Withdrawal Symptoms

Since we have arrived home from our Minnesota trip, we have been trying to discourage Allyson from thumbsucking. She has been so good about resisting the urge to suck her thumb. However, sometimes life gets to be a little too much, and in those moments, she calls out, "Mom, I think I need to suck my thumb." Even in those moments, she can usually be encouraged to be a big girl, and the need for the thumb subsides.

She has developed a substitutionary method in which she pats "Monkey's" tail on her cheek instead of sucking her thumb. It is quite humorous to watch.

After having a particularly frustrating bout of whiny behavior yesterday morning, Kristen and I came to the conclusion that this poor behavior is her way of dealing with the frustration of not being able to suck her thumb. She is having withdrawal symptoms!!!!

Yesterday, in Wal-Mart, she finally lost and said she REALLY needed to suck her thumb. She had been behaving so badly that we told her to go ahead. It was amazing, all of a sudden she was a happier girl!

Please keep her in your prayers as she tries to break this habit. :) She is so good about trying. Also, pray for our patience as parents in helping her get through this time.

Below is a picture taken following the Wal-Mart trip. As you can see, she is quite "stylish."

Have a great day!