A Paci Birthday

Yesterday was a monumental day at our house. It began with a visit to the dentist, which was the third trip for Kendyll, but the first time for Carlie. Kendyll went first and did a great job of showing Carlie how fun it can be. Here she is in her cool shades that kids wear to block the bright light. However, Carlie was not impressed....and didn't care at all about the sunglasses, or anything else the dentist had to offer. :) She finally cooperated if I held her the whole time. But, there were still many shed tears.

The worst part was when the dentist told her (and me) that the paci that she still uses at night is hurting her teeth. She now has a crossbite, most likely from the pacifier, which I NEVER thought we would still be using....but I'm embarrassed to say that we are.

(this picture was taken months ago when I first thought I would take it away...)

So, on the way home from the dentist, I talked to her about how important it is to take care of our teeth. And, blah blah blah, we're taking your paci away. She really didn't oppose this idea too much (although she did whine a little). She even got excited about it when we got home and Gammy told her she could come to the ranch all by herself if she gave it up.

But, it was a different story by the time naptime came around. She was downright angry about it. I reminded her that it was to make her teeth better and she said "I don't even LIKE my teeth! This is NOT GOOD, mommy!" She proceeded to scream and cry. I kept telling her that I knew it was hard and that she was such a big girl, meanwhile feeling AWFUL that I had allowed her to have this crutch for this long. We completely fed this habit by not taking it away early in life.


I offered to get her a new animal or special toy to sleep with. She said no. I offered to read TWO books instead of one. She said no. I tried every trick I knew and she still said no. I closed the door and heard her throwing everything off of her bed. This drama continued for an hour before she collapsed from exhaustion. She kept saying between sobs "Mommy, please! I (sob) need (sob) my (sob) passy!" Oh, the heartbreak! I'm just so glad that my mom and sister were here or it would have been much harder.


When she woke up, I made such a big deal about how BIG she was and how proud I was. She was still angry and shrugged away from any attention....until I gave her Smarties as her reward. Then, she lit up and was proud too.


Last night, she did not cry ONCE at bedtime. I couldn't even believe it! Here I am thinking this fit-throwing, crying was going to last weeks, and she was already done with it. So, this morning, she got a surprise party for breakfast. A "no more paci party". Mark got her favorite Krispy Kreme donuts, and Abby Kate wore a party hat into her room to get Carlie out of bed. We decorated the table with party hats and blowers, and had a great time celebrating what a big girl she is.
She kept saying "I can't believe it's my paci birthday!" It was pretty funny. Then, after we were done, she gave me a big hug and said "Mommy, I loved my paci party. And, I loved my donuts. I'm a big girl, huh?" So precious.


And, I'm breathing a huge sigh of relief today to know that this transition is over. If I had just tried it months ago, I would be even happier. :)