Bye Bye Binks. . .

Ewan has had a pacifier, "binks", since he was 5 weeks old and last week, it was time to say goodbye. We began the process a few months ago, deciding that once all his binkies broke (3 total), it would be time to be all done. We explained to Ewan that once his binks broke (as he would bite holes in them), then it was time to throw it out so the trash man could pick it up and take care of it for him (he has a slight obsession with trash trucks!). So, last week, the last binky broke and Ewan had a very difficult time saying goodbye. It also coincided with him getting sick (of course!), which made it ever more difficult for the little guy to part with his precious binks. As I walked him over to the trash can, he bravely held my hand, opened the lid, placed binks in the can and said "bye bye binks" in the sweetest voice and then looked up at me with his arms outstretched and just began to cry and cry the saddest cry I have ever heard. I truly felt for my sweet boy as I held him tightly, realizing that we were letting go of something that comforted and soothed him since he was a tiny newborn. The next few days were quite difficult for Ewan as he learned to fall asleep without his binks, but, thankfully, with a longer bedtime/naptime routine and lots of extra snuggling he has done a great job making the transition. And, I have to admit, it was kinda hard for me to say goodbye to that stinky binky as well. . .

Toss that binky!

So, today we ventured out to Wegman's- a good 30 minutes from our home, which always makes staying on target for naps interesting. Ewan did great on the car ride over, in fact, we were even able to stop to see mom-mom for a brief hello. But, why is it that as soon as we get inside Wegman's he has a meltdown- that is only remedied by mom picking him up and holding him (thank goodness this worked!)? Stranger anxiety, maybe? So, there I am, pushing a giant cart through a giant grocery store with which I am completely unfamiliar while attempting to "casually" hold my son and find the few items for which I drove 30 minutes. Meanwhile, I am thinking, "this was definitely a bad idea, what was I thinking!". Well, we found our "much needed" items (I put this in quotes as they were clearly not a necessity- something I realized after getting back home) and Ewan even got a cute little sticker from the cashier. Life is good- now all we have is the drive home-no problem, right? Needless to say, on our way home we got stuck behind every slow construction vehicle and "Sunday driver" possible, Ewan had a meltdown and at each stop sign or red light that I came to, I found myself tossing a toy, then a book and finally the sippy cup back to him. Amazingly, all landed right in his lap and appeased him for approximately 13.4 seconds each. Of course, as I realized when we were about 5 minutes from home, all he really needed was his binky- calmed him down right away and the last 5 minutes were quite peaceful!!! "Great!", I think to myself- "now I can just change his diaper, nurse him and he'll go right to sleep". Right? Wrong again. As I write, Ewan is currently in his crib where he is supposed to be napping, however, he is not. In fact, I just went in to check him as he was crying and found him standing- unable to sit back down!!!!!!! First time standing up in the crib! So, you know what, I think the trip to Wegman's was completely worth it- seeing Ewan standing in his crib was hilarious- he is such a little man! But, next time, I will toss that binky back to him first.
P.S. Little guy is now asleep- only a half hour later than usual!