Boy is it ever tough to grow up... If you know our Ellie, you know that "binky" is a VERY special part of her life... Ever since she was a very small baby, she has LOVED her pacifier...aka "binky". Mommy loved it, too, cause we knew that as long as we had a binky along, all was well with Ellie's world. :) It could quiet her in her fussiest times as a baby and as she grew older, it was awesome on roadtrips and could always guarantee 2-3 hour naps and at least 12 hour nights of sleep!
Well... we knew that it was nearing time to give up beloved binky. Our dentist friend told us that by the time she was three, she should be done with it so it wouldn't mess up her teeth. We've been building up to it for quite some time now, wanting to make it special and wanting her to fully embrace it. So...we came up with a plan. Joel's sister Kristin and her husband Andrew are expecting their first baby in May and baby Logar is definitely going to need some binkies! So, "baby Logar" sent Ellie a letter requesting that since Ellie was a big girl now, could she please send her some binkies! Ellie wasn't too excited about it at first and wondered out loud, "why can't HER Mommy buy her some binkies?" We told her because her binkies were extra special and would mean a lot to the baby. Over time, she started to buy into it and would even tell people about it! So, we knew it was time.
I'll be honest. I was dreading the day as much as she was... Would we have many nights of crying and sobbing and would Ellie decide that she wasn't excited about sleeping now that she didn't have binky? Besides, it was kind of a part of her and another stark reminder that my baby is no longer a baby. :( But, alas, the time had come... So... on March 31st, Ellie went around the house with me after her last nap with binky (pictured above!) and gathered up all of her binkies to put in a box for Baby Logar... She was very excited as we were doing it! I don't think the reality that they were never coming back had hit her yet... not until bedtime!
Another special element to "bye bye binky" day was Joel had promised Ellie that he would put together her new kitchen! She had gotten this cute little set as a Christmas gift from Joel's Aunt and Uncle and Cousin, but we decided not to set it up right away but to use it as greater incentive to give up binky. Ellie was VERY excited about her new toy! As was Alexa!
As a grand finale to our big special day, we let Ellie stay up a little later to watch "Tangled" and eat popcorn! She was definitely on cloud 9 all day with all of her special treats! But...we had not yet gotten to bedtime... How would she do?
Well... night one was a SUCCESS! She cried for about 30 minutes, but then went to sleep and slept the whole night long. Nights have been good - though she does wake up about 30 minutes to an hour earlier than usual. Naps have been a bit of a different story. Some days she doesn't nap at all (very sad for Momma!) - and other days she sleeps for about an hour. So, life has changed around here - but binky has had her swan song and we are surviving without it! :) Now I just have to watch out and make sure Ellie doesn't steal Alexa's binkies. She does this whenever she gets the chance and will quickly tell me that Alexa is "sharing" with her. :) Yesterday, she actually stole one and hid it in her bed. I was amazed and excited that she was napping, only to have my bubble burst at the end of her nap when I realized that she had been sucking on Alexa's binky! Lol! But I'm trying to stand strong... My firstborn is growing up. And sometimes growing up is definitely hard to do... :)
Ellie would never let me do this to her hair. Trust me, I've tried. :) But she was an absolute angel in the chair and I think it turned out adorable!
Then it was off to get her nails done. Ellie is most definitely all girl. She LOVES to get her nails painted. And while she had originally picked a bright BLUE polish - Mommy gently redirected her to the pinks, which I'm sure she loved much more. Ha!
Isn't this hilarious. She looks like a diva to the max.
The girls all got the royal treatment and they enjoyed every second of it! Look out Daddy... I have a feeling Ellie could get used to this.
Here they are! As you can see...it was hard to get a focused picture where everyone was looking and Ellie wasn't trying to get in front. 
The sweetest little girls around! I just love their Momma's and the three of us decided that we were going to make this an annual tradition. It will be so fun to watch them grow!
So Happy Birthday Gracey and Delaney! Thanks for letting us join in the fun!
