bye bye binky!!

 

Yes! Yes! Yes! We have been without the bink for over a week now and we are all still living.  As I've posted before, Ben has only had it while sleeping since he was about 6 months old, but it was certainly a sleep aid.   Lately it seemed the fact that it was only used at night time made it more special and I wanted to get rid of it, stat!  I am thankful we kept it through 2 year molar eruption and although I've noticed the last one is still coming through a bit (with lots of extra gnawing and drooling,) the bink is staying gone!
This all started at one point when Ben threw it and I told him he'd have to go to sleep without it.  I never could find it and thought that rather than find another, we would just be done.  Well, one day late last week Ben came walking out of his room with the "lost bink" in his mouth.  I quickly grabbed it and mentioned we were "all done with binkies," and he didn't protest a bit.
I wouldn't say the transition has been hard, just time-consuming.  Settling to sleep is just taking a bit longer, both at nap time and at bed time, but we are over this hurdle and there is no turning back now!!

ohhhh, when it was as big as his face :)

 

Just before leaving the hospital

At his finalization

 It was hard to find many pics with binks in them, which was good.  So far and with fingers crossed, neither finger nor thumb are replacing it.  Also, with a little prodding that "it really hurts Jelly when you chew his tail," that hasn't been a concern either. :)