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Tuesday, June 9, 2009

The paci progress...

Adjusting the plan a little...

Quitting the paci cold turkey went great until about 5pm. Of course that is her worst popping the paci in and out time. We're used to her hollering 5 minutes out of every 10 then anyway. I put her in her bassinet so I could make dinner, and due to babydoll's love of "buttons" we made an accidental discovery. Little lamb really likes that music the bassinet plays. As long as it was playing she calmed down and was quiet. It is kind of strange sounding electronic classical music, kind of a beeping Canon in D. But it is better than screaming, and it has a volume control.

I managed to survive through the "crying" time in the evening. But alas at bedtime I gave in. It seemed rather cruel to feed her and then expect her to sleep when she was still recovering from eating. This is where the paci truly seemed useful in the past to help control her hiccups and gas. Daddy also had a legitimately rough day, and wasn't up to the screaming. So I gave her her paci and she quietly went to dreamland.

So I guess cold turkey didn't work, exactly. And in rereading my previous post I want to clarify. I don't think her using the paci is some type of deep rooted sin in her 6 week old existence. But I am concerned what we are teaching her when we jump to pop the paci back in every time she hollers at us. I do believe training starts this young.

But training takes some time and is a learning process for me as well. I thought cold-turkey would be easiest. Kind of a lazy approach on my part as it doesn't require thinking just persistence. But a new plan has been put in place. For now the paci will be for immediately after meals/going to sleep. Once it is intentionally popped out, it's out. So far she doesn't even seem to need the paci at all in the morning. Probably because no intolerable food mommy ate has affected her milk. Maybe she'll slowly ween off of it. For now it will be saved for those times when it is truly useful.

I remember this age w/ babydoll. I was mentally exhausted trying to decide the best way to feed her. The experts said so many different things. None of the official ways to schedule her or not schedule her seemed quite right to me. Eventually I gave up the books and experts and just went by instinct. That seemed to work so much better. Of course babydoll, was such a happy baby almost anything would work.

I am kind of glad God chose to teach me this w/ babydoll. I think if I had little lamb first I would have lost my mind trying to find the exact way to do everything. And she still would have fussed and carried on. So I am trying to avoid the experts. I am trying to go by instinct. To pray and do what God prompts me.

Right now both my precious girls are sleeping. Little lamb w/ paci securely in mouth, and babydoll having obediently stayed on her big girl bed. For the moment instinctive - or better God prompted - mothering is working.

Somebody just please remind me of this when I get to potty training...

1 comment:

Brooke said...

I cannot tell you how much I empathize with everyone of your mothering posts!!! Keep on, my dear friend! And keep writing it out, it's so encouraging :-)