Not So Little Anymore

Over the summer, it was my goal to wean Avery off the pacifier. At the very beginning of the summer, she used it all the time...during the day, nap time, and going to sleep at night. We took the paci away during the day at first. She was okay with this. She didn't really miss it, and Mommy was extremely happy!

Now with her using it only for nap time and nighttime, how in the world was I going to get her to go down without it??? I just didn't want to fight that battle for a long time. Knowing that Avery is as stubborn as I am, I knew it would take weeks for her to be fully weaned, and I wasn't really to deal with the nighttime fit yet. I thought I was doing good with her not using it during the day yet for going to sleep. Even though I was "proud" of our accomplishments, I knew that she was moving up into the "big girl" room at school and I didn't want her to take the paci with her.

So, once a week I would try to put her to sleep without it. I would rock her forever it seemed and then put her down in the crib. As soon as I did that, her eyes would pop open and the crying soon followed. After letting her cry for about 20 minutes, I would give up and reluctantly give her the paci. Within two minutes she would be asleep.

This past Friday, it was time to try yet again to concure the goal of getting rid of the paci. I gave her a bath, put the nightgown on, brushed her hair, read her book while she drank some milk, kissed her goodnight, set her down in the crib, walked out and waited for the crying to start....nothing. She did "talk" herself to sleep, but that was it! No crying, no fussing, no battle! I couldn't believe it. She fell asleep and stayed asleep all night until 7:30 the next morning. I was so proud of her to sleep all night with out a paci. It felt like I had "won".

With all of this said, it now has been 4 1/2 days since she has had a paci. She is in her room right now sleeping peacfully without her comfort object. I know this may not seem like such a big deal to some people (mostly those without kids) but this IS a big milestone. Everyday I look at Avery and can't believe how fast time has flown by. It seems like yesterday I was running into our bedroom screaming at Brad that I was pregnant. Now she is 13 months old, running all over the place, signing/talking to us, laughing, doing chores (she feds Rudder), and climbing all over the place....





I am SO proud of her for all the "small" things she has achieved. I LOVE YOU AVERY!