We don't need no stinkin' ma's...

My ever-growing child has finally left the last trappings of babyhood behind him - he no longer needs a pacifier (aka "ma") to go to sleep. For posterity's sake (read: bore warning), here is the saga of the "ma":


I was always "that person" who said ridiculous things like, "When I have kids, I will never..." insert any of those controversial topics here - use lots of drugs to ease childbirth (ha! That took an hour to change), use a walker, use a pacifier... But when Tater was three weeks old and I basically had a tiny leech (adorable leech though he was) attached to me 24/7 because he always needed to suck, I caved in and gave him a pacifier. It ended up being a wonderful thing - he was such a sucker. Always needed something in his mouth, and it wasn't always convenient for it to be me. Some babies just need to suck more - mine was one of them.

As he got bigger, the pacifier became known as a "ma" - not sure why, but I have a couple of theories, mostly pertaining to the fact that he started calling it that around the time he was weaned. And at around a year, the ma became off-limits except for at nap and bedtimes. There's no way he would have been sleeping through the night without it - but his decision to finally sleep through the night at 13 months is a different post entirely. At his 18-month appointment, I made the mistake of asking his doctor about it - when he should get rid of it. His answer? Now.

Poo. I knew Tater wasn't ready to give it up, and I wasn't ready for the sleepless nights I was anticipating without it. So we waited. A friend at school told me that her daughters gave it up when they turned 2, because "now they were big girls, and pacifiers were for babies." She said both girls totally bought into that, and were fine with giving them up, using that mentality. I was skeptical, but you know what? IT WORKS!!!

Last Thursday and Friday, I started talking up the fact that Tater was becoming such a big boy, and that soon he would have to go to sleep without the ma, because big boys don't need them. It was amazing to watch him sort of roll the idea around in his head... he really seriously considered it! He'd ask questions at random times like "Caleb need a ma?" and "I a big boy now?" But it still came as a bit of a shock when he didn't argue too much Saturday night when he didn't get one (of course, I'm sure that getting to fall asleep in Mama and Daddy's bed softened the blow a little). And he slept all night, even if I did go in the next morning to find him at the foot end of the bed with his animals and blankets spread all over the place and a puzzled look on his face. "Where my ma go?" He was pretty proud of himself when I told him he'd slept all night without it. The next day, same thing - very little complaint. In fact it wasn't until Tuesday nap that we had an issue (see previous post), and part of that may have been over-tiredness.

I am so proud of my little man. He is just so big. I almost miss seeing that pacifier in his sweet little mouth... he just isn't my baby anymore!