Operation No Paci. Day One.

Reminder: This is my blog. It is my account of what happens in our little family. Sometimes, I ask for and want advice. Sometimes, I dont really want or need it. :) Today's blog would fall under that category... if you want to encourage us, thats awesome.. but if you think your way is better or more efficient than my way.. I dont care at this point.... thanks. :)

Sorry for that abrupt reminder.. however, Craig and I are traveling some unchartered waters in parenthood.. and although we do not know the BEST way to handle the situation. We DO think that we are handling it the best way for us and our baby boy.

You see, it really begins waaaaaay back when Jackson was in the womb. Most people knew when their baby had hiccups. I could feel Jackson sucking on my right hip bone. Well, of course, I didnt know exactly that was what it was.. but thats what I thought it was. And sure enough, AS SOON as Jackson made his entrance..he was ready to suck anything.

We were not parents that the paci bothered us. In fact, I felt that it was better for him to suck these pacis than suck his thumb or fingers.. like my brother and I did.. which caused thousands of dollars worth of dental work.

The paci helped soothe him..he loved it. And we loved the paci.

Well, its one thing for a precious little baby to have a paci, and its another thing for a big boy to have a paci. Now, I do realize that my child is not yet 2... but with another baby on the way.. I really wanted to get all the big, hard transitions out of the way BEFORE the baby.

Our plan was to tackle the paci and then move him to his big boy bed. Well, it was almost like he heard and understood Craig and I's conversation about it.. because the day before we were going to take away his paci..he climbed out of his crib. So, around the 1st of January, Jackson started sleeping in his big boy bed (well really a toddler bed.. his crib without the front). That transition was almost seamless. He did GREAT. But then the wreck happened... I was traumatized.. surely he was too.

We are now stuck in the house with TONS of snow... is there a better time than now to get rid of the paci? Sure we are all stuck in the house, but if we dont get sleep, we can rest during the day. We decided this yesterday approximately 10 am. So we gather up all of his pacis that we have left (which isnt many.. crazy how those things disappear).. and we cut the ends of his pacis off.. He could still put it in his mouth and hold it, but it wouldnt have the correct suckage. Of all the ways, people part with pacis, I thought this would be the most efficient for us. Jackson could care less about Santa at this point, there is no way he is going to even care the slightest bit about a paci fairy. And sending the pacis to babies who need them... I just dont think he would get it. And really, I didnt care, if he wanted to hold the pacis, I just didnt want him to be dependent on them for soothing. So thats what we chose.

Nap time came.. he really didnt sleep... but didnt throw too much of a fit. But the fits started after bathtime when he was getting super sleepy. He wanted his paci... when he found them..he would just get frustrated that they wouldnt suck right, so he would throw them and move to another one. It was VERY frustrating to him.

When we laid him down, we reminded him that his pacis must have broke because he is such a big boy now. And big boys dont need pacis. He laid down about 630 and SCREAMED until 830. Ok, let me define screamed. He cried like I have never heard this child cry. Ever. He was SO. MAD. I was so afraid that he was going to make himself throw up.. and I really was concerned that he would quit breathing. I am telling you.. it was intense. At one point, Craig went in to check on him, and he was crawling UNDER his bed to try and find unbroken pacis. I am not kidding.. the paci was like Jackson's drug and he was having withdrawls. He finally gave up around 830.. but he had cried so hard for so long, he was making so much noise sleeping, it made me nervous. He woke back up about 1030 and started his screaming again.. by 1130, I went in to just talk to him. When I knelt down by his bed he would lay down, but as soon as I stood up, it was like the world was ending. He lifted his hands for me to hold him. I did. And he held on soooo tight to my hair, it broke my heart. I went back into our room and told Craig that I really thought he would sleep if we put him in bed with us. (this is where I know many moms would disagree with my decision.... but remember, at this point.. i dont care) So I brought him to bed with us, and he slept. Super soundly.... granted he was so congested from his constant screaming, that he was snoring like CRAZY. I didnt sleep THAT much. HA! But we had a break from his screaming AND, more importantly, he went to sleep without his paci. About 4 am, he woke up and got super excited that he was in bed with us, so he kept saying "hi momma" "hi dadda", clapping and wanting to go over our eyes, nose and mouth. We decided to put him back in his bed at that point. So he cried (aka SCREAMED) from 4 to 530. He finally gave up and slept til 9.

I woke up to him knocking on the inside of his door, ready to get up. I went to get him and he was SO excited to see me. He was not mad at me at all for the lack of the paci. We had a horrible night... but we got through it. Hoping that tonight is better. I'll keep you updated.