It's A Windy View: Uh-Oh Fairy

When you are staring down at your new bundle of joy, the hospital gives you two choices: Pacifier or NO Pacifier.

If your precious babe comes out already sucking his/her thumb or finger, the decision has already made for you.

We were fortunate, neither one of our kids sucked a finger or a thumb.

Ahhh...the controversial Pacifier.

Binkie...

Paci...

Nuk...

For us, an Uh-Oh.

With a very limited vocabulary, our little Brown Eyed Girl had managed to learn the word "Uh-Oh" right away. We considered it just another word until we realized that she usually used it with a tone of desperation. Handy Man - the smart man that he is - realized one morning that our Brown Eyed Girl, who was repeating "Uh-Oh" over and over again in frustration, was actually wanting her pacifier.

I admit, every time that thing went flying and fell to the floor I said, "Uh-Oh," before retrieving it ~~dousing it in hand sanitizer and wiping it off with an alcohol wipe~~ and popping it back in her mouth.

And so the Uh-Oh was born!

The controversial Pacifier...

First time parents are flooded with statistics, personal opinions and controversial parenting decisions the minute they let the cat out of the bag that they are expecting.

Co-Sleeping

Breastfeeding or formula

Cloth or disposable diapers

Working mother or SAHM

Pacifiers

It's all relatively maddening as a first time parent.

As former members of Finger Sucker Anonymous, I decided that some day it would be a lot easier to take away a the pacifier and break a bad habit then it would be to cut a finger or thumb off.

I was pretty sure they have laws about that sort of thing.

So I proudly toted along my ~~Binkie~~ Uh-Oh loving baby! I explained my morbid rationalization whenever I was confronted with personal opinions and held strong to my decision as a parent. I assured all neigh say-ers that the Uh-Oh would be gone after her first birthday - no worries.

And then she was one...

Handy Mad said the Uh-Oh is gone by two.

And then I was pregnant...

And so very tired...

And then she was two...

And then Mr Blue Eyes was born...

We manged to eventually ween her back to only sleeping with it at night.

And now she is three...

At three, the pacifier has turned into a full fledged addiction. The lack there of results in a panic stricken, hyperventilating tantrum of the utmost proportion.

We have created a MONSTER!

A monster, that needs to be tamed.

After researching how best to take away the Oh-Oh, most sources say that cutting her off cold turkey is usually a three day battle.

I realized I was just too tried for a three day tantrum and additional lack of sleep.

I acknowledged I am married to the biggest softy in the world who under pressure will cave 36 4 hours into this process. We will never accomplish this...

So I got drastic.

I grabbed a pair of scissors.

And I cut the tip off our Brown Eyed Girls beloved Uh-Ohs.

It took her all of 3.5 seconds to walk past the kitchen counter and see the tips cut off and say, "Mommy! My Uh-Ohs are broken."

She has the eyes of a fox!

I decided to borrow part of our babysitters method and replied, "Oh my! You're Uh-Ohs are broken. I think the Uh-Oh Fairy came and broke them. I heard that if you get rid of your broken Uh-Ohs that the Uh-Oh Fairy would bring you a Big Girl Bed!!"

Pondering... "No, you need to go to the store and buy me a new one."

She is 3 going on 18.

This is a whole other topic of conversation.

Every other day I grabbed those scissors and gradually cut more and more of those Uh-Oh away.

After about a week, there was next to nothing left for her to even nip with the tips of her teeth. The timing perfectly fell over a weekend. Off to my in-laws to retrieve her big girl bed's mattresses.