insisted I hang up the bag in the tree right away. Needless to say, this binky fairy made a late evening trip to Target for painting supplies.

Sadly, she did save out one ahhhhhh for bedtime. Oh well, at least it's a step in the right direction. [We've recently instigated two new rules in the house: that she can only have her ahhhh in her bedroom, and that she can't talk with it in her mouth. Its an adjustment.]

Avery writing her note to the new babies. I think it's Arabic, she's even writing it from right to left.

Since we're all so tired and have other things at the forefront of our minds, we're letting her set the pace for this. Frankly, I don't really care about them for dental or developmental reasons, and they certainly do soothe her for naps & bed, but I don't particularly like to see them, and I can't stand to listen to her talk with one in her mouth. Hopefully this will be similar to when she decided to potty train herself in mid-June, during the week before Jill & Matt's wedding (aka the week of insanity, and believe me, potty training was the last thing we had on our minds at that time -- but she did it anyway).

It's true, Avery is "such a big girl" -- and getting bigger every day (smile, sob). I'm thrilled to get rid of them, but at the same time sad to see them go.