Lord, help me in my hour of need

The time has come for Alden (and I) to say bye-bye to the paci.

Both of my kids have used a pacifier. We got rid of Emma Kate's when she was about 16 months old. Emma Kate liked her paci, but it was really no great loss when we put them away. She hardly even noticed.

But Alden is very different from his sister and his attachment to the paci is great. Maybe I just perceive a stronger attachment because the fit that ensues without a paci is far greater than anything his sister ever did. No doubt, I have relied on that little piece of plastic as much as he has.

But he is now 20 months old and I feel we are overdue for stepping out without a pacifier. I've wanted to tackle this task several times over the last several months but have chickened out. I knew we didn't need to attempt this near a road trip, because I guessed that would be where we might miss it the most. So Friday morning he and I took the paci and threw it in the trashcan. We said "bye-bye" and "all gone" and he definitely understood. I could see he was stressed, but he did really well. I was proud of him.

We are now on day #2 without the pacifer and doing great!! As I guessed the two car rides into town and back yesterday were the worst part of the day. Alden literally screamed bloody murder the entire 25 minutes! Surprisingly, I just tuned him out. It sounds cold, but there was nothing I could do to console him and he has to learn to adjust. I was worried about how he would do with bedtime. He went to bed like a champ, but woke up a few hours later. I could tell he was somewhat restless, but I think he'll learn quickly.

The true test will be our trip to the beach in a couple of weeks. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the paci will be a distant memory by then.