The Real Issue: No More Fingers

La Nina is fighting yet another bug. I could spend my blog time lamenting my lack of sleep or the difficulty comforting a sick almost 3 year old, but the real issue this illness is forcing on our family: La Nina has had to give up sucking her fingers. La Nina, our determined finger sucker, hasn't had a finger in her mouth in 36 hours. This is probably the longest drought of finger sucking since her conception-finger sucking is something that begins in utero for most kids. All I know is that she was sucking her fingers with us in China, it was one of the traits her referral paperwork described.

While she was uncomfortable from her virus last night, the real problem was she couldn't figure out how to sleep without her fingers in her mouth. She was so tired, but she just needed something to do with her hands. Once she did fall asleep, she woke up screaming every two hours because she started sucking her fingers in her sleep and it hurt. Poor baby.

Today, all day, she would feel sick, put her fingers in her mouth, scream, whimper and ask for another Dora. Milk shakes, popsicles, ice cream were all refused, because she really only wanted those fingers. (Of course, Maggie sucked back 3 milk shakes her sister refused, but that is another story.)

My curiosity is if this illness is going to break her finger sucking habit. Personally, I have never had a problem with her sucking her fingers. I figure she won't go to high school sucking her fingers, and it is kind of cute at this age. I am a sad this trait from babyhood could be gone before her 3rd birthday. She is getting to be such a big girl in every other way, I hate to give up anymore of my baby. At the same time, I suppose better this way than through taunts at school.