"That's the next step towards...

...potty training." I have heard this sentence many times in the last few days. I'm horrified of potty training. Most of it will be work on my part and I'm nervous because I have NO idea how to do it. There are so many different ideas on how to potty train; when they are ready, what not to do, to reward or not reward...it's dizzying. So what has brought on this bought of anxiety?

NO MORE PACIFIERS.

I have no idea what came over me but on Thursday I decided we were done. Maybe I was tired of scrounging for one every night. Perhaps it was as we were rolling around Sam's, passing other babies with their pacifiers, and I realized that Brenden was almost twice their size. I know it was partly because when Brenden gets tired in the car he throws things out of frustration and a week or so ago he bonked me in the back of the head and then screamed when I didn't hand it back.

This has not been an easy transition. He's still getting used to his toddler bed and we're still trying to find out when is the perfect time to lay him down for his nap. (Yes, I just said NAP...as in singular. No, I'm not happy about it, but I should probably be grateful that he takes one.) The first day it took 1 1/2 hrs for him to fall asleep, but gosh darnit he did it. That night was interesting, too. Tim started to cave in about 10 minutes, but there was no way I was going to give it back. Truthfully, I don't think Tim would have either. He knows that when we change something, like having Brenden fall asleep in his crib by himself or where we let Brenden play, we don't go back. Giving in only makes it 10 times harder when we eventually get the nerve to do it again.

It's been 3 days and it's become slightly easier. He still cries and wants one of us to lay day with him but he didn't ask for his pacifier after the first night, which I'm going to take as a very good sign. Will this come back to bite me? Oh I'm sure it will. But for right now I'm happy to be done. Maybe by the time we get around to adding to our family he won't steal pacifiers. Yeah right. :)

Fast asleep...not a pacifier in sight!