Yesterday, we had a party to celebrate Good Bye Chupon! and the party went well.
We've been talking with Carolina for months about giving up her pacifier and eventually ended up making this last pacifier THE LAST pacifier. We wanted to be settled with the move and her brother and new school before taking it away. I knew that if we didn't push it, she'd happily keep it for a VERY long time.
She'd recently chewed them while having them in her mouth and went through 4 in a month and a half this summer. So this latest one, I said "This is the last-last-last one. No more chupones after this one. When it breaks, we'll have a party."
She was planning her party and helped pick out the piñata and decorations. We just had to wait for this one to break. It didn't break. In fact, it was the longest lasting one in the past year, HOWEVER she started to get a rash on her chin, I think from the saliva sitting on her skin for several hours. (I'm still really not sure where the rash came as she's never had one similar before.)
I used it as the catalyst to move this along. We scheduled the party for yesterday, sent out an evite to the grandparents and aunt next door and got everything ready. For two days before, she was alternatively excited for the party and panicked about giving it up for good.
Yesterday morning we went apple picking and after her nap had the party. She woke up in a good mood and was very excited to have the party and "send the chupon up in the sky to the princesses". Unfortunately the pacifier was too heavy for even two balloons to take it up to the sky, so I had her draw a pacifier on a piece of paper and taped the paper to the balloon. It was SO VERY windy outside that the balloon went up into the sky extremely quickly. She took it all in stride and was happy.
Last night she wasn't so happy. I had anticipated this would be like when she had to give up her bottle and change from a crib to a big bed. It was similar. So bedtime took longer and I gave her a dose and a bit more of melatonin to help her relax. Otherwise I expected a LOT of headbanging to compensate.
She slept well and woke up in a very good mood. Better than most days recently. She did NOT take a nap today, and I expect a little fussing tonight. And then by tomorrow she'll take her nap and we'll move on. Occasionally over the next weeks, and maybe months, she'll ask and I'll tell her what happened and she'll accept it. Just like the other things. That's what I'm guessing. What happens, however, is up to her.
I'm still proud of her. As with all the 'big' changes in her life, she takes them more in stride than my worst fears and better than most.
(See? Very windy.)
She'd recently chewed them while having them in her mouth and went through 4 in a month and a half this summer. So this latest one, I said "This is the last-last-last one. No more chupones after this one. When it breaks, we'll have a party."
She was planning her party and helped pick out the piñata and decorations. We just had to wait for this one to break. It didn't break. In fact, it was the longest lasting one in the past year, HOWEVER she started to get a rash on her chin, I think from the saliva sitting on her skin for several hours. (I'm still really not sure where the rash came as she's never had one similar before.)
I used it as the catalyst to move this along. We scheduled the party for yesterday, sent out an evite to the grandparents and aunt next door and got everything ready. For two days before, she was alternatively excited for the party and panicked about giving it up for good.
Yesterday morning we went apple picking and after her nap had the party. She woke up in a good mood and was very excited to have the party and "send the chupon up in the sky to the princesses". Unfortunately the pacifier was too heavy for even two balloons to take it up to the sky, so I had her draw a pacifier on a piece of paper and taped the paper to the balloon. It was SO VERY windy outside that the balloon went up into the sky extremely quickly. She took it all in stride and was happy.
Last night she wasn't so happy. I had anticipated this would be like when she had to give up her bottle and change from a crib to a big bed. It was similar. So bedtime took longer and I gave her a dose and a bit more of melatonin to help her relax. Otherwise I expected a LOT of headbanging to compensate.
She slept well and woke up in a very good mood. Better than most days recently. She did NOT take a nap today, and I expect a little fussing tonight. And then by tomorrow she'll take her nap and we'll move on. Occasionally over the next weeks, and maybe months, she'll ask and I'll tell her what happened and she'll accept it. Just like the other things. That's what I'm guessing. What happens, however, is up to her.
I'm still proud of her. As with all the 'big' changes in her life, she takes them more in stride than my worst fears and better than most.
