Paci Boot Camp.....Sort Of

You have heard me say before how my boy LOVES his paci.  Or his "pappi" as he calls it.

We've had the "pappi" with us since Day One with Liam Piper.  They go together like beans and cornbread.  Like white on rice.  Like hotdogs and chili.

Over the past six months or so, we have tried to decrease Liam's dependency on the paci strictly to nighttime and naptimes.  Also, he is allowed to have it with him in Children's Ministry at church and at Care Group.  Otherwise, however, we keep it away if possible.  Not always easy, especially when the little booger can now reach it from the wee corners of his crib, but we do try.

So, ever since Liam's last dr. appointment, I've had it in my head that we need to think about THE BIG DAY.  You know, the DAY when we TAKE AWAY the paci.  I think I've been dreading this day since the beginning.  I had a paci as a child and don't have any horrible memories of being deprived of it, but I do remember both of my little sisters having it past the age of 2 or 3 and that is was quite a difficult and dramatic process for my mother.  I think we ended up going to the zoo and "giving" it away to the baby monkeys.  It seemed to work for them.

Anyway, for several months, Jonathan and I have been going back and forth, back and forth.  Do we just bite the bullet and take it away now?  He's not even two, is it really necessary to do it this early?  I have noticed for a LONG time that his teeth and bite have been majorly affected by this particular type of paci, but Jonathan (Daddy the Dentist) doesn't seem concerned with that at all and says it can "be fixed."  However, the pediatrician did say that his mouth is still in the formative stages so there is time for his bite to correct itself IF we take the paci away sooner rather than later.  UGH. Decisions.

I tend to make mountains out of mole hills when it comes to things like this, so I have really been trying to just relax about the BIG DAY.  Jonathan and I had a discussion this past weekend about it, and after weighing our options, we both felt it makes the most sense for us right to at least try to wean him from the paci.  First of all, both Nora and Liam are currently in separate rooms.  If he is going to have a hard time letting go, he will at least be isolated in his own room.  We plan to put them together in Nora's room before Baby Girl arrives, so we thought it would be best to go through with it while they are separated so that Nora's sleep won't be affected too.  We considered just putting them in the same room and waiting until Baby Girl #3 is here, settled, and sleeping through the night, but it still doesn't change the inevitable.

So, we decided that since Jonathan isn't working in the clinic on Friday, Thursday night is going to be THE BIG NIGHT where we put Liam to bed without the paci.

Now, I titled this blog "Paci Boot Camp....Sort Of" because something miraculous has happened in the past 24 hours.  Last night, Jonathan's parents took the kids for the night because I had a very early and long doctor appointment scheduled.  I had mentioned previously to Ms. Joyce that Thursday was Boot Camp, so when I was leaving she told me she was thinking of trying to put Liam down for bed last night without the "pappi" just to see how he did.  She made it very clear that she wasn't going to let him cry it out.  (They hate for the child to cry even for two seconds).  I smiled, said "Go for it!" and left.

This morning as I was getting ready for the day, my phone rang and it was Jonathan's dad.  He told me that he had "news" which at first made me think they had been throwing up all night with a stomach flu or something, but I was wrong.  APPARENTLY, some little boy went to bed last night WITHOUT his beloved paci.  Ms. Joyce said he asked for it as she was about to put him in bed, she told him she didn't have it, and he said "Sing," so she sang him to sleep like normal.  She put him to bed with his blanket and a bear, and she said he went to sleep without a fuss.  He did wake up around 3:00 am, so she went in to check on him.  She didn't give him the paci, but she said she could see his little hand searching all around the crib for it.  He settled back down and slept until after 8:00 am.


I was floored!  So shocked!  That is, in my opinion, simply miraculous!

Since he could handle all night, I was not about to turn back, so I very cautiously laid him down for his nap this afternoon without the paci.  I didn't even mention it to him.  As soon as I left the room, he started to fuss, which got me anxious.  But, about two minutes later he settled down and is still sleeping (1 hour, 45 minutes later).  I guess we are going cold turkey from here on out.

So, basically, Liam is a BOOT CAMP CHAMP!  And, for the record, I have had NOTHING to do with the whole weaning process.  My in-laws are officially invited to help with any other weaning issues we may have in the future, and if you would like to recruit them for your own purposes, feel free to contact me and I will forward you their information.

I am aware that the pacifier-weaning process is a long one, and I have heard plenty of nightmare stories from other parents.  So, I know that we will probably have some bad days intertwined with some good ones.  However, I am just blown away by God's kindness in this area.  I have been hoping to walk through this without anxiety, and I have been battling thoughts all week.  Trying to trust in God's provision in the rough and tough moments.  And here he goes and does something so kind and generous and loving.  THANK YOU! THANK YOU!  (Maybe he's cutting me a break since Liam is a maniac in so many other realms and is getting in trouble left and right.  I mean, there is only so much this preggo Momma can take, right!?)

Just kidding, God's grace is sufficient always.  I'll keep you posted on how the rest of Paci Boot Camp plays out.