Goodbye, Sucker!

Okay, I have been a horrible, no-good, lazy bum of a blogger for the last few months. But it's only because I have been the exact opposite in my real life. More updates on that later. That said, I just had to blog about this!

You know that feeling you get when you've lost something? Something really important? Something so important you can't imagine how life will go on without it? Remember that panicky, short-of-breath feeling as you imagine the horrors that will ensue if you don't find it? Yup. That was me tonight.

Why? We couldn't find a pacifier at bedtime.

Most parents of little ones can tell you the importance of pacifiers. They're miracle workers, really. They give you 5 extra minutes to get food ready, shut off the crying that happens for unknown reasons, and enable you to be by yourself for 3 minutes to use the bathroom.

But eventually, you have to get rid of them.

There are "nice" ways to do it.  There's the pacifier fairy, who takes old pacifiers, recycles them somehow and gives them to new babies who "really need them."  There's having "the talk;" you know, pacifiers are for babies, and you're a big kid now, it's time to move on. Or sometimes you just have to bribe them.

Or sometimes you just lose the last one, and there is no other option.

Bring on the panic.

This is not the first time I've done it this way. With my first girl, who has now successfully made it to 8 sans pacifier, this was how we did it too. One major difference? She was a whole year older.  Baby L is just 1 year old! She probably wouldn't understand the concept of Paci Fairy, "the talk" is useless, and you could bribe her, but she probably wouldn't make the connection.  (Although I have to say, I'm fairly certain she's one of the smartest babies ever, as her list of accomplishments thus far include: saying "tut tut" to which I have to reply, "Looks like rain;" saying "ma-nah ma-nah" and then giggling; and rushing for the bathroom the minute I make eye contact with her, laughing maniacally all the way. So if any baby would understand, it would be her.) So what do you do?

Let her cry a little.

Oh, how I dreaded it. I had one child (4-T) on the couch already asleep, and one more wishing she could go to bed too.  I was SURE, absolutely POSITIVE, she would be crying for at least an hour.  Oh, the tears, the agony, the suffering!  But she was so tired... So I put her to bed, and proceeded to go over the house as with a fine-tooth comb, looking in every nook, cranny, bucket, and drawer, likely or unlikely. I told myself, if I find it before she stops crying, I'll give it to her. If she stops crying before I find it, she'll just be done. And of course, what happened?

She cried.

For 5 minutes. MAYBE.

All 4 children are now in bed, sound asleep.

It's entirely possible that a mid-night awakening could be more drama for me.

Then again, maybe not.

And thus we learn that pacifiers are not essential to bedtime, like we tell ourselves. Nope. Our babies are amazing, and part of being a good parent, is learning when to let go and let them be amazing.

Good night, sweetie. You're amazing. I love you. -Mom