"Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot........"

That pacifier was a dearer friend than we realized. In fact, we´ve come to realize that it was more our friend than Ari´s.

It has been over a week now, and "Tut" has been sorely missed. Ari rarely mentions it at all, but we have noticed such a change since we´ve taken it away from her. Her sleep-routine and cycle have changed dramatically, and we´re not too pleased with it. So, while Ari has moved forward in life without her pacy, we often think, "if only we could let her use it again!"

This is how things have changed:
Whereas Ari used to just point at her crib, say "bed," gather her friends (Bunnydog, Greeny Mouse, and Winnie the Pooh, or "Pooh-ey"),and lay quietly until falling asleep, she now makes several demands before settling down.
First, she wants to sit with Mama, as I mentioned in other posts. Then, she wants an extra song, an extra story, and extra anything-to-keep-her-out-of-bed. All of this in addition to her regular routine, mind you. We do read to her, hold her, sing to her, and go through all the steps every night. Sometimes, she throws a terrible tantrum when we don´t comply. Her screeching and screaming really bother us, because it is such a new development. And we´re not going to let it continue. At first, I would give in: I would hold her a little longer, read the extra story. But then she´d cry even more, make more demands. So, one day, I walked out of her room while she was protesting, red with anger. I was angry, and thought it best to just leave her. Then, the unexpected happened...... she just calmed down immediately. We´ve used that tactic ever since.

So, the walking-away method has been effective, but we are a bit discouraged that it has come to that. She used to be so cooperative when it was time to go to sleep. Really a good sleeper.
And there is the second issue: waking up. Ari used to sleep in every day until about 8:30. A lot of times, she would wake up quietly and start to talk to herself or sing until we´d come in to fetch her and to greet the morning. It was ideal. I always knew we were lucky to have a child who slept in, because so many children start the day at 7, or earlier. Sometimes, Ari would even fall back asleep after the initial waking-up, and not get up again until 9:30.
Well, ever since we´ve gotten rid of the pacifier, she has been waking up at 7:40. A whole hour earlier than usual! Almost every day. And she wakes up with determination: she is ready to get out of bed, and we better go to her immediately. I realize that is not an ungodly hour by any means, but it has been an adjustment, especially as I am more tired than usual.
It also takes her about 3 times as long to fall asleep for her nap. She used to be quiet almost immediately and sleep for 2 and 1/2 hours. Now, it takes her 1 hour to actually fall asleep.
The pacifier seems to have played a bigger part than we realized. It helped her to fall asleep, to just rest and relax. And now that it´s gone, she is awake when she is awake.

These weeks have been challenging. Ari has made it a priority to test our boundaries....continuously. She must have a sensor for it, for her Mama´s slacking-off, or something. When I am on the phone (or otherwise distracted), she takes her chances. She will do almost everything that is not allowed.

I have been feeling like such a party-pooper. We´ve entered a new phase, and I doubt we´ll get out of it before the decade is over. I am no longer the best friend. I can´t be. Some mothers try that, but I don´t think it would benefit either of us. So, I burst Ari´s little bubbles: I am stern with her. She is so dramatic (wonder where she got that :-) ), and it is getting out of hand. She cries real tears, and whines so pathetically when we don´t let her get away with things.

Being 36+ weeks pregnant doesn´t make it any easier. I run out of patience and energy. She senses that, too. It´s going to be tough to transition to life as a Mama of 2. To have to give them both their attention: to tend to their needs simultaneously.
I look forward to Baby Zus´arrival... I am totally excited to see what she is like and how she will change our family-dynamics, but I also feel the weight of the responsibility already.