Goodbye Paci

Being a parent requires one to make decisions that are often times 

rather difficult such as when to move the baby to their crib, when to

switch from breast milk to cows milk, when to take away the bottle, or

when to say goodbye to the paci. It is my belief that the easiest way to 

make these parenting decisions is to listen to your young, rather 

inexperienced child, and yourself. After all, it is the parents who know

their own child better then anyone else. 

However, for a parent, making these decisions are difficult because it requires

 change, which is not always welcomed on the part of the child. And, it is an 

outward sign of growth by the child, which signals the need for a parent to let 

their baby go a tad bit more. 

Last night, Ryan and I watched Giulietta say goodbye to her last paci!

It was bittersweet to watch as Ryan and her sat down at the 

table to make an envelope perfect for the last piece of her infancy.

She picked up her beloved paci off of the table, and gave it a few last 

sucks before tossing it into the homemade envelope. 

Then, Daddy and Giulietta closed up the envelope real tight, and tossed it

 into the mailbox for the paci fairy.  

I stood in the threshold of my home with tears brimming my eyes 

as I looked at my daughter in a new light. 

It suddenly hit me that Giulietta is no longer a baby. Every remnant 

of her infancy has either been given up, passed down to her sister 

Presley, or packed away. Although her growth is natural, expected,

 and amazing to watch, it is never easy to accept that she is quickly becoming 

more and more independent, intelligent, and beautiful with each passing day. 

The transition from paci to no paci seems to be going as smooth as all G's other 

transitions from infancy to toddlerhood. She whined a bit, asked for it

back, but finally acknowledged that she was a big girl and ready to move on. Now, 

when she is resting peacefully in bed she has her arms wrapped around her new

Cinderella baby that the paci fairy brought.