I haven't had the heart to break the pacifier habit of A-tot. It needs to happen, I know. But this is my parenting weakness. I'll pull teeth, change the most disgusting diapers, clean up vomit all night long, but don't ask me to take a pacifier away from an innocent baby. I do place limits on them, though. They are only allowed in the crib. They are just for sleep-time comfort (and once they get old enough they ask for pacifier time in their crib for a few minutes). But pulling the plug all together makes me weak in the knees. My reluctance probably had some deep psychological roots in my own finger sticking habit that went on far too long as a child (according to my mom). Too bad for my parents they couldn't take my finger away.
Recently A-tot has tried to sneak pacifiers out of her crib by shoving them down her footie pajamas when we come to get her out of her crib. It's funny when she tries to hide them after her nap and you pick her up and a pacifier falls out the bottom of her shirt.
Yesterday David got her out of her crib in the morning and she came prancing down the hall singing Jingle Bells as her multiple pacifiers mingled in the foot of her pajamas. As hilarious as it was, I had to turn her around and march her back to put the pacifiers back on the dresser.
I'll muster the courage soon to pull the plug. I have to. I just don't want to.
