I bought Beaver a doll this week.

I don't normally run out and buy my kids every toy that they ask for, but, a doll!  I've never had the chance to buy a doll before!  Beaver is currently surrounded by little girls in our neighborhood, and when he played at his friend Erin's house, they played with dolls.  He came home and told me that he wanted a boy pretend baby.  I looked, but a boy doll is pretty tough to find.  I asked if he would accept a girl pretend baby, and he agreed as long as it came with a "shot."  So, when I found a doll with a doctor's kit at Toys R Us, I pointed it out to Beaver and asked him what he thought.  He was super excited, so I bought the set and took it home.  He played happily with it for about one hour, and has hardly touched it since, other than to give Mike and I shots and to check the pressure with his pressure gauge that is actually a stethoscope.

I also decided that this was the week to tackle Beaver's thumb sucking habit.  I've been very hesitant because I knew it would make bedtime so much more difficult, but it really seemed like time.  Lately it has evolved from a bedtime and bored-time habit into something of a compulsion.  Mike was home for bedtime Friday night and he has the day off Monday, so that gave me four nights with support.  We've already done away with his bahs (his blankies) and that happened far more easily than I anticipated, so I was really hoping maybe the first night of not thumb sucking wouldn't be as bad as I feared.  It was about 20 times worse.  Picture my little Beaver thrashing, tossing, turning, sobbing - that was the first night.  Last night wasn't nearly as bad, but we had been out late and it was 10:00 by the time he got to bed, so he was exhausted.  Tonight Mike is on Beaver duty and has been upstairs with him for a good hour now.  Not a good sign.  Any advice would be welcome.

Beaver and his pretty, pink doctor's kit.