"bye-bye pacis"

(Disclaimer: This is a really long, detailed post about something that many of you could care less about! haha But, this is one of those moments that I want to remember! :) .....

Well.. we finally took the step... we said goodbye to Brynlee's pacis! For the last several months I have only let Bryn have her pacis at naps & nighttime & occasionally on a long car ride. I knew it was probably time to get rid of them (since her Dr. recommends getting rid of them by 15 months! oops! haha) but.. I decided that just having them to sleep with at this point wasnt a big deal.. AND- I needed her to sleep good!.. you know the whole- I just had a baby, give me a break deal! haha

But- I had always thought that "she will definitely be done with pacis by the time shes two." And, suddenly I realized- thats really soon!! :-O
I had been thinking of different ideas of how to best "ease the pain" of this "loss." And, when is the best time.. on & on in my head.

After dinner last night- I just decided.. why not now?! Soo- I asked Brynlee if she wanted to go to the store with me to find something new & cool to sleep with. I had been talking to Brynlee for a Long while now about how pacis are for babies. So, I reminded her of that & said "so, we are gonna say byebye to your pacis tonight, but we are going to go to the store right now to find you something cool to sleep with." She said "Ok, Mommy!.. yay!.. etc" Her response made me feel hopeful & more excited about this step!

So- off we went to Patti's Party where I had seen the little Taggie blankets the other day when we were there to get stuff for her party. She picked out one that she liked & I again said "when we get home we are gonna say byebye to your pacis & you can give me your pacis & I will give you this Really cool taggie to sleep with. OK?" "Ok Mommy!"

I let her give the blankie to the checker & hand the checker my card. And- again replayed the same story aloud with the checker... "Tonight we are going to say byebye to our pacis, Right Brynlee?" I was really trying to get the point across! haha The fact that she didnt seemed too freaked out by this ordeal so far made me think she didnt really understand. It was like she almost thought the whole thing was funny!

So- we got home & showed Daddy our new find. He went on & on about how cool & soft it was & talked about all the colors on it!

Then I went & got a little box from her room & strategically scattered her pacis around her room so she had to "find them." She gathered them all up & even crawled in her bed to get one hidden in her sheets! Once we had them all (at least I Hope we have them all! haha) I told her to say byebye to the pacis & I shut the lid. She said "byebye pacis" & walked away. At this point, I am thinking seriously.. this easy?!?


She got in bed with her new taggie without a fight & I told her g'night. Usually she goes Right to sleep. But, this is where she realized, this is different! For the next 40 min or so I could hear her whining off & on. I couldnt decide if I should go in there or not. I didnt want her to feel like she was in trouble or something. So, I finally gave in & went in there & laid by her for awhile. After about 20 min of this & her becoming a little silly & wanting to "play", I decided I just needed to leave. After about another 15 min, she went to sleep. The Very interesting thing to me was that she never Once asked for her paci! Once she was out, she slept the whole night through!

This afternoon when it was time for her nap, she Did ask for her paci... but it was with this silly little smirk on her face. Its almost like she is thinking.. I knew it was time for me to get rid of those, but was wondering when you were gonna realize it mom! haha It took her a little bit to go to sleep, but she did! Tonight going to bed was about the same.

Soo- while I do miss the immediate run to bed & fall asleep child she used to be. I know that for her- it was time. And, maybe after awhile, she will be able to fall asleep just as quickly as before. Daddy surprised her with some Dora pjs tonight that he picked up during his grocery shopping trip. She was Super excited about wearing them to bed!

Im not sure if her little taggie blankie is ever going to be a big deal to her or not. This morning I found it shoved under her covers. But, I just wanted her to have Something in place of her paci for the moment. And- it really is a cute little blankie! :)

I will admit.. I Did shed a few tears last night. For 1)There is something so "baby" about the paci.. and, well- my big girl doesnt need them anymore! and For 2) it was hard to see her struggle to go to sleep & know that in a way I was causing that. But- I feel confident I did the right thing at the right time. And....they gotta grow up... right?? :)