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goodbye pacis, hello mr. foxy

I was really dragging my feet about getting rid of Griffin’s pacis. He loved his pacis. A lot.

We got rid of Levi’s pacis before he turned two, so we thought maybe two would be a good goal for Griffin as well. But Griffin’s second birthday came and went and he was still bff’s with his pacis. And let’s be honest, those pacis sure come in handy when you have a grouchy baby.

Β December 2nd arrived and I decided it was now or never. Goodbye pacis.

When Levi said goodbye to his pacis we had him put them all in a box and “mail” them away. When he took them to the mailbox he found his Ally there. He still sleeps with Ally every night. We had no idea what we were doing but it seemed to work so we decided to give it a try with Griffin too. Levi and I picked out Mr. Foxy for Griffin. I really thought that this plan was going to be a total flop. Griffin is a totally different kid than Levi and I was picturing him throwing Mr. Foxy back at me and begging for his pacis back. πŸ™‚

One last snuggle with his paci.

Griffin got all his pacis packed up and we headed out to the mailbox.

He was yelling, “Mama!” I guess I was going a little too slow for him.

Levi was right there to support Griffin with his paci breakup. He’s a good big brother.

He wanted to open the mailbox so bad.

Griffin put his pacis in the mailbox and pulled out his “paci replacement” box.

Levi had to help him open it up of course.

And to my surprise Griffin was super excited about Mr. Foxy.

Don’t they look like best friends already? My fingers were crossed.

He had to introduce Mr. Foxy to Levi too.

Levi is Griffin’s biggest cheerleader as he reaches all these “big boy” milestones. I am so thankful they have each other.

Nap time came and I was really nervous. I was totally prepared for him not to sleep at all.Β  When I put him in his crib he asked for his paci and whined a little but didn’t even shed a tear.

He just wanted to sleep with his semi truck instead. It was a total miracle.

I remember sitting outside of his door, right after I peeked in to find him asleep, praying for Griffin and thanking God for this easy transition. I had no idea if this was a fluke and tomorrow would be a fight, but I was so thankful for this moment. It was a gift. Transitions can be really hard and trying for a mama. And you never know what to expect. Every kid is different. We have had hard transitions at our house too and God has faithfully given us just what we needed to make it through those moments too. But I want to remember to come to Him when things are going well in the same way I run to Him when I am sinking. He is right in the midst of these moments too.

Well, the next few days held some major fits before naps. There was definitely a little adjustment time. But now the pacis are officially gone and I am so thankful to have this transition behind us. Goodbye pacis. Next up…potty training.

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  • Jackie - Good Job Griffin! I chuckled when I saw the big truck in the crib. I have 2 boys, and have seen many cars and trucks as sleeping buddies. Just never know when you’ll wake up and have the need to play trucks.ReplyCancel

  • Kristin - So cute! LOVE Jelly Cat animals! My Liam has several and his fox is his favorite!
    http://mybeautifulnoise.blogspot.com/2014/01/dreamland.htmlReplyCancel

  • Michelle from Australia - Beautiful photos Jess. What gorgeous boys. Thank you for sharing.ReplyCancel

  • Mary - These pictures are priceless! I am getting ready to take my son’s paci away and LOVE your idea. I am def going to give it a try.ReplyCancel

  • babykatesmom - Aww! What a big boy Griffin! I love how Levi is such a good big brother, it shines through in the pictures. Now if I could just figure out how to box up my Jack’s thumb, he’s 3&1/2 now and I fear he will be in kindergarten and still sucking his thumb.ReplyCancel

  • C Smart - You take the BEST photos! Those were just great!ReplyCancel

  • Carley - This is a very timely post. My oldest daughter love-love-loves her pacis, and she’s almost 2. And I have NO idea how to make that transition. Maybe we’ll do something like this. You said you did it with Levi when he was 2-ish…did he “get” the swap concept?ReplyCancel

    Jess Reply:

    Carley-Yes! He was 20 months and he seemed to totally understand.

    • Jess - Carley-Yes! He was 20 months and he seemed to totally understand.ReplyCancel

  • creole wisdom - Awesome, Griffin! These photos are so beautiful, Jess. I love how you document everyday moments πŸ™‚

    If that’s a Jellycat stuffed animal (which I think it is) … those are SO cute!ReplyCancel

    Jess Reply:

    Kathryn-Thanks! It is a Jellycat…our favorite!

  • Andrea - yay! i have a feeling Pacifiers will be hard for Cai to give up too. I’ll have to use your gift idea! πŸ™‚ReplyCancel

  • Kimberly - So cute! I hate transitions too– it’s hard for kiddos and mamas!ReplyCancel

  • BethAnne - Your boys remind me so much of my own. They’re around the same ages and my boys are best friends too. I absolutely adore it. With my Levi (my oldest) his paci was gone by the time he was one. I believe he was actually 9 months old. And got rid of it without a single problem. Gabe, on the other hand, is so attached to his paci. I don’t think he has ever gone down for bed or a nap without it. I had planned for it to be gone by the time he turned one, but he just turned two in December. Oops! I may try your little trick and see how it works for us. Fingers crossed!ReplyCancel

  • Mary - Wow, my 15 month old never got into having a paci except it was always attached to her infant car seat. It worked well to put her to sleep as a young baby when we were out of the house and away from her “normal nap place.” But I did lots of people giving me much advice about her habit of sucking her two middle fingers (in place of a paci). They say, “You can always get rid of a paci but not fingers!” And I totally disagree! :/ I was one of those babies who had a paci and I sucked my thumb and fingers for YEARS! It just depends on the kid. So I told myself to just let my daughter give me signals if she was going to be a paci or suck fingers baby. She chose fingers and I say that was so much easier than trying to find the missing paci! πŸ™‚ Fingers are attached. So your insight on how to move on from a paci will certainly be helpful….because some day I’m just sure of it. I’ll have a baby who wants that paci and wont let go!! πŸ™‚ReplyCancel

  • Jill Averitt - My baby turns TWO in March. I have plans for the paci to make it’s exit then. I’m afraid she’ll be like her sister and not give it up until she’s three years old. If what we did with her sister doesn’t work, we’ll be trying this for sure. She’s my last baby, so I’m sort of feeling like I’ll let her keep it until college, if she wants. πŸ™ReplyCancel

    Jess Reply:

    Jill-I don’t blame you! I get softer with each baby too. πŸ™‚

    • Jess - Jill-I don’t blame you! I get softer with each baby too. πŸ™‚ReplyCancel

  • natasha {schue love} - Oh this is so nice to read. My 19 month old still uses his paci for naps/nighttime and sometimes more when he gets ultra fussy. I know we need to start weening but it is so easy to be dependent! Love this idea!!ReplyCancel

  • melissa - So cute. Great idea. Mine is 24 months amd still going strong with paci. I want to try this!ReplyCancel