I so dreaded it. I knew it was going to be horrific. This kid loved his paci. When Ava had one, I was really good about relegating it to her bed only. With Davis, I was more of a sucker. Or maybe just a second-time-around parent. As long as he wasn't traipsing around town with it, I didn't care. But I also knew he could live without it. He doesn't have it at school, or on playdates, and he doesn't ask for it then either. But at home? He wanted it all the time. And I'll be the first to tell you that I can't stand to see a big kid with a paci sticking out of their mouth, but here I was, with my own child doing just that.
I started prepping Davis last week. His response was always the same: "But it's my paci and it will be gone FOREVER!" Despite the sadness in those big blue eyes and the pouty lower lip, I followed through on my promise. On Saturday, I told him it was the end of the road for his pacifiers, and took him to Target to pick out a toy. Luckily for me, his toy of choice was a $2.99 ball.
So, fast forward to Saturday night. Davis had not napped, so the night went pretty well. He cried about his paci for about 5 minutes and then was out for the night. He woke up around 5am for a bathroom break, asked for the paci once, and went back to bed.
Yesterday was great. Hardly any mention of the oral accoutrements, and bedtime seemed to be a breeze. He only got out of bed (which is still a crib) about 27 times. He got in Ava's bed, where they decided they would sleep together. That worked for about 10 minutes, until it became evident that no sleep was going to occur. Finally, around 9:15, he did fall asleep.
So, I think we're good from here. No turning back for me. I'm pretty happy that he's now 100% potty trained and pacifier-free. I still get to dress him up like this for another year or so, though:
I've got to do it, too Carter. And I dread it. Jack threw his pacis out at 6 months, but he was never a napper, but Baby Diva is....so scared to get rid of them.
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