The Journey of Saying Goodbye...

Recently in the Williams house we had to say goodbye to something very precious.
It was something that was near to us everywhere we went. It made night time easier and naps more peaceful. It was especially hard goodbye for Josiah. I didn't know if he would be able to bear saying goodbye. Yes, this precious thing I am speaking of is his beloved pacifier (may it rest in peace).

It is gone. All five of them actually were placed very lovingly in the trash can. I know you must be shaking your head in disgust. How can a loving mother take away such a precious item from a baby not even 6 months? I must say it was difficult. It was one of my first lessons in tough love and I just didn't know if I could be that tough. Josiah had a pacifier addiction. I affectionately called his pacifier Josiah's "drug". He absolutely could not fall asleep without it. I didn't mind him sleeping with it. He started maybe on his second day in the hospital. I never explained my milk problems after Josiah's birth but the bottom line is, I couldn't give Josiah enough milk. I didn't know this for a few days so he quickly attached himself to a pacifier for the relief of the sucking sensation. Poor baby was a crazy sucker as he wanted more food! Fortunately we figured this out rather quickly and he soon started formula, but the pacifier had stuck.

I was totally fine with it as it made him sleep (along with a down blanket in his crib). I was all about having this baby sleep through the night which he did at 8 weeks. All was well until we started realizing the pacifier was turning from a comfort item to an addiction. The pacifier would fall out in the night and Josiah was not able to go back to sleep without it. So I would come back and re-insert it into his mouth and he would be back to dreamland. This was okay occasionally but it began to happen more and more, sometimes every hour. At this point, we knew we had to take the pacifier away.

I was terrified! We decided to do it on a long weekend when Adam would be home more to help support. Well, it only took 3 days! The first 2 nights Josiah cried for about an hour in the middle of the night. I would go in about every 3 minutes and pick him up and pat him until he stopped crying and then lay him back down. I would do this until he fell asleep again. This was to reassure him that he was not alone and to make sure he didn't begin to fear his crib. By the third night he slept the whole night long!

He used to have to sleep on his side squished between two blankets as to not let the pacifier fall out easily. It was quite a production to get him in the right spot. Now he sleeps in all different positions his back, side, tummy,and end of bed etc. He is a much better sleeper now and is free to be a wiggle maniac.

To all you moms debating if you should do this. Just be strong and patient and it will happen!

In loving memory of the Josiah paci. You are no longer missed!