As many know, Gehrig's weaning from the pacifier when he was 2 1/2 was very, very sad. It completely broke my mama heart and I wasn't looking forward to taking Garner's, as she has loved her much the same way he did. (Greer wasn't so attached.) So, we let her keep it much longer and finally started talking to her about giving it up as she approached her 4th birthday. She seemed okay with the idea one moment and not at all the next, as you might imagine ;).
A few weeks before the big day, she came down with strep-like symptoms (for the 2nd time in a month) and I realized that I had not replaced her pacis, like I had her toothbrush, when she was positive for strep a couple of weeks prior. We headed to the doc with a 104.3 temp, thinking they would swab and find her positive once again. On the way, we talked about not using her paci in the meantime because it had germs on it. Although I was fully anticipating going to buy new ones (not planning on having her give it up while she was battling high fever and illness), I didn't say that out loud. Something in her seemed to click with this whole idea and although she felt terrible (and normally would've been super upset without her paci in that state), she did surprisingly well without it at the doc.
Sad and sweet baby (and also, school must go on ;))...
Although she ended up testing negative, we continued with the thought of the pacis being germy and headed home after the appointment since no one felt like stopping at the store for more (and she hadn't even thought of that). I decided to try a nap without one (for the first time in her life!) and was shocked to find her asleep almost immediately without drama...
After she woke, she said that she thought it was time to throw the germy pacis away (wha?!)... although she couldn't actually do it herself. "Mama, you do it." So sad...
Nighttime that first night was just as seamless as the nap and we were so thankful! The second night, she cried out often in her sleep but no more after that.
Amazingly, even her naps have continued perfectly! This was probably the biggest surprise, especially with her being close to the end-of-napping age anyway.
All in all, it was such an easy process and we were thankful to not have to spoil her birthday with anything sad. BUT, sad for us, any day, because there is nothing baby left now :(...don't know how all these years snuck by us so quickly...
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