I'm sitting on the couch at 11:33pm on Christmas day, thinking about so many things.
First, Elizabeth hasn't been sucking her thumb since around Thanksgiving of this year. It started when I noticed her thumb getting super chapped and raw from going out in the cold after having it in her mouth. She pretty much didn't suck it unless we were in the van or at bedtime. When I started examining her thumb, I also noticed that it was flatter than her other (non sucked) thumb. She has been sucking it since she was about 6 months old, and I guess over all that time it flattened while she was growing. My momma always told me that babies grow when they sleep, so it makes sense. So, we decided to put some aquafor on her chapped thumb and a couple barbie bandaids over night. We told Elizabeth she could still have her Blankie, but couldn't take the bandaids off and sucked her thumb. I really thought she'd take them off, but she didn't. I had to go in her room 6 or 7 tines to help her soothe herself to sleep. I talked to her about choosing a soft stuffed animal buddy to snuggle tight and to sink down into her bed and dream that she's sleeping on a cloud. I still sleep with GW that mom bought me when I had my wisdom teeth out when I was 17, so Elizabeth liked the idea that she could be like mommy! Since then she has gotten better and better at getting to sleep without sacking her thumb. She even said she didn't even want her Blankie, so she hasn't had it wither her anytime either. She is still waking every night, but I thinks it's bc she is stuffy and cranky and still doesn't know how to deal with that. I'm praying for guidance on how to help her deal with feeling rough and still resting.
Also, we thought we'd work with Anna Leigh on getting rid of her pacis by giving them to Santa to take to the baby elves in the north pole. Anna has always been more mature and ahead of the game, due to keeping up with Elizabeth! So we wanted to give it a try. Last night, Anna put bother her pacis on the plate for Santa, along with some cookies and chocolate milk. I didn't realize until right at bedtime that she also put her Blankie beside the plate for Santa too. I told her she didn't have to give up her Blankie, that it was hers and had her name in it. But, she said she wanted to and "didn't need it anymore." This made me so emotional. It was all I could do to hold back the tears while reading out Night Before Christmas book. She slept perfectly and ever once woke up asking for either her Blankie or paci. I am so proud of her, but sad because my baby is growing up. She's still only 2, and I want her to stay little and innocent and sweet, sucking that paci.
I'm also thinking about Elizabeth and how she has started showing signs of being ungrateful for what she gets. She did this at Memaws, asking where more presents are and saying she wants more. Also, at Mawma B's, she and Anna got puppy and kitty surprise toys and immediately when Elizabeth opened hers, she whined saying she wanted the kitty and stomped her foot and pouted. I had lectured her all the way from Memaws to Mawma's about having a grateful heart and being happy with what you get because it came from someone's heart and they don't have to buy her things. I told her if she did it again, she was going to get spanked. I couldn't let her get away with that reaction to her puppy surprise, so in fromm of all my family, on Christmas eve, I had to take her out on the deck and spank her and talk to her about her choices and attitude. I'm sure everyone thought I was such a mean person and over reacting, but I don't want to raise brats, and they don't know the history behind this issue. I am praying for guidance on this attitude of hers too, bc she showed it again today about her Barbie puppy mobile.
