The Big Girl Part III

This time the big girl isn't Kailee, but it's Hailey. We've had quite a few firsts in our house over the past week or so but this one takes the cake...Hailey has given up her pacifier!!!!!! Her wawa, as she dubbed it at 22 months old, is no more! We have talked about it forever , but always made excuses for timing...too close to the new baby coming, too soon after Kailee being born, too soon before/after Leevi deployed, etc, etc. I have always been pretty particular about her only using it during bedtime or in the car. Even now, Kailee only has it up in her crib or when we go on a walk or in the car. Hailey kind of went through stages of asking for it more often or sneaking it downstairs occasionally. Here she is caught in the act about a month ago...it was like I busted her smoking out back! :)



We've talked about it a lot since she turned 3 and her reply would always be, "I don't want to grow up. I want to be little like Kailee." My intent was to be done with it over Spring Break where if we had some rough nights I wouldn't have to worry about working the next day. Finally, on Thursday when she was whining about falling down and claiming that her wawa would make her feel better, I said it's gone...no more and that that night she wouldn't have it to go to bed....oh the tears came!!! I got Kailee down for a nap and then Hailey and I read some books in her room and talked about not needing it anymore. She insisted she did. I was prepared for the worst when bedtime came and to my astonishment she just went to sleep!!! We read a book like usual, turned out the lights, said her prayers and that was it! I couldn't believe it...she didn't even ask for it; no tears, nothing. I take that back...she did say something funny: "I need my wawa to keep my lips warm!" :) Nice try! :) I laid there with her like I normally do and within 5 minutes she was out. Then the tears started to flow...not from her, but from me! :( I sat there watching her sleep and couldn't believe how big she has gotten...I'm sure I was sad because Leevi wasn't here, but I think I was more sad because she didn't cry. She was fine. She was a big girl now. It was too easy.

And that was it...she hasn't even asked for it once. Not through the night, not the next day, not the next night, nothing. It's too weird. It's like it never existed! Kailee's wawas are easily accessible, but no attempts. She's done. The first night I told her I would take her to the store the next day if she didn't use her wawa and she could pick out anything she wanted. She said she wanted a dog (stuffed animal) to be friends with the cat she had gotten earlier that week with a birthday gift card. We went to Target that next day and she wandered the toy aisle with basically free reign to pick anything she wanted (within reason!) but she stayed true to her wishes and picked out a pink poodle. The best thing was that it only cost $5! :) She named the dog Missy and the cat Tasha...