Binky Bye, Bye, Bye.

That song title was typed to the tune of 'N Sync's "Bye, Bye, Bye". I thought it was the Backstreet Boys until I googled it just now. I am not a big fan of boy bands, but being a child of the 90's they were hard to avoid.

I decided with SJ's birthday coming up it might be time to ditch the pacifier. The decision alone has been grueling, and the task seemingly insurmountable. Unlike her brother, SJ has had no problem transition away from the bottle, crib, even diapers, but apparently this is her one little baby "vice" and it is a biggie! I know that, as with all motherhood topics, pacifiers can be controversial. I've read opinions that say to take something away cold turkey, something that YOU introduced into their life, something that may be their only source of comfort in times of distress is just cruel and heartless. I've also read that we've waited too long and she may never talk and we will be paying orthodontic bills for years to come. It's a bit overwhelming.

Daytime pacifier usage was never really the problem. To be honest that was more for our comfort. When she cried because she has to go in the car seat instead of plugging our ears we just plugged her mouth and everybody's happy. Night time however, that's another story. She has slept with a pacifier since 4 weeks old. It has been a constant bed buddy for almost 2 years. After 3 days of intense rehabilitation it looks like she's sobered up, but it didn't come without a fight.

Day One

It was a breeze until nap time. She fell asleep briefly after I laid down with her, but most of the time she was just screaming and flailing her arms around.

Night one was basically the exorcist or some other horror film. She woke up at 2:00 am wanting a "fix" and my husband was questioning why I ever thought this was a good idea. I went to get her binky and after having a knock down drag out fight calmly debating whether or not we should just tough it out, she fell asleep in my arms before she ever even knew that we were ready to give in.

Day Two

She never did take a nap, but she finally fell asleep at 6:00 pm and the poor thing was so exhausted from this whole process that she slept 14 hours and woke up happily at 8:00 am the next day!

Day Three

I was thrilled with the amount of sleep that she had gotten the night before, but just as I was expressing my enthusiasm she spotted an old pacifier on the counter and put it in her mouth. I was so discouraged. I think the reason it was out in the open was because she NEVER liked that style of paci, but compared to having nothing it seemed to be working for her now! I had to think fast. Maybe this was an opportunity to allow her to be involved in the process so I carried her over to the trash can. I said, OH NO that's yucky, and I tried to get her to throw it away. She wasn't buying it. With a frantic smile painted across my face I stuttered Ummm... how about some chocolate milk? She stared at me from behind the plug and I added I will even let you stir! Shoot, I would have bought the girl a cotton candy machine! ANYTHING to get that pacifier out. She dropped the paci and I threw it in the trash so that she could see.

She napped well, and slept through the night that night!

An article that I read said it takes about 3 days for them to settle into a pacifier free lifestyle. The past three days have been a little unnerving, but by this time next week it will probably be just a foggy not so pleasant memory, a lot like 'N Sync.

The Outtakes

Someone is turning two very soon. That means she's due for another photo session. When Z was this age we got some adorable shots of him in a preppy sweater vest and a hat.

This was the image that we chose for the wallet prints. I decided to go the same route with SJ so I dressed her in a hand me down Gymboree ensemble with a matching hat. I hate to do photo overload, but I can't help but show you a glimpse of all the cuteness that was captured that day. I narrowed it down to two pictures for the wallets and enlargements, but I'll reveal those on her birthday, for now here are the top ten "out takes".

Heart Art

I did my first Pinterest craft. I had this one listed under the category of For The Kiddos, and it was super easy! I thought I would share it with you because even though we did it for Valentine's day, you could use it for a lot of things, like a card for grandma, or teaching Bible verses about love. It's cheap, creative fun, and my favorite part is that it could work for almost any age.

All you need is some paint, paper, bowls, and empty toilet paper rolls.

I used Crayola washable paint and narrowed it down to 4 colors.

Then I squirted about a tablespoon full into 4 disposable bowls.

I cut up a paper towel roll into 3 parts and used one toilet paper roll. I bent them into the shape of a heart and taped each one to make sure they held their shape.

The kids dipped the rolls into the paint and use them as stamps.

It was a great Valentine's day activity and even though it got a little messy the Crayola paint said "washability you can trust" and it was. All their clothes and any furniture that wasn't covered in newspaper all came out fine.

In the end we got some cute art for the fridge and eventually their baby books.

Thanks to Rust and Sunshine for this idea.

Vintage Shopping in Louisville

J and I have been "courting" Louisville since that is now the closest major city to us. As it stands I think we are in love with the place. One of the reasons is the vintage store density. They have thrift and consignment shops everywhere. Last week when I was there found a few pieces to ad to my collection of previously owned clothing (which is pretty much what all of my wardrobe is).

First off, this orange and brown flannel print jacket was on clearance at the Urban Attic in Louisville.

Here I am sporting the jacket with a hat that I stole from a friends closet and she graciously let me keep it. Then I have some of my favorite skinny jeans (Red Rivet from Macy's) and some Bear Paw boots which have a funny drawn out story to go with them. Feel free to skip over this part

I went to H&M for the first time about a month ago and I bought some fuzzy slipper type boots. They were more fashionable than practical and I never wore them. A few days later I found these Bear Paw boots in perfect condition at the thrift store so I bought them and took the H&M boots back. After lounging around in the Bear Paw's for a few days I made the statement that taking those boots back and getting the Bear Paw's was one of the best decisions I ever made. That's a little dramatic, but they're comfy. J has some Bear Paw slippers and so do my parents and siblings. We swear by them.

Next up is this red dress that I also got from Urban Attic which my husband spotted on display and hinted that I would look really good in it.

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I got it as a Valentine's present and he said this dress was made for me. Awwww!

I wore it with one of my mom's necklaces which was just a simple diamond on a silver chain and the black tights actually have a slight pinstripe pattern to them, and the shoes are of course a thrift find that I've had forever.

So as you can see my thrifty fashion lives on even in the boon docks of Kentucky.

Today I'm linked up with WHAT I WORE WEDNESDAY.

The First Week

When I envisioned myself moving to Kentucky, thinking this is for real, you will no longer be in the place you lived for half of your life, I panicked and worried that I would literary start flopping around like a fish out of water. So I took a deep breath and decided to call the first week vacation and ease into it. We've been living with my parents for about a week now, but with little attention to setting up a routine or unpacking our boxes. In fact, I am practicing an art that J and I have accidentally become estranged to. It's called relaxation. I am making it a goal to put more useless activities in my life.

I know that sounds crazy, but in preparing for this move, while being a part time working mom, I have had absolutely no time for anything other than the productive. That means I don't read, I don't twitter, go to the movies, and I do not play games on my phone. That's why since we've moved I got the Emoji app (totally impractical and makes me feel like a 12 year old. I love them). I finally bit the bullet and got a Pinterest too. I play Scramble with friends several times a day. As often as anyone is willing to challenge me. And yesterday I went on a date with J for the first time in months.

Even though our little vacation transition is coming to a close, hopefully the idea of taking time to unwind will not. This shouldn't be too difficult since we are living in one of the smallest towns in Kentucky with less than 1,000 people. The slogan on their website boasts in bold letters Life in the SLOW Lane.

It's definitely a change of pace, but in the chaos of the past month I feel like I've aged a decade. An army of wrinkles are proudly making their way across my forehead which was never an issue before, and everyone is begging me to put some meat on my bones. Let's just say I'm not at my best. So I'm sure slowing down a little bit won't do me any harm. Time for a little R&R. Time toenjoy snowball fights with my kids,

It snowed a little yesterday and is supposed to again this weekend!

Turkish coffee with my parents,

A delicacy they picked up from one of their foreign exchange students

and Scramble with my friends.

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I usually get kicked in the pants, so I have to get a screen shot when I win.

Time for life in the slow lane.

We Did It

Well guess what blogosphere? We closed on the original projected date, and just crossed over the Kentucky border. Everything has gone relatively smooth. There have been plenty of last minute gathering full of hugs, tears, and reminiscing.

Our last night in the house was a peaceful one, and as I walked through each room for the final time the memories flooded my mind like a montage from a movie. I met J in the empty living room too choked up to speak. He looked at me and said "we did it". We prayed together, locked the door for the final time, and waved to the neighbors that watched us as we pulled away.

Our house number was 711 and after we moved in I was lead to a verse that I felt was for us in that place. It was 2 Samuel 7:11 and it says The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you.

God's hand was evident in leading us to this place and while there have certainly been plenty of ups and downs it feels good to leave knowing that, as J said, we did it. Our first home was a success story. It has been bitter sweet for sure, but after all we went through it was truly a happy ending.