Plugs, Rags, Silkies, and Thumbs

Both of my kids suck--er, like to suck.
Toph had a "plug" and Hannah has her thumb.

Toph loved the pacifier. He liked it from the beginning. The "nursing nazi's" weren't so happy that we were willing to plug the hole, but HE was comforted. We called it "the plug" and Toph's renditions were pretty funny--"thlug."





Toph also has his "rags." Initially these started out as burp rags. They're cloth diapers with ribbon sewn along both edges. When he was about 3 months old, he started holding them when he'd fall asleep. He doesn't have the plug any more, but he still likes the rag. In fact, Toph has worn most of them out. They were all the same, except for the ribbon on the edges--silly me, I thought variety was important. Toph had a special affinity for "the other green ball rag." You see, the "green ball rag" had primary colored polka dots on it. "The OTHER green ball rag" has pastel polka dots on it. At 12-months-old Toph could differentiate this. MANY times he'd come uncorked because we couldn't find "the OTHER green ball rag." And he has worn it out! It is tattered and falling apart, and we're going to put it in a shadow box.

I love my boy!

Hannah never liked the plug. We'd have to literally hold it in her mouth, and she never really liked it. She'd been sucking her thumb in an ultrasound, and she finally found the thumb after birth too. Once she could control getting the thumb into the mouth, we were set! I LIKE that she sucks her thumb. We always have one handy, and I didn't have to go looking for it in the middle of the night. She's toned it down over the years and only sucks it now (most of the time) when she's sleepy.


Hannah inherited some "silkies" I made for Toph. When his first set of rags needed to go to the rag bag, I made him these "silkies" like his friend, Corbin, had. They're flannel on one side and silky fabric on the other. Toph would have NOTHING to do with them, so Hannah inherited them, and she loves them. Again, about age 3 months, she'd have to hold a "silky" while falling asleep. And I only made TWO kinds of "silkies" (intending the blue ones for Toph and the white ones for the unborn baby). Hannah also has a preference. She ONLY likes the heart silkies--white ones. Hannah wants NOTHING to do with the "dark silkies," which are light blue. This poses a problem now that we only have 2 heart silkies left. When we moved here, we went to the fabric store and picked out "big girl" silkie fabrics--yeah, she doesn't like those either. So, for now, we're just grateful that we have the 2 heart silkies. They've been washed so many times that you can't really see the print on the flannel any more.




As she gets older, Hannah has fewer "freak outs" related to the missing silkies. I'm confident that she'll give them up when she no longer needs the comfort. She already doesn't suck her thumb ALL night. Many nights when I check on her, she's not sucking her thumb at all. So, hopefully before she goes to girl's camp as a teen, we'll probably be able to retire the silkies.

I love my girl!