I found them! And none too soon...

Let's not call my daughter picky. Let's just say she has discriminating tastes, and she knows what she likes.

I'm talking about, of course, her binky. Otherwise known as a Soothie, it is by far the one priceless, irreplaceable item in our house. She has used it since we received it at the hospital (I know, we started making mistakes even BEFORE leaving the hospital).

She's a very vigorous sucker, and she loves her binky. I mean, she LOVES it. Almost as much as she loves her berry wreaths. But Soothies are damn near impossible to find at any store. You can find Nuks, Mams, ad infinitum, but I only found Soothies one place - Target. I bought the two pack, thinking I had finally solved our problem of "Where's the binky. Oh my God, where's that binky?!"

I brought them home only to find they are a thicker consistency than the one she received at the hospital, and therefore worthless in her eyes (and mouth). She spit them out, dissatisfied.

Recently, we had to go back to the hospital where she was born, and I decided to try Avent pacifiers (the third brand I had gone to in an attempt to wean her from the impossible-to-find Soothie). The lady asked if it was the brand I always used. I explained my fruitless search for the Soothies. Her eyes lit up and said, 'we carry them!' I almost jumped over the counter to hug her.

Sadly to say, once I brought them home, I found they were vanilla-scented. Why on earth would you scent a binky? Needless to say, they got spit out like sour milk.

Just when I was done searching, I found what I was looking for at Babies R Us, of all places. At the checkout line, displayed as an impulse item. The package shone like gold (because it's worth it's weight in it, for sure). I snatched the two-pack and plopped it on the counter.

Ha. Take that hospital. You thought you could torture me by giving my child one, count 'em, one binky on which you hooked her from birth. But I circumvented the system. Ha! Raspberries to you!

Now where are those damn binkys?