Bad habits are hard to break

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="Mr. Blueberry eyes at 10 months"][/caption]

When you're a new parent, you'll do just about anything to survive that first year. You'll let your baby sleep in the swing until he four months old. You'll fall asleep breast feeding with your baby in your bed just so you get more sleep because you're working full time.  You'll let him watch "Yo Gabba Gabba" because dinner isn't gonna magically appear on the table. I swore I wouldn't give my child a pacifier but I did. He was teething and that seemed to be the only thing that helped (besides heaps of motrin). A year later, my kiddo can't go anywhere without it.

This whole pacifier incident reminds me of a story my mother used to always tell about me. She swore I was going to enter kindergarten sucking on a pacifier.  I guess I was pretty into my blanket as well (sounds like someone I know -- Lil B has a blanket he carries all over the house but isn't allowed to take outside the house as if we lose it, we'll be in deep trouble) but I would not part with that zoo zoo (don't quote me but I think that is short for the Polish way of saying pacifier). My mom tried everything. Letting me cry in bed for it. Only giving it to me at naps. Nothing was working. I would whine and whine (no surprise here) and she'd give in.  Then she had this great idea ....

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Lil B relaxing with his binky"][/caption]

One day she took my pacifier away and went towards the bathroom. As told in her words, I was not happy and I rushed after her. She lifted the lid of the toilet and threw it in the bowl. "NO!" I screamed and she flushed the toilet. I peered over the bowl watching the water swirl away. The binky was gone forever and she wasn't going to buy me anymore. Of course, she didn't actually throw the binky in, I found out later on in life. She threw something else loud enough to make me believe it was my binky. She was one smart cookie.

I told myself I'd give Lil B until the first of the year to drop the binky. I'm actually really working on getting him to give up the bottle (I hope my pediatrician doesn't read this post). It's not going to well. Sheesh.