Before the girls were born, I had made the decision that I didn't want them to have pacifiers. I stuck to it with Layla, but Jenna was given one in the NICU and by the time she got home, she was hooked. Once I realized how much better she was sleeping than her sister, I tried to give Layla a paci as well, but she wasn't having any of it. I guess that's what I get for making such a silly decision before even meeting my babies! Anyway, fast-forward two years and we've got one sweet baby who was going to have to go through several nights of agony without her soulmate to feel her pain. I just couldn't stand the thought!
One Friday night in early May, Aunt Devin and Cousin Emory were coming over for dinner. At the time, Emory was almost 3 months old and a perfect candidate for a pacifier! I had been talking with Jenna for several weeks about how she is a big girl and Emory is just a baby and how pacis are for babies, not for big girls. We talked about how it would be really nice to give all of her pacis to Emory. Jenna agreed during our conversations, but when our talks started to get a little serious, she would panic and ask to go to bed (because that is the only place she could have her paci). With Devin and Emory on their way over for dinner, I figured this was our chance.
When the girls woke up from nap, I told them we were going to wrap a special present for Emory. They were super excited and Jenna even seemed to be on board when I told her we were going to wrap up her pacis!
Jenna: "Okay, I think this is all of them! Wow! I have a lot of pacis! Look how wonderful they look in this box! I just love my pacis! They are so beautiful!"
I helped to line them up so we could count them. Unfortunately, we were missing two.
Then came time to put the lid on the box...
Jenna: "NOOOOOOO!"
Layla: "Oh man, sissy, that is harsh. I'm so sorry."
Things got better when it was time to pick out the wrapping paper.
Jenna: "Ooh! Zebra!"
How about ribbon?
Jenna: "The answer is pink. The answer is always pink!"
Jenna: "Ooh, pretty! Now let's open it!"
No, no Jenna...let's put it aside for Baby Emory. We still had a couple of hours until dinner so I kept reminding her of our plan to gift the pacis to Emory and telling her she was such a big girl. I didn't want her to forget and then completely panic when the time came. She seemed okay with it and excited to give Emory a present.
We even celebrated by having 'big girl' cookies for dessert.
Jenna: "This cookie is good, but I'm not sure if it's worth it."
After dinner and dessert, we gathered in the living room for the gift presentation.
Jenna: "Here you go, Baby Emmy!"
Jenna: "I'm not sure how I feel about this, but I'll put on a brave face since these people keep calling me a big girl."
And that was that. We decided to have Emory wait until she got home to open her gift. I was afraid Jenna would see the pacis and want them back. Once Devin and Emory left and the package was gone, Jenna went about her normal business. It wasn't until bedtime that she asked for a paci. I reminded her that we gave them all to Baby Emory and that they were all gone. And here is what she had to say...
Jenna: "Mommy, go get it!"
Devin later sent us the picture of Baby Emory opening her gift.
Emory: "Jackpot!"
Overall, Jenna really did great for her first night. She cried for 8 minutes, whimpered for 11 minutes, rolled around and called out for Dr. Jeremy for 5 minutes (she's obsessed with our dear friend, her ENT specialist), and then hung out in her bed for another 45 minutes. Once she fell asleep, she was golden. The next several nights were pretty similar and, to this day, she still takes a long time to fall asleep. She also continues to ask for her paci on most nights, but I think she just wants us to say that she is a big girl. I wouldn't call it a super smooth transition, but it hasn't been horrible. Now, Lord help us if those two missing pacis ever show face around here!