Bye Bye Plug!

Well, it's official--we no longer have a baby in our house.  No crib, no diapers, no pacifier.  We may not have done everything in the right order but the pacifier, or plug as Rory calls it was the last to go.

I've struggled with this because we got "the talk" at his 2 year old check up that we needed to get rid of it.  BUT-he loves it!!  He only used it at nap time and night-time and most of the time just held it in his mouth.  He knew he had to leave it in his bed once he got up and didn't ask for it other times.  It made me feel guilty on two accounts: 1-medically speaking I know he should get rid of it but 2-how do you take away something that he loves? 

I've heard lots of stories about other moms getting rid of the pacifier but I wanted Rory to get something in return, not just give his plugs to Santa, mail them of in a box, or willingly throw them in the trash.  These plugs are all he's known for 2 1/2 years so I thought by reaching this milestone he should be able to celebrate.

Yes-I'm probably over thinking this but just go with me...

Rory understands a little bit about money.  He knows we have to pay for things when we go to the store and loves handing the cashier the money to pay.  **Insert light bulb moment!**  What if Rory used his plugs to "pay" for something that he really wanted?

We started talking about our shopping trip a week before and by the time Saturday rolled around he was so excited to get his "new toy."  I had the plugs ready to go in a plastic baggy so he could hand them over.  We spent quite a bit of time looking at all the different toys, tractors, and trucks.  We purposefully didn't rush him because I wanted him to pick out exactly what he wanted....well, we did steer him away from toys that were way overpriced! :)

It took about 20 minutes but he made his selection and we were off to pay.  I was a little nervous because what if the cashier didn't play along or understand?  I handed Rory his baggy of plugs while Josh put the toy on the counter and I slide some cash to the side.  The cashier at Toys-R-Us was fabulous!  She didn't miss a beat and congratulated Rory!  He was so proud!

The cashier asked if we wanted the "little baggy" back and I said no...it's too much temptation for me to give in!  We are now on day 5 without a pacifier and it's going much better than I thought.  It takes him a little longer to get to sleep but I'm sure with more practice he won't have any trouble.  Occasionally he says he wants his plug because he's little but we remind him that he is a big boy now.

This car transporter was his purchase!

I still can't believe I'm the Mom of this amazing little guy!  Or the Mom of a toddler!  It seems like just yesterday we brought him home from the hospital!