I wrote this post Thursday night but didn't publish it because I got distracted by Kate, wailing at the top of her lungs. I thought she was asleep. Apparently not. Anyway, I got super flustered and kinda just wanted to crawl into a hole and suck my thumb.
Well, tonight I got a wild hair and cut a hole in the bottom of one of Kate's pacifiers, hid the others (because I was too scared of the permanence of actually throwing them away), and prayed for the best.
I got so nervous, the story I told her didn't even really make any sense. I let her find the one with the hole in it sitting on the table. Then she put it in her mouth and told me it was broken and that she wanted another one, all the while crying. I told her that the Paci Fairy came and took all of her pacifiers and all that was left is the one with the hole in it. I told her that the Paci Fairy took the rest of the paci's to the new little babies that were being born and since the only one left has a hole in it, we should just throw it away. She didn't find that to be one of my best ideas and decided to try her darndest to make it work. Even though she couldn't quite get the suction she was looking for, she kept it in her mouth. Then she asked if we could leave the fairy some cookies. I quickly agreed and set out two Oreos on a princess-shaped plate. I kept trying to add to my story, trying helplessly to make it make more sense, but since I was doing it all on the fly, everything I said seemed to confuse her (and myself) more. Why would the Paci Fairy be coming back to our house if she supposedly already collected all but one broken paci? I have no idea. But thank goodness she never questioned me.
She just kept chewing on the broken pacifier and every few minutes or so she asked for a new one. After she had her initial good cry, it didn't even really phase her. I think she was just happy to have one left, broken or not. I'm thinking that the closer we get to bedtime the worse it may get. Edited to include: Hmmm, as we see, my thinking on this was right.
I realize it's time for her to give up the paci. It's been a monkey on my back for a while. I'd like to have her paci-free by the time Hamp arrives and I thought now would be a great time to give it a try. She has always been super attached to her paci and if I'm honest with myself, I think she's becoming more attached. Not a good thing. Shouldn't it be the opposite? I just assumed getting older = less attached? Not the case with her. And dadgum it, if I'm honest with myself again, I'd also say it comes down to me just being a bit weak. Ouch.
Here goes nothin'!
Posts
11 comments:
Good story though! Maybe you can find a picture of a baby with a pacifier & tell her that's one of hers ???
I know my nieces held tight to theirs for quite awhile.. they just wanted to HOLD them - its just like a security blanket... I think you're doing good nixing it before the baby comes though!!!! Hope it all settles within a few days! Hang in there!!!
It may be a few days of torture for you but then it will be done.
I remember for my oldest our Nanny lost his one and only one that he liked while they were on a walk, not much I could do but comfort him and explain that it wasn't coming back, it took a few days and then it was forgotten. Best of luck it will work out in the end :)
Good luck, Hollie - I bet this is just as hard on you as it is on her :( I'll be in the same boat in a year (or so). The speech/lang therapist at school is already on me about Becks'...
PS. I had a paci until I was almost 4 and I turned out alright...I think!
My sister took both her kiddos to Build a Bear with their last pacifier(s). They got to pick an animal, and because they were so big now, the pacis went inside the animal instead of in their mouth. Then they built the animal and got an outfit. Now they sleep with the "Paci puppy" instead of a paci. I thought my nephew would rip it apart to get them, but he didn't!
Good luck!
Best of luck...
We did the same thing with Rocco, about that same age, but we took them to the zoo for the baby giraffe. He cried for a bit each night but it eventually passed. We found two hidden in our closet recently! Nick was afraid to show him so I did. Didn't get much of a reaction thank goodness. It's been about a year.
ROTFL at leaving the Paci fairy some cookies after she steals the pacis!
My oldest ds was the only one that was hard to break of the nuk habit, but we survived and he is 10 and doesn't use a pacifier so it worked. lol
I hope you guys are successful in getting rid of the paci. Olivia never took one but we had a tough time stopping the bottle(w/nipple) and now she uses the bottles with a sippy lid since milk just isn't as good out of a playtex sippy cup. Maybe the paci fairy could take her paci's and leave Kate a little treat, just an idea:)
LEt her trade it for something else...a build a bear? or something she can sleep with...blanket that she picks out??? Worked for my aunt's son. He traded it for a stuffed animal...and slept with it for the next 5 years.
Maybe try dipping the paci into something tart that she doesn't like? Mean? Maybe. LOL
Or telling her she gets a prize if she can sleep one night without - something small of course, but something she'll want.
Loved readiing this thank you
Post a Comment