We have been throwing around the idea of getting rid of Kate's pacifier for quite some time. We had her down to only nap time and bedtime. Every once in awhile she would see it and stick it in during the day. We decided that this weekend, Labor Day weekend, was the weekend to say our goodbyes.
Our good friends, Kelly and Chad, were due to have their baby last week Sunday. Our plan was to go visit their little one on Saturday and bring along our pacifiers as a present for him. Our hopes were that Kate would see that the new baby would need them now, and that she is a big girl and doesn't need them anymore. But baby Stiffler had yet to arrive Thursday night, and we needed a back-up plan.
So, on Thursday night we did some research online for other suggestions. Since Kate is a big fan of balloons, we picked the one that suggested a balloon let go (sorry for the non-eco friendly decision). Josh and I decided together, and I knew that we were going to have to go through with it.
Starting the day on Saturday, we talked about how this afternoon our fire (Kate's word for pacifier) was going bye bye. She had her last hurray with them at nap time. Once she woke up, we headed to Target and the balloon store. We picked out three presents together at Target, one for each of her pacifiers. The whole time we were explaining that our pacifiers are going bye bye when we get home, and these presents were for her saying bye bye. Next we headed to the balloon store to get some balloons. She was on cloud nine.
When we got home, I quickly wrapped her presents. Josh began to tie the pacifiers to the balloons. There were quite a few tears from Kate, and I was wondering if we had made the wrong decision about giving them up. I kept thinking, its not like she is starting Kindergarten with it. Kate had a few moments in the house with the pacifier in her mouth while the balloons were tied to them.
Finally, we ventured into the backyard with our pacifiers and balloons. We began with the first one. I had to remove the pacifier from her mouth and together we let go. There were no tears. We waved "bye bye" and informed her that the pacifier was going to a baby who needed it. She totally bought it! As soon as it was out of sight, we gave her a present rewarding her. She opened it and was so excited for the baby-doll stuff.
When Josh brought over the next balloon, it was barely in her hands when she let it go. She waved "bye bye" and said, "Bye, bye fire, go to new baby." Then she turned to me and asked for her next present.
When Josh brought over her last pacifier, she gave it up without a fight. It brought tears to my eyes because she kept saying things like, 'Kate big girl' and 'new baby get fire' like it was no big deal that her pacifiers were no longer her possessions.
We had only one time on Saturday evening when she asked for her pacifier. She stood by the cupboard in the kitchen where we used to store them. As she asked, we reminded her that they went with the balloons to the new babies. She remembered and stopped asking without having a melt down. I was so impressed with how big she was acting.
Finally it become time for bed, the time that I was dreading. We went through our whole bedtime routine without her asking for it at all. As I laid her in her crib and said our prayers, my mind was wondering when was she going to ask for it. She never did. She said goodnight to me and closed her eyes. I said my goodnight to her, and I turned the lights out.
After I left her room, I went into our bedroom to listen to her on the baby monitor. I was hoping that the tears and cries would remain away. She talked quietly to herself for a few minutes, and then she fell asleep. Not once did she ask for her "fire". I'm so amazed with how 'big' she was today.
Hopefully tomorrow goes just as well....
Goodbye, Fire!
