Goodbye, Beloved

This morning marked a huge step out of babyhood for my dearest Abi Grace. This morning after breakfast (don't mind our wild night time hair), we said goodbye to our beloved friend, Paci. We rounded up all the paci's in and around Abi's bed (the last remaining ones in the house since we weaned her back months ago from daytime paci use).

Rachael talked all about how big people don't use pacifiers and proceeded to list off a list of all the people we know that don't use pacifiers while we gathered up the friends.

Then we put them in a bag, Abi having a last suck of "the favorite" one.

And we paraded off to the closet where we stored them away. We purposefully put them into a closet that they are not stored in so we can recheck the closet in the moment of her distress and see that the paci's are truly gone. (I already pocketed them and moved them while no one was looking). During their nap time today, I'll take them down and thoroughly clean them before returning them to storage.

And while this morning she was smiling and saying "Bye, bye Paci. All gone Paci,"

I know that nap time and night time will come with grieving. So today we are putting on our sackcloth and ashes in memory of the dear friends and we will be grieving and providing many condolences throughout this process. Paci has been an emotional and trusted friend since Abi was only a week or so old. And today, at 21 months we have said our goodbyes.

After much thought I figured paci would be the best one to go first in the months of transition that lye ahead for dear Abi. Since Avocado will be joining us a few months post-Abi's two year old birthday, getting rid of the pacifier, changing to the big bed and potty training possibilities are all around that time frame. Since I know there will be much transition in adding another burrito to our mix, starting a transition slightly early will allow for a more natural transition that is not fueled by the new baby. Due to how Abi grieves, saying goodbye to paci while still contained in her crib is a better strategic move than unleashing the wild in a run-around-the-room-availability bed. At this rate Abi will be long past paci (3 months) before moving to the "big girl" bed at 2 years old. Then we'll see how potty training fits into the mix as is dictated by Abi's desire and readiness. I'm in no push to move her from diapers until she is ready, but paci, on the other hand, is only serving an emotional purpose (no longer fulfilling the physical teething need) and that emotional attachment will only get stronger with time. Thus, paci has "moved out" and we will grieve his departing until the new normal kicks in. 

And yes, all you Moms out there, cry with me because my baby's growing up. ;)

Well done, Abi baby, you are and will brave this adventure well. We're here for you, Abi, in this transition.  And we'll all be sure to nap together after the first potentially rough night. ;)

- Hopeful and Proud.