Pacifier fiend

The skin around Elsie's mouth has been drying out due to the colder weather and the moisture that would collect around her pacifier all night. It was pretty disgusting and lotion wasn't cutting it so I made the decision the take the pacifier away. I thought it was going pretty well for the first couple of days. I even forbade Nick from taking one to church ( I teach primary so he gets her for the last two hours alone). But the past few days she has been a different child. She is grumpy, she wakes up all night, she won't nap. I usually don't back down when it comes to things like this but I was tempted yesterday. Nick said No, he told me to be strong, he said to follow through. Last night she cried from four to six. I was strong, I didn't give in.

Then today she was whining when she was supposed to be napping. I went to check in on her and her hands were covered in hair! She had been pulling out her own hair!!! It reminded me of a story I heard about a kid who pulled out his eyebrows because his parents made him stop sucking his thumb. I quickly grabbed one out of the drawer (relieved I hadn't thrown them all away) and gave it to her. It was like a tearful reunion of two old friends. She would suck, pull it out to gaze lovingly at it and then suck some more. She didn't make a peep when I placed her back in her crib and she is now peacefully sleeping. I think I need to research a pacifiers anonymous group.