Goodbye Fingers, Hello Big Girl Bicycle!

Emma is making a big step in her little life. She has decided to stop sucking her fingers (at age 5...if you've ever had a thumb or finger sucker, you won't judge me.) in exchange for a big girl bicycle AND two webkin babies she wants to adopt from Sweet and Sassy. Small price to pay for the hope that her overbite may self correct at least a little bit if her fingers aren't behind her teeth every time she's tired or watching t.v.


Part of this deal is she has temporarily given up her silky. Silky is her yellow blanket. She's had it since she was a baby - there are actually two of them. They are both yellow and they are both named Silky; but apparently one is a boy and one is a girl. She will get Silky back when she has actually kicked the finger sucking habit. I wish she didn't have to do without Silky, but putting her fingers in her mouth is an automatic response when she has that silky.


We read a story called Owen about a little boy (Owen) who had a yellow blanket named Fuzzy (I think it was named Fuzzy...now I'm questioning myself.) Anyway, this has got to be one of the sweetest stories I've ever read. I wish I had written it! Owen reminds me so much of Emma. The story shows how very real something like a blanky or silky is to our little kids. I know this already because Allison Jean still has her silky and if she hurts herself or trauma comes into her life in any way, she gets her silky for comfort.

All of my girls have a silky. Allison's is my old gown. Emma (has two) and they are both yellow blankies I bought at Wal Mart while she was in my belly. I had to buy yellow because we didn't know the sex. And Meagan also has two, both are pink and white, and one is from Wal Mart and one is from Target.

I have given silkies as gifts to other family members who had babies. My niece Maddie has at least five and the one I gave her with her name embroidered on it is her fave. (Not that I'm boasting!) Emma's best friend ended up having to have a silky after we took a trip with them when the girls were babies. She kept wanting Emma's. Mandy (her bff) calls her silky "D." No one knows why. I think it's so funny! Though her daddy didn't think it was so funny when he had to go back into Macy's to search for it while they were out Christmas shopping a few years back. (He found it! Mandy's hero!)

I guess watching Emma take this big girl step has made me realize even though it is SOOO time for her to give up these fingers and for now that means giving up silky, I will be glad when she can have her silky back. I like seeing my girls in the back seat of the car on a road trip holding their silkies to their noses. It won't always be like this. Too soon, they'll be back there with ear buds in their ears listening to ipods and texting.