Dear Ava...

Dear Ava,

I am writing you this letter on the night of March 6th, 2009. I suspect that this is going to be a most terrifying and difficult night for you (your dad and I too). You see, tonight, the Binkie Fairy is coming to take away your most prized possession. I'm still trying to figure out why this fairy did not grace us with her presence back when you were only 1 year old. I think it would have made things a whole lot easier on all of us. On the contrary, she has waited until you are almost 3 years old to come and rip you from the security item that you have (most definitely) HAD to keep intact every night of your life (at least up until this point). A few weeks ago I thought it would be a good idea to remove the binkie from your mouth while you were sleeping and get rid of it once and for all. I figured it was time to let it go, and thought you would wake up in the morning forgetting about your beloved binkie. However, I woke up at 1am to the most bone shattering scream I have ever heard. You don't even WANT to know the thoughts that had run through my mind (as to why you were shrilling at the top of your lungs like that). I bolted to your room, only to find you sobbing and trying to mutter the words "Binkie! Where is my binkie?" through the most pathetic tears I have ever seen. It was then that your dad and I decided we would have to be a bit more creative in our endeavor....

A few weeks went by since that night, and your dad and I put the whole idea of "getting rid of the binkie" on the back burner. That is, until we were having dinner with our good friend Tonya (a dental hygienist) who told us that you would probably develop buck teeth from using your binkie this long (okay, she didn't say it like that....but your father did not have to hear another word about it and decided that it would be terminated immediately). After consulting with some friends, we decided to tell you the following story (so that you would understand why you will be waking up tomorrow with no binkie in your mouth) *sigh*. Twenty years down the road when you are talking to your therapist and trying to decipher at what point things turned south in your life, you can show him/her this letter to answer this exact question.

So, here is the story (as you know it) as to what is magically going to happen tonight.....

A beautiful fairy (who we've shown you pictures of in your coloring books)...named the "Binkie Fairy" is going to fly to our house tonight around 1am. She will somehow enter our house (Note to self, do not arm the alarm system), walk up the stairs (sprinkling her magic fairy dust as she goes), tip-toe into your room (and, yes, we will actually be sprinkling some leftover Halloween glitter onto the stairs for special effects) and find your bedroom. She will then sneak into your room, remove your binkie from your mouth, and leave you 2 barbies on your pillow while you sleep. (It was supposed to be only one barbie, but then you couldn't make up your mind as to what barbie you wanted more...so the gracious binkie fairy has opted to spoil you during this horrific time and just give you both the Ariel Mermaid Barbie AND the Ballerina Barbie). When you wake up, you will see your new barbies in your bed, find her fairy dust leading out to the front door, and be SO happy that she has brought you presents in exchange for your binkies!

For some reason, I don't think that this will be your initial reaction....but this is the way it is all supposed to go down, God willing.

Ever since we told you about this magical fairy that is coming, you have been asking millions and millions of questions about it. Here are a few of my favorites....

"Mama, is the binkie fairy taking my binkie so that all the little babies in the world can have them?"

"Will my barbies have their own binkies, mama?" (Um, that would be NO)....

"Mama, will I still have a binkie in my backpack at church?"

"I'm a big girl now, is that why I can't have my binkie anymore?" (No, it's because I don't want you to have buck teeth).

"Mama, where do binkies come from" (Although, I'd rather answer this question than "where do babies come from?")....

So, there you have it. We have decided to tell you that your first question is true. The Binkie Fairy is coming because all of the new little babies in the world need to have your binkies. Now, after I'm done with this letter, your father and I have to tear apart the house and make sure we are not missing any old binkies that might have fallen in between couch cushions, or under the bed. Please, dear child, do not make these next few nights difficult for yourself. I know it is going to be a very traumatic experience to go through, but we know you can do it. I apologize we didn't summon the Binkie Fairy to come to our house a year or two ago. And now it seems as though your binkie is just an extension of your face. Although I'm excited to see you play with your new barbies, I'm saddened that this night will signify a turning point in your life. You are almost 3, which means you will be entering into pre-school soon, and are not my infant baby anymore. Your father and I love you more than you will ever know. Please remember that as you will probably be hating us very much this next week.

Love, Mommy