AFTER:
Hurray!! Victor is now officially a "big boy." This past week we said goodbye to his pacifier. I know, I know, the kid is almost four years old and it's a little nuts that we didn't do this sooner. You see, I had planned to do away with the blasted thing last year when he turned three, but it ended up being a difficult time to do it. With the arrival of his new baby brother, I didn't have it in me to take away his biggest comfort. And to tell you the truth, I wasn't ready to give it up. That pacifier had some miraculous power. Vic would be bouncing off the walls and the second I popped it into his mouth, he was instantly sedated, like I had given him a tranquilizer. It was great! So, really it is my fault that he has been addicted for so long. I was an enabler. And to tell you the truth, I think I am missing it more than he is.
So this is how we did it. I told him that when he is ready, we will take him to his favorite gift shop and essentially "pay" for two new things with his two remaining pacifiers. He didn't even hesitate when he said "I'm ready right now." So, after a couple more days, we put them in a zip-lock bag (because we didn't want to gross out the clerk) and headed on over to the museum where he picked out a plastic dimetrodon and a kit which included a chisel, a hammer, safety glasses and a "rock" with a prehistoric shark and two shark teeth hidden inside. What a mess we made on the kitchen floor being paleontologists!
It has been almost a week now and he has handled this all so unbelievably well. Only the first couple days in the early morning did he say "I need something to suck on," to which I replied only, "Sorry, Vic," and then waited for some major tear shedding. But after a couple whimpers, he went right back to sleep. WHAT!?! Could that be all? I was really expecting it to be a torturous couple weeks of bad sleep and lots of drama. I mean, this thing has been in his mouth evertime he went to sleep since he was a newborn. I guess he was ready. He is having a slightly difficult time settling down at night, but that is it. There hasn't even been any begging and pleading to borrow one of Ivan's. I am pleasantly surprised and oh, so relieved.
It helps that he still has his "blankie" which can be seen in both photos.
The day after, he said, wistfully, "I wonder where my pacies are right now." I couldn't bring myself to tell him they were in the trash, so I said "maybe a newborn baby is sucking on them as we speak." I could see that this answer made him happy.
I am so proud of him.
Now, I have to work on the whole dressing himself thing....
5 comments:
HOORAY!!!!
What a brilliant idea. To _pay_ with pacies? You are such a great mom. And Vic is really growing into such a beautiful kid! Keep the post coming, ma!
xo
J
This was so sweet. What a good boy he is.
"Maybe a newborn baby is sucking on them as we speak." -- Utterly priceless.
Bye bye, pacies! Wherever you are!
One other thing...
These pictures are hilarious! In the first one, he looks like he could have just arrived home from church, all combed and tranquil. In the second one, he looks like he's endured three days of withdrawal with his hair is standing on end and a slightly wild look in his eyes. Poor kid. :-D
Thanks for pointing that out. I didn't even notice the contrast. Too funny.
It is true. He is much more restless now when he is trying to drift into sleep. It was so much easier and peaceful before... but there is no turning back.
I forgot to tell you, the other day when I took ivan, VIc, and his naughty friend bowling, we had a bit of an episode in the car. I heard some whispering and when I turned around, I saw Vic sucking on one of Ivan's pacies and I sort of freaked out, ripping the thing out of his mouth and accidentally poking his eye. There were some big tears. I felt terrible for hurting and scaring him (you know me and guilt), but I was also super annoyed. Later, he told me that his friend had actually put it into his mouth and I totally believe him.
Fortunately, this was the only time he had stolen Ivan's pacies which is pretty good because they are all over the house.
You are so dramatic. I can just imagine you veering off the road as you try to pull the thing out of his mouth. I'll bet he never tries that again. :-\
;-)
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