Bye Bye Paci...

The moment I have been dreading for about a year has finally happened. Alex has given up his paci. Matt and I researched all the different ways to break a kid of his paci, set goals of him being done with it by 2 (didn't quite make it) and put together a plan. We decided to go with the method of cutting it back every so often making it harder for him to keep in his mouth. I mentioned this method to our doctor at one visit and she even said it typically works really well.

We started out just cutting a very small hole but this changed the way it felt when he sucked on it and he noticed right away saying it was broken. Thankfully he didn't put up much fuss. Every week or 2 we would cut a little more off. We did notice he used it less and less during the day and got to a point where we only asked for it right before bed.

I had to laugh when he said one day that it was broken and that "dada did it". Every mommy wants to be the good guy as often as possible. 

You could tell he didn't like it when it got cut back but he kept on using it, even when he could barely keep it in his mouth.

Until Sunday morning when out of the blue he picked up two pacis, said they were broken and he wanted to throw them away. And off he went to the trash can, opening it up and throwing them right in.

I worried all day what would happen at bed time that night but he read his stories and went right to bed without mentioning the paci once. Same thing the next 2 nights. The first mention of a paci came the night before last and Matt was putting him to bed. He said he asked for it, Matt told him they were gone, reminded him he threw them away and that was it. Off to bed he went.

Last night Matt was putting him to bed again and he said he asked for it, the conversation went something like this:
A: I want paci.
M: Remember they are gone, you threw them away.
A: I want it.
M: We don't have any, they are all gone.
A: I want it.
M: Want a drink of water?
A: Yes!
M: Want your Mickeys?
A: Yes!

End of discussion. 

Tonight he is with his Nana and Poppy so I am hoping he is distracted enough to not think of them. Poppy said he went to bed last week without one before all this started so I hope it isn't an issue. But if this is all we get in trying to break him, I will take it. In the grand scheme of things, it has been easy.

Just another big boy moment, reminding me that my baby isn't a baby anymore. These moments are so bittersweet.