Fear of the Unkown

   We recently took Ava to the Doctor for her one year appointment, and found out that her teeth are coming in funny because she sucks on a pacifier. The doctor encouraged us to try and wean her off of it soon. That was a month ago, and she is still using it... Well, not any more. This morning as Ava starting showing her usual signs of her being ready for a nap I found myself oddly motivated to get her to sleep without her pacifier. Now, this may sound like a small thing, but you have to understand just how attached she was to it in the first place. Her pacifier was her best friend, she had to have it in the car, she had to have it if she got hurt, she had to have it if she wasn't feeling well, and she HAD to have it to fall asleep. 

   So back to this mornings nap... Filled with courage I try the impossible task of getting her to sleep without her rubbery best friend. And how does it go? Amazingly! She cried less then when I try and put her down with her pacifier. I feel like she was ready to be done with it, but needed us to make the decision. I didn't want to take it away because then she wouldn't be a baby any more. At least, that's what I thought. But she hasn't been a baby for a long time. She is a big girl now. A big girl that no longer needs her pacifier. 

   I was so scared of how bad I thought it was going to be, I hindered her from being free of it. The fear of the unknown can be debilitating, but ultimately it is freeing. There is no more thoughts of "What if?" or "How can I?". You just do it, and handle the outcome as it happens. I must say, having done it, making the decision and then following through, I feel incredible! 

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