So after two and a half years with her faithful "Mimi", our sweet little O has been forced to say goodbye to a dearly beloved friend…her pacifier.
Yes, it was time for an intervention. Though the pacifier had been a “bedtime friend only” for a long time now, we’d noticed a recent lapse in that practice as we caught her sneaking into her room for a much needed fix on more than one occasion. We had to admit what was becoming so apparent…our toddler was a pacifier junkie.
We had considered endless approaches, provided by friends and family alike, but we decided to steal an idea from my fabulous sister-in-law, Jeannie, and tell her, now that she’s a big girl, we would have to take it to the hospital for a baby who really needed it.
Yes, it was time for an intervention. Though the pacifier had been a “bedtime friend only” for a long time now, we’d noticed a recent lapse in that practice as we caught her sneaking into her room for a much needed fix on more than one occasion. We had to admit what was becoming so apparent…our toddler was a pacifier junkie.
We had considered endless approaches, provided by friends and family alike, but we decided to steal an idea from my fabulous sister-in-law, Jeannie, and tell her, now that she’s a big girl, we would have to take it to the hospital for a baby who really needed it.
We set the launch date for next weekend, February 22nd, with small conversations leading up to it throughout the week.
We plotted. We schemed. We did not plan on the visit to Bama and Papa’s.
So…we went down to Virginia to celebrate a birthday (shout out to Drew—he’s 3!) and a homecoming (Paul is back from Iraq), and enjoy some fun with family. As the weekend came to a close and the bags were packed, we had everything we needed to make a complete return to New Jersey, minus one little thing….oh, boy.
We looked high and low, in plants, and trash bags, and under every pillow and toy, but after an hour…the search party was called off and Mommy and Daddy had to sit the little girl down and explain that the Mimi was gone and we’d have to leave. There were a few tears, but as we said our final goodbyes, she put on a brave face with nothing but a quivering lip to reveal her sadness over the loss of a dear friend.
We thought….this is too easy….the storm is certainly on the horizon.
The ride home was surprising pleasant as she chatted away about red lights and green lights, sang songs, and warned Daddy when he was driving too fast. And with 15 minutes left in our trip (approximately 9:15 PM), she faded into dreamland…leaving her parents anxious over the next hurdle….the transfer into bed.
Recognizing that the slightest stir caused by the shuffle from bed to car would be enough to cause a search for the comfort of the Mimi, the two debated over various approaches to alleviate the trauma, realizing that the best method would simply be to cross their fingers and offer a lot of hugs.
The result: As expected, the end of the trip brought an end to peace. There was screaming, crying, and a little swat (sorry, Daddy), but after only 20 minutes sorrow gave way to sleep and it seemed, at least for now, the first night had been a pseudo-success.
Stay tuned for day 2 of pacifier watch…..
Parents: 1, Pacifier: 0
We plotted. We schemed. We did not plan on the visit to Bama and Papa’s.
So…we went down to Virginia to celebrate a birthday (shout out to Drew—he’s 3!) and a homecoming (Paul is back from Iraq), and enjoy some fun with family. As the weekend came to a close and the bags were packed, we had everything we needed to make a complete return to New Jersey, minus one little thing….oh, boy.
We looked high and low, in plants, and trash bags, and under every pillow and toy, but after an hour…the search party was called off and Mommy and Daddy had to sit the little girl down and explain that the Mimi was gone and we’d have to leave. There were a few tears, but as we said our final goodbyes, she put on a brave face with nothing but a quivering lip to reveal her sadness over the loss of a dear friend.
We thought….this is too easy….the storm is certainly on the horizon.
The ride home was surprising pleasant as she chatted away about red lights and green lights, sang songs, and warned Daddy when he was driving too fast. And with 15 minutes left in our trip (approximately 9:15 PM), she faded into dreamland…leaving her parents anxious over the next hurdle….the transfer into bed.
Recognizing that the slightest stir caused by the shuffle from bed to car would be enough to cause a search for the comfort of the Mimi, the two debated over various approaches to alleviate the trauma, realizing that the best method would simply be to cross their fingers and offer a lot of hugs.
The result: As expected, the end of the trip brought an end to peace. There was screaming, crying, and a little swat (sorry, Daddy), but after only 20 minutes sorrow gave way to sleep and it seemed, at least for now, the first night had been a pseudo-success.
Stay tuned for day 2 of pacifier watch…..
Parents: 1, Pacifier: 0
1 comment:
I don't know much about this subject, as neither of my boys were remotely interested in the "Shush-Sha" (the official Mahoney term for pacifiers which dates back to 1967). This disinterest lasted until we were pacifier intervention victims. Our little three-year old friend Emma came by for my 31st birthday party (a mere 15 days after I had my second son) with a gift of undercooked brownies (the only way to eat them) for me and a bag of pink and purple "binkies" for new baby Patrick. The only way her parents could get her to drop the habit was to have her present them to a new baby who "really needed them." While he wanted nothing to do with them (they were actually bigger than his whole head), my 17 month old, Brendan, became rather fond of them. In fact, he demanded to bring them everywhere and he would not only suck them in public he would shake his head wildly as he did so saying "no, no, no..not for big boys." While the sight of the purple butterfly pacifier in my toddler boy's mouth was rather humiliating, it was a great source of comfort to him during his "transition" phase in brotherhood and I was not about top mess with that. While he forgot about them by summer, I ask all of you so desperate to rid yourselves of the mimi's, binkies, and shush-sha's that plague your existences, please be aware of those who may be harmed by your actions!
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