Ditching the Bink

Lily is a thumb-sucker. She has been since she was about 6 months old. When she first started, I was honestly ok with it. No needed to buy binkies. No hunting down the missing binky. No getting up in the middle of the night to return the binky. She was completely able to self-soothe, and I was thankful. Plus, sucking her thumb was mostly reserved for when she was tired or hungry or really distressed.

But when Timothy was born, I decided the bink was the way to go. Lily was three and half at the time and still sucking her thumb. Two years later, she still does on occasion. Not very often, for sure. Usually when she's really tired, and still when she's really distressed and upset, but there's not really anything I can do at this point other than encourage her to stop. So for Timothy, I decided I wanted the control. I wanted to be able to take the bink away when it was time. I don't know if he would have ever turned into a thumb-sucker, but his bink was always close, so there was no need. When he turned two, we cracked down. Nap time and bed time only. Most of the time. Admittedly, there were times we gave in. And he's not a dumb kid. He knew where the bink was in the diaper bag and would go hunt for it. When he'd wake up, it was chucked into his bed, and sometimes he could reach between the slats and get it. When we converted to a toddler bed about a month ago, it was amazingly easy for him to retrieve it. If we managed to get it away from him again, it ended up on a counter or the bookcase, and once he'd see it a couple hours later, it was all he wanted.

I was dreading the day we took it away completely. And I wasn't sure what the plan of attack would be. I'd read different theories, like having the kid either watch you or making them throw it away. There's also the method that involves taking a pair of scissors to it while your kid watched. But they seemed so cruel. I mean, come on. They're attached to the thing and you cut it all up. I figured cold turkey was the way to go, but I wasn't looking forward to it.

Then last week happened. I could not find the bink any where. I had a spare in the medicine cabinet, but I decided to see what would happen. So when it was time for bed, we brushed his teeth. We grabbed his blanket. We read some stories. We sang a few songs. Then I put him in bed. And then he asked for bink. "Sorry, buddy," I said. "I don't know where bink is." "Bink?" he asked again. "I don't know where it is. Say bye-bye, bink."

And he did. Could it really be that easy? I guess so, because he hasn't looked back. I can only hope potty training is just as easy. The missing bink mysteriously reappeared a few days later, luckily while Timothy was busy doing something else. It was quickly whisked out of sight, never to be seen again.

 

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Our trip to exotic...Canada?

As of July 13, Erik and I have been married 10 years. Yeah...that wasn't a typo. 10 years. To me, that seems like such a milestone. And it's been an amazing 10 years, so we decided to treat ourselves to a fabulous vacation. Since we love cruises and we hadn't been on one in a couple years, we started looking at itineraries. There were the usual, of course. Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean, Alaska. And all of them would have been fantastic, I'm sure.

But then we noticed an eastern Canada cruise leaving out of Boston. No, it wasn't tropical. Heck, it wasn't even exotic. And we got plenty of mildly confused looks when we started telling people where we would be sailing. Canada? You mean that country just north of ours that's pretty much the exact same as here? But that was our final decision. We've both wanted to check out Boston forever and we'd already done the tropical thing. As fun as it was, we wanted to try something new. So Canada it was.

Since Boston was a main impetus for the choice, we headed in a day before the cruise left. We actually ended up on a red eye that left Saturday at 11:30p and arrived in Boston at 7:30a on Sunday. Airplane sleep is the worst. Even with the cute shut-eye kits of eye masks and ear plugs. We slept as well as we could and hit the ground running once we landed. Luckily, we were able to check into our hotel early so we could at least freshen up a bit.

We only had about a day and a half before boarding the boat, so based on the recommendation of the front desk, we headed straight to the Quincy Market Place area. It's right near the water and has a ton of shopping and food. It's also right next to Faneuil Hall, which was a market built in the 1700s. So we got to shop and feel like we were learning something at the same time. Always a plus. And we scored some great brick oven pizza at Regina Pizzeria . 

In that same area is the New England Aquarium. Seeing as how we recently set up a tank, it was a must see. We also hooked up with a tour through part of the Freedom Trail and ended up at the Old North Church and then went on to see Ol' Ironsides (USS Constitution) and the Old State House, where we got the real story of the Boston Massacre...as real as it can be, I suppose, considering no one really seems know what happened.

By the time we hit the boat on Monday afternoon, we were beat. Good thing the next day was a sea day, for sure. And remember when I said we wanted something different than the other cruises we'd been on? Well, it was. Usually, the days at sea are spent by the pool in a swim suit reading a book or taking a nap. In between, you grab some ice cream or a drink or some pizza and then maybe take a dip in the pool. For us, it was foggy. And I don't mean a few low thin clouds. We couldn't see anything. It was a little unnerving, really, to be on a boat in the middle of...nothing. So rather than lie by the pool all day, we hit the spa. Yes...Erik, too. It was wonderful!

Our first port was Saint John New Brunswick. Apparently, the big thing to do here is see the Reversing Falls. They have the highest tides in the world, so when the tide comes in, the Saint John River will actually change direction. The thing is, unless you hit the site at both low and high tides, you don't know the difference. Plus, the site to view the falls it across from a refinery. Talk about scenic. While we were there, we were able to see the water change a little, and some rapids started to form, but I don't know that I'd say it was a must see. We probably had more fun wandering around the town and their huge food market. And lunch was amazing at the Urban Deli. Without knowing it, we picked the #1 Saint John restaurant on Trip Advisor. And we whole-heartedly agree. Who knew grilled ham and cheese and club sandwiches could be so good?

The next day was Halifax. Turns out we were there during the tall ship festival. So while we waited for our tour that afternoon, we stolled the harbor walk and admired the ships. We also had some amazing ice cream (made with PEI blueberries and strawberries). Our tour actually took us out of Halifax to a fishing village called Peggy's Cove. Apparently, the permanent population of the town is about 40, but during the tourist season, it goes up substantially. It is the home of the most photographed lighthouse, which was our main destination. And I can see why. The lighthouse itself is just a lighthouse. In fact, we had a very similar one a little island next to the cruise ship. But the landscape around it was so pretty. Tons of granite right up to the ocean. But remember to avoid the black rocks. Or You. Will. Die. They make sure you understand that black rocks mean wet rocks, which means the ocean might come up and take you with it. While we were there, I snagged a watercolor print from the artist, who happened to be there signing them. I don't think he's anyone super famous, but it's kind of fun to have, especially for only 20 bucks.

Our second stop in Halifax was to the Titanic grave yard. The bodies retrieved from the water were brought to Halifax, and if they went unclaimed or the families didn't want to/couldn't ship them home, they were buried there. There are 121 graves, including a J Dawson and an unknown child who is actually now know thanks to DNA testing. Our guide was great and was able to tell us some stories about some of the people who ended up buried there. Definitely a fun, if a bit morbid, stop.

We had a second day at sea on the way back, which ended up being a lot like the first one. While we were in port, the weather was amazing. But those two days at sea were foggy and windy. But there's always something to do on board, so we managed to stay busy.

We arrived back in Boston Saturday morning, but we'd opted for another day so we didn't have to cram all of Boston into that first day and a half. So during the rest of Saturday and Sunday morning, we finished the part of the Freedom Trail we didn't do earlier, including the Bunker Hill Monument and its 294 steps. No elevator option. Erik ran the first 75 or so but soon realized that probably wasn't the brightest idea. The view was pretty cool, but it's a tiny room with a lot of people, so we didn't stay long to check it out. So we headed back down the 294 steps. Back at the bottom and 588 steps later, I was pretty sure my legs were about to mutiny and stop working all together.

A quick rest and we headed back to the Quincy area for lunch at Saus. French fries and sauce. That's it. I guess that's not true. They had sandwiches, too, but the fries were the thing. We went with the Poutine: fries with gravy and cheese curds. Seriously...it was so good. Then it was a trip to Boston Harbor so Erik could dump some tea in. We also hit the other side of town to see Prudential Tower. It wasn't as impressive as Willis Tower in Chicago, and it's not even the tallest building in Boston. But it had a good enough view that it was worth the trip.

By the time we got to the airport, we were ready to get home and see the kids, who had been staying with Nana and Grandpa Len. But we had a great time. Now we just need to start planning the next one. Maybe we'll let the kids come this time...
 

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Summer fun

Here are some of the things we've been up to this summer.

Summerfest: Kid Art

Chillin' it at the pool.

Fourth of July fun...including homemade ice cream

Awesome finger painting...masterpieces, every one.

Lazy days at the park

UPSTART graduation - Kindergarten starts in three weeks!!!

Cruising Boston and Canada (more about that later)

Hope your summer has been as fun as ours!
 

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