Paci Love

I am the princess and the princess needs her paci! 

This girl loves her paci -- I mean loooooves it!  They say attachment starts right around 6 months, and boy it sure did!  Lucy has always been fond of her paci and taken it for soothing and sleep.  Until recently, though, she didn't really have control over it.  Someone had to put it in her mouth for her.  Once she figured out how to do it herself she began to be more calm... Now she's grown quite opinionated about her paci and her "do it myself" attitude is emerging.

She has now done the following to Isaac and to me:

Scene: Crying in her crib well after she should be asleep.

We tiptoe in to help her, find her paci (one of which is usually firmly grasped in her chubby fingers) and put it in her mouth.  She swats our hand away, removes the offending pacifier and swaps it for the one she's been holding in reserve since we laid her down to sleep, then calmly drifts off to sleep.



Yes, she still has a way to go on self-soothing, but she's got opinions about it, so that's a start?!

This morning (and a few previous mornings) I've gotten her up and brought her back to bed for her first feeding of the day.  I took her paci from her hand so that she wouldn't drop it on the way.  She looked first at one of my hands then the other and snatched the pacifier back.  "How dare you, mama! I need that!"

Lastly, how do you know you timed a nap or bedtime perfectly?  You place a whimpering Lucy in her crib, insert a pacifier and put a backup in her hand, and cue contended sucking.  Aaaand scene!

She loves her paci during the day, too and is starting to get excited when she sees it after an absence.  She nearly always has one nearby, but thankfully she doesn't seem to want or need it constantly when she's awake.  She'll want it for a moment or two if she's upset or bored or tired, then it's on to exploring everything else in this world mouth first!

That's my girl: Odie and a pacifier! 

Yes, yes I DO need all three. Any more questions, mom?