Weaning a child from anything is hard. I remember weaning each of the kids from nursing. Although I weaned them at a year, it was still hard and I felt like I was doing something wrong. I hated that they would sometimes cry and want to nurse and I had to distract them. At the same time, it was just difficult knowing that they were getting older.
Last Saturday, we began the "weaning" process again, trying to "wean" Addison from her taggie blanket and her thumb. She will be 3 a month from today (how scary!). Her teeth are beginning to get messed up because of her thumb sucking. She was not just sucking her thumb with her taggie at nap time and at night, or we may have been better about it. She was sucking her thumb more and more through the day. Somedays she would just sit on our laps sucking her thumb watching everyone play. So, Saturday, we set out to get a taggie replacement of sorts. We asked Addison to select a stuffed toy, then told her that she could get it if she gave us her taggie (I had already hidden the other taggies, so I thought). She quickly handed it over, hugging her new found soft puppy.
The day went okay for the most part. We had a date last Saturday night, so I explained the whole taggie thing to the babysitter. Unfortunately, there was a taggie in Addison's bed that night, so she went to bed with it.
When Addison awoke Sunday morning, the taggie was gone. She cried Sunday night for a while asking for it. It was so sad, we just wanted to give it back to her. She cried less on Monday night. Since then, Addison has only asked for it a few times, but she quickly gets over it when she gets her puppy.
The difference? Addison can talk! I would venture to say she is chatty! She was quiet before, because her mouth was full with her thumb! Or, when she did talk, I had to remind her to talk to me without her thumb in her mouth so I could understand her. She also comes to me first more when she falls, gets picked on, etc, where before she would get her taggie first before coming to me. She is doing so good, though.
This has been a hard week on all of us adjusting to the new Addison. The hardest part for me was watching her be sad missing her taggie. It is also hard knowing that she is growing up. With her little thumb in her mouth holding her taggie, I could still see her as my little baby. Now, although still my little baby, she tells me, "Mommy, I am not a baby!"
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