About today and pacifiers

Written by Shannon Leigh

I was dreading today.

Today I was going to take the Rubster to my hair appointment. I am still not sure what I was thinking. I don't even know how that would have worked. It would have been miserable, ending with both of us in tears covered in hair. That's really the only way it could have gone down. It would have been a real low point in my mothering career thus far.

Matt had a hearing in Chicago this morning and then another one in the afternoon. He couldn't pick Ru up from MMO like I had planned so perfectly.

I would ordinarily reschedule but my hair lady is out of town for like 3 weeks and my poor roots couldn't wait another second. And NO, I am not risking trying someone new, can I get an amen ladies?

Anyway, at the last second Matt called me and told me he could pick her up because his second hearing was CANCELLED. And then the angels sang, no really, I heard them, I think. I haven't been so excited probably since the last time photo equipment came in the mail (which, come to think of it, happens all the time, photography is an expensive business, especially with being SUCH a perfectionist).

I was pumped and promised Matt that I'd make him a very happy man...

by cleaning the house (get your mind out of the gutter).

So I went to my hair appointment, chatted with my adorable hair girl (Megan) and thoroughly enjoyed getting my scalp scrubbed WITHOUT a paci-less toddler screaming on my lap (or eating hair on the floor).

My scalp is still tingling.

That leads me to paci-less Ruby.

Yes it's true. We are approaching the 72 hour mark being paci free.

Here's the thing folks, I don't think Ruby was nearly as addicted to the paci as I was. I LOVE the paci (note the capitalized, bold, italicized LOVE). You see it was a surefire happy/quiet maker. When things were bad, the paci would make it all better.

Ruby came home from the hospital loving the paci. Some babies never take one, some babies suck their fingers, my baby LOVED her paci. Ruby was putting herself to sleep in just a few months without fussing because of that paci. God bless you mr. paci (may you RIP).

We planned to do it at 12 months but I drug my feet. I just couldn't part with it. We were going through lots of transitions around that time, like weaning her off the bottle and then we were concentrating on crawling/walking, plus we were traveling a lot (and there is SERIOUSLY nothing worse than a screaming toddler in the backseat, it gives me a neck ache).

Then Ruby started throwing her paci and I was SO tired of retrieving it. We also aren't traveling for 2 weeks so we decided to bite the bullet and give it a try. It has actually gone rather smoothly. The first time I laid her down for a nap she cried for an hour, boy was she mad. The second time she fussed for 20 minutes, the 3rd time 10, and now it's just a few seconds. Point for team mom.

If I would have known it was this easy I might have done it sooner but then again, maybe not. I feel like all of the "baby" is gone in my little gem. I TOTALLY understand why some 3 year olds are walking around with a bottle. It's hard to let them grow up, but grow up they must.

And just because I love this picture:

{Taken March 31, 2010 on her first trip to Chicago}