Hazel and the Binky Fairy

I finally decided it was time to bite the bullet and get rid of Hazel's binkies or 'kinkies' as she calls them. I waited until the preschool year was over and until we had a bit of time before our summer vacations began. We prepped Hazel for a few weeks and had her pick out a few things she wanted the Binky Fairy to bring her. I, of course, was a complete nervous wreck about the whole thing but excited to get it over with. The other two had pretty easy transitions with getting rid of their binkies, but Hazel LOVED her kinkies and it broke my heart a little to think of her sad and missing them. She helped me wrap them up and then she laid in bed and softly cried. I felt like I was going to cave, so I asked Cody to take over. He went in and told her about when he was 3 and was on a safari trip in Africa. He was watching the monkeys and felt bad that the baby monkeys didn't have binkies, so he threw his out the window for the baby monkeys. And that was it. Hazel loved that story and for days and weeks after that would ask us to tell her the monkey story. So cute.

"The 'Binky Fairy' will be exchanging this doll and headband for the lovingly wrapped 'kinkies.' We told Hazel the fairy needed to take her binkies and give them to another baby who needs them, since she is a big girl now. In the end it didn't take too long for Hazel to conk out thanks to a very large stuffed monkey. Hopefully, she stays that way. I think I"m having a harder time with this transition!!!" 

"A very successful night with not a peep from my sleeping beauty. Again, I was worried (shocking I know) that she would wake up early, but I had to drag grump-gus out of bed like usual. Now, we will see what happens at nap time!"

"Someone perked up when she saw what the Binky Fairy brought her."

As much as I enjoy watching my kids grow out of the baby phases, I'm having a hard time letting go of some things with this one. Hazel has always been such a little snuggle-bug, sweet baby girl, and she's so little. I just want to scoop her up in my arms and keep her my baby forever!