No More Paci (aka..Pacifier)!!!

KB never really took a pacifier as a baby but the day we took away the bottle she started taking a paci more often. Once she started "school" (at 15 months) she began needing her paci even more...the odd thing though was that her "school" doesn't allow paci's, for sanitary reasons, so she'd go all day without it and then couldn't live without it in the evenings. I attribute a lot of this to her being tired at the end of the day and her paci being a source of comfort (not to mention she knows mom will give in).

Most people are horrified when they hear of a child who still uses a paci after the age of 1, but her pediatrician always said not to worry about it until it started affecting her speech and for anyone that knows my KB you know that she definitely is not lacking in the speech department. Anyhow, my husband and I have been scheming on ways to kick the paci to the curb and we had decided that we would give her until Christmas to adjust to her little sister and the new house without having to also adjust to not having her paci anymore. We have been telling her for quite some time that when the paci fairy comes she will take all the paci's in the house and give them to babies that don't have paci's. KB was okay with this and could tell you exactly what was going to happen but then would say "not until Christmas momma". She knew. She understood.

So, last week I decided that in order to help this transition we needed to gradually start limiting her paci time. We told her that from now on she could only have her paci when she was in her bed. The first day she would consciously go get in her bed and lay down to suck on her paci...when she was tired of being in her bed not playing she would take the paci out of her mouth, put it on her bed and come play. On day 2 she continued this but the time she spent in her bed became less and less. By day 3 she wasn't using it at all except for nap-time and bedtime. On day 4 she spent the night with my parents (her DeeDee and PopPop) and didn't ask for it at all...not even at bedtime! By day 5 she had completely forgotten about it and hasn't asked for it since!!! I am so proud of her!!! Secretly, I'm a little sad too....not because she doesn't want her paci anymore but because this is just one more sign that my baby is no longer a baby, but a beautiful little girl. I know she'll always be my baby but every mother out there understands what I'm trying to say. My baby is growing up on me. I couldn't be more proud of her though...now if only we could conquer potty-training!

As for my baby baby (KK is her nickname as decided by KB)....well she still doesn't act like she wants to take a paci and that is fine in my book. She's so sweet and so content. She'll just stare at you with her big beautiful eyes and grin ear to ear....I love it!

I live a blessed life.