Well, we're finally here. I finally decided to make a go of Harper giving up her pacifier, or "pass" as she so lovingly refers to it. Ditching the pass has been on my to-do list for the past several weeks, but I hadn't come to the right moment until last night. Jeff wasn't going to be home, and I thought it might be easier if only one of us had to listen to her protests. Plus, we were down to one last pacifier, and I had no idea where in the hell it ended up after her nap.
So, I put her down to bed last night without her pacifier. She seemed confused at first, wondering why her silly mommy had forgotten that most important bedtime fixture. Then she became upset. She cried. I tried to comfort her and explain that the pacifiers were gone because she had thrown them in the trash (true story). She even asked to look in her bucket for proof, as if I had mistakenly overlooked one last silicon savior.
"No pass?," she asked? I tried to give her the old "you're a big girl" pep talk, but that didn't go far. After about 45 minutes of crying off and on, she feel asleep. All in all, it didn't seem too bad from my end.
She made it through her first night, but lemme tell ya, the pacifier was on the front of her mind all day long. It was the first thing she asked me about this morning. She pointed out every single baby and pacifier as we were out running errands this evening. She seemed particularly suspicious of a little boy sweetly slumbering in his stroller, sucking ever so softly on his pacifier. He was bigger than Harper, so maybe that was what threw her off. Either that or she didn't care for his romper outfit. Who knows?!
Her afternoon nap went off without a hitch sans pacifier. I was really getting excited at that point. Maybe I got a little ahead of myself as I thought how well Harper seemed to be transitioning. Yeah, I definitely got ahead of myself on that one!
Tonight has been a nightmare. We put Harper to bed nearly two hours ago. She is still vehemently crying in front of her bedroom door. If she was upset about the pacifier last night, then she is downright pissed off about it tonight. Even so, I am sticking to my guns. No pacifier. We will make it - well, I hope we will! Jeff and I may kill each other in the process, and leave Harper to live a happy parent- and pacifier-free life for the rest of her years.
I have heard of a three-day rule for breaking habits such as this one, and I'm really hoping for a clean break after tomorrow. Harper is strong-willed, to say the least, so there is really no telling how long this will take! At least I know if I can't sleep, I can pack. Looks like we're moving at the end of this week!
See, there is a method to my madness. Ditch the pacifiers now, and that's one less thing we have to move!
Oh, and I did find the last remaining pacifier. I instinctively put it on the butter shelf in the refrigerator. (I have no idea what led me to that decision, so don't ask.) Kinda reminds me of a fire alarm behind a glass case! I think I'm going to toss it in the trash now, too. Seems like the right thing to do - and that is only easy to say at this moment because it sounds like Harper has finally given up her fight for the night.
Sleep tight, all, and don't let the pacifier bite you in the ass! ;)
Hi there - my daughter would never take a pacifier, she is a thumb sucker instead which cannot be taken away and we have resigned ourselves to some major dental bills later in life as a result! But all my Mom friends kids had pacifiers and a lot of them did not give them up until they were 2 1/2 or even older. The method that seems to work well for most is to deploy the pacifier fairy. You gather up all the pacifiers and explain to your child that they are a big girl/boy now and no longer need pacifiers, but there are lots of babies out there who do need them. You put them in an envelope and "post" the package in your mail box and tell your child that as a thank you for sending the pacifiers to babies who need them the pacifier fairy will bring a present for your child. Next morning you go to the mail and there is the present and a lovely thank you letter. Maybe you could send that last pacifier to the fairy?
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