Bernice is gone

Owen is not the best of sleepers.  He also was still taking a bottle at night as of last week.  It has been my crutch, and my excuse has been that he didn't start really eating solid food until very, very recently.  He's always had problems eating since he was born.  Well, last Wednesday night I got up with him eight, oh yes, eight times.  Not all of them were for the bottle.  That was only once.  I was so tired the next day, I decided if I was getting up with him and being tired anyway, we were going to do something about the bottle.  I informed Cameron of my plan and he was totally on board.  (He wanted to get rid of it over Christmas break)  We code named the bottle Bernice and whenever we talked about it, that's what we called it.  i.e.  "What did you do with Bernice?"
 "Bernice is in the cupboard, but we're telling him she has been thrown away." 
You get the picture.  That first night he went to sleep pretty well without it.  I told him we threw it away and the garbage man came and took it away.  He seemed to accept this and went to sleep.  About 12:00 he woke up and wanted his humm-humm (said in an up and down lilting voice.  Yes, I know he is a verbal master.)  I tried to tell him about the garbage man, but he was getting a little violent when we mentioned said man, so I changed my tactic and told him a mommy horse came to me and told me she really needed a bottle for her baby horse and so I gave her Owen's bottle.  That did calm the crying for a while.  (He loves horses and yes, I know I totally lied to him.)  I took him downstairs and we watched some "Say Yes to the Dress".  Well, I watched, but couldn't hear over the shrill screeching that was going on.  A couple of girls found some very pretty wedding dresses and we decided to trek back upstairs.  I was even willing to let him sleep with us for a little while if it would help.  He would have no part of that, and thus, it was now Cameron's turn.  Cam took him downstairs and said he tried to play in the playroom with him...he was totally not falling for that!  So Cameron "watched"  some logging show.  Yes, a vastly different choice from my show, but who am I to judge?  Around 3:30, they came back upstairs and Owen laid down and went to sleep.  The next day was a little touch and go, but he did pretty well.  I was prepared for another fight the next night, but he woke up once because he had lost his pacifier and that's it.  THAT'S IT!!  Yes, he is sleeping through the night, unless he loses his pacifier.  Cue the heavenly choir.  Hallelujah, I can sleep through the night!!