Plug no more

I'm constantly surprised by how different my two kids are.  Besides the obvious (boy and girl), there are so many other things!  The latest is the pacifier dependency.  While Monster Bean was never super needy of it and disposed of it by his 1st birthday (or very soon thereafter), Little Miss is crazy for it.  She used to want it all the time and I'm sure that if it weren't securely hidden in her crib now, she'd probably still want it all the time!  But we made sure to nip that and for the past few months she's only had it at naptime or bedtime.  Lately I've been feeling that it really is time for her to give it up, but I'm not sure how to do it.  It feels like it's in between the right time to do it, she won't understand why it's gone.  Whereas with Monster Bean it was just gone and not a big deal, for her, it's a very big deal.  We've gone a nap here or there without it and she was fine, but forget about it at nighttime.

That is until tonight.  We decided once and for all that we'd go cold turkey with the pacifier.  I admit I almost gave in because she was alright getting ready for bed, but then 20 minutes later all I could hear was her sad screaming.  And somehow I've become the sap...but anyhow.  The hubby and I sat to discuss after I went in to check on her and sing her another song and set in stone that this was it.

It's been 2 1/2 hours since I put her to bed, about 45 minutes of screaming/crying/whimpering from her room, and the rest has been sleep for her.  Woot!  I can't declare this a minor victory until tomorrow morning and seeing how tonight goes, but for now, I'm just happy she fell asleep without it.

I should probably also add that this past month she's been an on/off sleeper.  For the most part I'd say she's a good sleeper.  Then there are those nights which became more frequent this month, where she's just a night owl!  Not night terrors, not really teething (although I think that might have aided her irritation), just...awake.  So tonight we also added in a lamb that lights up and plays music when you push its belly.  I'm hoping that it will give her something 'to do' or at least listen to when she self soothes.  A couple months ago it really helped when we added in a couple of toys and a book for her to snuggle when self soothing to sleep.  We shall see!