Only Diapers.....

In my mind anyway. That's all thats left of the "baby" phase of this boys life. He is one week and one day pacifier free. He was our first baby who used a paci more than just the first weeks of newborn life. And I did not like that he was a pacifier baby. All the others were self soothers, thumb, fingers and blanket babies. That was SO much easier! The older three were also AMAZING sleepers, the kind that make your friends jealous! They slept through the night from 12 weeks on. Nathan, different story. He would wake up minimum of once a night, but usually more like 4 or 5. All he wanted was his pacifier and he couldn't find it. He would cry this pathetic, please come help me find my paci cry and I would go in to find it and he would immediately lay down and open his mouth, waiting for me to feel blindly all around his mattress and between his mattress and the bumper and find the missing paci and for me to pop it in his mouth. The straw that broke the camel's (aka mommies) back, was the night I went in for the 3rd or 4th time and searched and searched and couldn't find it, and the little stinker was holding it in his hand! Brian and I talked and decided we would take the plunge and throw out all the pacifiers over Christmas break. It wasn't so much the fear of the tear-filled bedtimes that made it difficult for me, it was the literal throwing away of one of the last things that in my mind keep him as my baby. Thankfully my wonderful, strong hubby took care of night one while I was out of town for an evening. He said he cried for an hour straight. He woke up twice during the night and cried for about 20 minutes each time. The next day at naptime it was about a half an hour, the same at bedtime. But night 2, he didn't wake up at all! Since night one it has whittled it's way all the way down to just a few short minutes of fussing at both naptime and bedtime. He is taking shorter naps, but in turn he is sleeping ALL NIGHT LONG!!!! He is also SO much happier during the day and plays much better by himself, and isn't constantly at my ankles looking for me to pick him up! And one of the biggest blessings....he will still snuggle with me right before naptime and bedtime. Our routine was to get all cozy in the rocker with his blanket and paci, and I would sing him a couple songs and he would burrow right in and rub the corner of his blanket along his eyelashes and yawn big yawns. I was so worried that with the paci being gone, he wouldn't do that anymore...and he does! Thank you boy! So we will chalk it up as another victory in the parenting department, doing something difficult, for the betterment of our babies, and reaping the rewards of better nights sleep and happier days and continued snuggles and another small step toward independence for the baby of the family.