pacifier drama

We finally did it. After months, perhaps years, of talking about it, asking for advice and retreating, we finally decided to rid our home of pacifiers. A week ago last Wednesday night Lonnie and I realize we didn't really have anything planned for the weekend so we knew we could deal with grouchy children. This was going to be the weekend we cut off yet another tie to Max and Maya's infancy. It was time to say good-bye to the pacifier.

We talked to the kids for several days about how pacifiers are not for big kids but for babies. We told Max and Maya that we needed to take their pacifiers and give them to some babies. They were actually pretty excited about the idea. On Friday we went through the house and collected all the pacifiers we could find. We put them into a bag.

Maya thought it would be a good idea to also put them into a box. (Since receiving a package from Auntie Aimee, playing "Package from Aimee" has become one of their favorite games).

We are luck enough to have twins in our ward who were willing to be the recipients of the pacifiers.

Max was more interested in playing with Jamin and Jesse's toys than in anything else.

After the hand-off we took the kids out to McDonald's for dinner as a treat for being such big kids and leaving the pacifiers. We kept talking about how they would not longer have pacifiers to use when they went to sleep. That night when they laid down for sleep they didn't ask for their pacifiers but it took them a while to settle down. Maya cried for about an hour and a half. When I would go into check on her she never asked for her pacifier, but she asked for other things like water, toys or books. Once when I went in Max was also still awake but siting quietly in bed. After I Maya settled down Max asked for his pacifier but seemed to understand when I told him that we didn't have them anymore because we gave them to the babies. Maya woke up again later that night but then made it through the rest of the night.

It has now been six days since we cut the kids off from their pacis. They are sleeping better at night, but still taking longer to go to sleep than they used to. They also are requiring more interventions. They are also waking up about an hour earlier than they before. Nap times have seriously suffered. Before we took away the pacifiers they were napping for at least 2 hours a day. Now I am luck to get them down for an hour and a half and they require a lot of help to get settled down. I usually have to go in and check on them several times before they will finally go to sleep. When they were using their pacifiers I could just put them in their beds and leave the room. The kids aren't asking for their pacifiers but they are defiantly still having a hard time going to sleep and staying asleep with out them.

I assumed the transition would take less time than this. We have given it a good go, but it is taking a toll on all of us to have the kids sleeping less. So....should I go back to the pacifiers?