The second day

We lived through the second day without pacifiers, but it wasn't easy on any of us. There was no nap again today. The lack of napping has been the most challenging part of this. If they were fine without it that would be different, but Maya and Ella really still need a nap. Around noon (if not earlier), they just lose control of themselves because they are so incredibly tired! Maya's volume control goes out the window. Ella bursts into tears at the littlest things. They both basically turn into loud little inconsolable messes. I'm thinking a long car ride around nap time is in the cards for tomorrow.

We were this close to forgetting the whole thing and giving the pacifiers back today. I really wanted to. I wanted them to be able to rest! I wanted to be able to rest. Later in the day, after Brett got back from the grocery store, I did take a short nap while he was with the girls. I also talked to Amber, which helped me feel a little better.

The hardest part of the day for me was in the late afternoon, when Ella lost it because she had wanted me to walk with her down the stairs, but Brett had held her hand instead. It wasn't really about the stairs. We lay in her room together for about 20 minutes. I held her when she wanted to be held and listened to her cry and be so sad. It was hard to stay calm and comforting, and to not start crying myself. She just REALLY missed her pacifiers. It was evident in her body language. She kept putting fingers in and around her mouth, reaching for pacifiers in her bed that aren't there, etc. When Brett said, "You really miss your pacifiers, don't you?" she just bawled for several minutes straight.

Maya went to sleep tonight easily. She listened to the books and then just turned over and went to sleep without a word. She was exhausted. She just goes and goes until she finally stops. She had some tough moments today, but really she's handling it well. The saddest thing for me to see is her rejecting her doggie. She had such a strong pacifier/doggie association that she doesn't seem to want Pinky dog for comfort.

I stayed with Ella for a while longer and read her another book ("Katy No-pocket", a current favorite from the library, and from my childhood). After that she requested another book and I suggested a song instead, which she agreed to after I told her which song I was thinking of. As I started to sing, she finally held her body still and I watched her eyes slowly close as she looked at me, her hand holding tight around fingers. I sang "The Marvelous Little Toy" two times through, and then she was asleep.

I'm not convinced we did the right thing in taking away the pacifiers. Maybe we should have just enforced a strict only-for-nap-and-night-time-use policy. We still could I guess...

Maya and Ella have been playing together so well during this change. They played pretend airplane on our bed all on their own for a long time this morning while Brett and I made breakfast.

Breakfast, eating in "high chairs".

Some singing and guitar playing after breakfast.

Ella woke up only once last night and went easily back to sleep after I tucked her back into bed.

Maya, didn't sleep so well. She was up around 1:30 in the morning saying that she couldn't find her pacifier (which she then quickly changed to Doggie) which I found for her under the blanket. After that, she woke up a bunch of other times. She and I didn't get a lot more sleep.

Beautiful girls. I hope you sleep well tonight.