Paci (or 'baa-baa') met his demise in December. One Sunday morning, we were at home when Michael made the rash decision to cut Asher's pacifier...while he was sick, mind you! It was something we had planned to try soon, but much preparation would have been made prior to the actual snipping. Once it registered what had transpired, I was the one in tears, with knots in my stomach. It hadn't occurred to me that paci represented the final strand in the proverbial umbilical cord, and there it was with its gaping hole staring back at me. It took me a few minutes to be able to speak to my husband, but Asher really didn't seem to mind. His attention may have been focused more on his blubbering Mommy, rather than his broken paci. Strangely enough, that was it. We had to remind him a few times, and it took him longer to fall asleep for a couple days, but it was nothing like the weeks long battle we were preparing ourselves for. Michael gets a little gloat of a smile when the subject comes up now, but secretly I know it was my stellar performance that got us through. Asher seemed to have a 'don't worry Mommy, we'll get through this together' attitude. I must admit, had we taken the 'tough love' approach and been prepared, we would probably still be fighting over paci. I joke, but I really am glad it happened this way. Every transition Michael has led has been smooth, and I am so thankful that he is such an engaged Daddy that he knows when his son is ready for the next milestone and doesn't back down from the challenge.
The following week, Asher got to take his broken paci to Build-A-Bear to place inside the bear of his choice. (luckily he happened to choose the asthma-friendly option...more on that later!)
Choosing a heart for his bear
Placing his paci in the bear's paw
Helping 'fill' his bear
