Drumroll, please.

December 8 will be a big, big day in this house.

Not only because Zoey will turn three years old.

But also because, that morning, she and I will trek down the road to Toys R Us, where she will use her binky to buy a brand-new baby doll.

Thinking about my child without a binky is almost a little sad. Okay, it freaks me out. Because seriously? For the past three years straight? Nothing has calmed her down quicker than getting that bink in her mouth. Seriously. She'd throw me under a bus if it meant she could save her binky. And in my opinion, quiet and calm rank right up there with 'roof over head' and 'food on table' when I am making a mental tally of things I deem important in life. So, on December 8, I will effectively be turning in my one ticket to guaranteed quiet and calm.

I'm feeling a bit nervous about this. Zoey, on the other hand, seems thrilled with the idea and can't wait to acquire a baby doll that can go with her in the bath tub. Yesterday she asked if we could go to the toy store NOW and turn in her binky, to which I responded "Stop with the crazy talk, you who thought a flu shot sounded like a walk in the park and also tried to tell me going to the dentist was no big thing".

She can talk the talk, but can she walk the walk?

Somehow, I don't think so. But I try to tell myself that a $30 baby doll and several nights of feeling as though we've made the worst mistake in the world might, in the end, be cheaper than headgear and braces.