Success!

Photographic evidence that Carolyn sleeps without her pacifier now. It was much easier than expected, but Jeremy and I were too traumatized to try again after the disaster in December.

We are trying again...

Back in December we posted about Carolyn's ability to scream for almost 6 straight hours when we tried to put her down without her pacifier. Jeremy was the one who gave in that time and I admit to being so tired I didn't put up much of a fight. So for the last seven months, one of us has gotten up to give Carolyn dropped binkies at least once a night. Jeremy carried the bulk of this responsibility when I became pregnant and getting out of bed to move was enough to make me run for the bathroom. We're passed that stage, but I still let him get up. Saturday night he was up 3 times (I only heard one. I must have been tired). He finally decided he would withstand her crying and we would start to wean her from her pacifier at sleep times.

Sunday morning, she colored a box and we put all the binkies away so she could give them to the new baby. And she was fine. Until nap time. Then she was the saddest little girl I have ever seen. We didn't have a tantrum, just quiet crying while she asked for a binky. I didn't think she'd actually fall asleep. She never has before without a pacifier in her mouth. But she did. We got 20 glorious minutes. She also did a great job for her first night. It was not easy and I imagined trying to get through the day without any sleep at all. But I was able to sleep from 11-4:45. Not ideal, but it will get better. We are very proud of her. And Jeremy has promised not to give in.

Ugh!

This must be what I get for being so confident in my last post. After Carolyn fell asleep Monday night we had no issues for the rest of the evening. She even slept until 6! Yesterday's nap didn't go so well. And last night--oh man last night--she cried from about 7-12:45. That's right. Almost 1 am. On top of that, there is some dissension on how to effectively wean from the binky. So she got one at 12:45. And then she woke up at 6:25. I even skipped the gym hoping to get some rest. That was a mistake. Now she is crying in her crib protesting nap time without her pacifier. I know we shouldn't have broken down last night, but, I'll admit it, I was too darn tired to think straight. Her tears were starting to intermingle with mine. So now we are at a crossroads. Do we give up and try in another month? Do we make her go cold turkey to avoid confusion? How does one ever get any sleep?!

I have no answers, so I am taking suggestions.

UPDATE: So, it's nap time, and I gave her the pacifier. I just couldn't do it. Jeremy and I will have to come up with a plan of attack and implement it later. To justify my weakness, I say it is because she has developed quite the cough. With that and her vaccinations, I think it is too much. So hard! I would still like anyone's ideas on how to get rid of it for when I think I am strong enough.

Binkies?! We don't need no stinking binkies!

Carolyn has two best friends: Elmo and the pacifier in her mouth.

One of those friends ended up in the trash can today. Elmo, I can handle. What I can't handle is waking up multiple times a night to replace the binky. Or my 18-month old sleeping less at night than when she was two months old. Or hearing a drawer opening and slamming to find Carolyn trying desperately, and screaming all the while, to grow 5 more inches so she can retrieve the binks that have been put away.

So I found a new best friend: the trash can.

As you can imagine, my day has been far from fun. We skipped the afternoon nap. We skipped most meals. Unless you count the food that accidentally made it into her mouth as she flung her dishes at me. I tested my willpower listening to her cry while Dad was at a Blazers game. Then I reached my end. My daughter fell--jumped?--somehow escaped from her crib. We have a nice raspberry above her left eye to remember it by. Just in time for her doctor's appointment tomorrow. I managed all day with no tears. That didn't last.

Miraculously she has fallen asleep. All without the aid of a binky. It only took one hour and a traumatizing experience for it to happen. But my daughter? She don't need no stinking binky!