You've served me well dear pacifier, but it's time to say goodbye.

When Gobbles was a baby, there was nothing we could do to get a good nights' sleep.  Ok, even when he was a toddler, same thing.  So far his sister is proving a better sleeper, and we hope that continues.  One of the things that actually helped get him to sleep was his pacifier.  Who knew a little piece of plastic and rubber could mean so much to a kid?  We used it to soothe him from being fussy early in life, but somewhere around a year or so, we designated it to be a "crib only" object - he could have it for sleeping and very necessary times (like when he was sick), but that was it.  At his two year doctor visit, the pediatrician told us that it was ok to continue the paci use in this fashion until he's more settled with the baby coming and a possible move.

Two weeks ago Gobbles' teacher informed us that he had been napping without his school pacifier for a few weeks.  I think she is getting him ready to make the transition to preschool which will happen sometime in the next 2-3 months.  We decided to go along with what she was doing because we knew it had to happen sometime....

So, 10 days ago, on a Sunday night, after prepping Gobbles all weekend that the paci was going byebye, we bid farewell.  We did his bedtime routine and read his stories, and when he asked for the paci we told him, sorry, but it's gone.  It didn't go so well.  My poor baby cried and cried and I tried to soothe him, but the more I soothed him the more angry he got, and between sobs he just kept asking for his paci.  Finally, hubs stepped in, since I was starting to get upset myself.  I left Gobbles' room to tend to the Lobster Roll and the crying stopped, but hubs did not emerge.  Tired myself, I put the little girl to bed and settled in myself.  When I got up a few hours later to feed the baby, hubs was still in Gobbles room.  I quietly entered to find him snoring on the floor.  So we replaced the pacifier with good old fashioned laying in his room until he falls asleep?  Not quite the effect we were looking for.  Night 1 fail.

The next night went miraculously a lot better.  A few wimpers and extra cries at bedtime, but Gobbles went to sleep on his own, with each night getting progressively better.  There were still middle of the night calls, but this time we didn't have to do a hands and knees blind search around the room for the paci, just gave Gobbles a sip of water and off he went back to dream street.

Cut to Friday, the first day Gobbles was home with me last week (we had showings all week and a baptism party to prep for, so he was at school a lot), and we come to nap time.  Like usual, when I proposed a nap he willingly went up, but then as I was leaving the room he inquired about the paci.  I informed him that we don't use it anymore, remember?  And the tantrum began.  I told him it's ok if he didn't nap but he had to stay in his room and play quietly.  After about 20 minutes of screaming I went in to check on him where he said ok, he was ready to nap, just wanted to hug the dog and go to sleep.  I called Spoons in and she hopped into Gobbles bed.  I offered for her to stay there with him while he napped and he agreed.  I left the room and within a few minutes I heard a smack smack smack on the monitor.  Gobbles was actually hitting the dog, his most beloved family member ever.  I burst into the room and screamed Gobbles!  We do NOT hit the dog!  and the poor pup bolted past me to escape her aggressor.  The tantrums begun again and I realized that there would be no nap for the day.  We calmed ourselves down and made our way back downstairs for a quiet afternoon.

That evening of course he went to bed fine, but the next day's nap was even more laughable.  With hubs home and a pending 3:15 showing we knew we had to get him down early if we wanted any hope.  We put Gobbles up and this time there was no tantrum, but he happily played by himself in his room.  Every half hour or so hubs went up and gently reminded Gobbles that he should be napping.  Finally, around 2:00, it appeared Gobbles would nap, as he threw his pillow back on his bed (he had been laying on his floor reading books) and started to lay down.  But then in his deliriously overtired state he started playing once more, so there was nothing else I could do but take a video of his jibberish.  Finally, 15 minutes before he had to be woken up and dragged out of the house for the showing, Gobbles fell asleep peacefully.  Of course when I tried to transport him from the bed to the car he woke up (the reverse usually works just fine), but at least I know he got himself down.

Sunday with the Lobstah's baptism (another post altogether), Gobbles skipped a nap again, so by night he was exhausted and went to bed at 6:30.  I'm hoping to try again this weekend and get him back in a napping routine since he can do it at school without the pacifier.  But in the meantime, at night he has not asked for it, and save for 1 night this week when he woke up screaming for me to sleep in his bed (we think it was a nightmare and were able to calm him after 15 minutes), he's been a star sleeper without it.  And I'm trying to find other ways to put the Lil Lobster Roll to sleep so that she doesn't get addicted to this powerful little trinket, because I definitely do not want to go through paci goodbye again!

In the meantime - Gobbles 90 minutes in to "trying" to go down for a nap...