My Big Girl

We neglected our blog yet again. Don't worry. We'll get caught up soon, but I really wanted to blog about my big girl.

As many of you probably know, Ellie hung on to her binky for much longer than we ever should have let her. I am happy to report that Ellie has been completely binky-free now for two weeks. My cousin's wife, Shannon, was a huge part of helping us get rid of it. She was watching Ellie while I went to work (school) until the daycare opened at the end of August. There were a few times they were unable to find a binky in her bag and others when I just plain forgot to bring one. She was able to convince Ellie that she didn't need it most of the time. She was also able to convince me of the same thing. We started hiding the plugs in the cupboards and only using it at nap time and bed time. When at home, Ellie would whine for her binky quite a bit. She would find other binkies hidden in her room. She only had a few fits, but Weston and I didn't give in. Eventually, I "accidentally" cut the tip off her "last" binky. She would put it in her mouth and take it out to examine it. She asked me what I did and I told her I accidentally cut it. When Weston saw she didn't want it anymore, he said "Then why don't you just throw it in the garbage Ellie?" So she did. Then every time she asked for it, we would remind her she threw it away. There were a couple of times she went to the garbage to look for it, but we told her it was already in the big garbage can. One of those times, she went to the garage entry and cried to go get it. Then another time, she said we should buy more at the store. It was a little tough, but not as bad as I thought. Thanks Shannon! I guess the hardest part is figuring out how to keep her quiet during Sacrament Meeting- the kid does not know how to whisper!

Another reason we have to be proud of Ellie is that she is potty-trained! She has been wearing "Big Girl Panties" for a week and a few days. She has had very few accidents with us. I still send her to daycare in a pull-up because they aren't really working with her on that. I will probably send her in underwear when we come back from being off-track in the middle of October. At first, we were frustrated because Ellie would only go when we sat her on the potty and we had to be on top of it every hour. After a few days, Ellie learned to tell us when she needed to go and she would run to the bathroom. The accidents are frustrating, but we are so relieved she can use the potty! Yay!

And finally, the last evidence that our baby girl is a big girl is that Ellie has transitioned from her crib to a day bed. It's still her crib, but we've taken the front rail off and put up a safety rail. She climbs up into her bed and loves to play in there. It took a few nights to learn she had to stay in her bed, but she's doing awesome!

As I think about how much she grew in a matter of three weeks, I really can't believe it! She is such a good helper and we love her very much. Hooray for my BIG GIRL!