Rite of passage

Time for Sam to give up his beloved "passi" and for us to give up "the prop" we've held dear and near! I put it in a little red gift bag and explained that it was time for Sam to be a big boy and if he was going to be a big boy, then we needed to give his pacifier to a baby. I asked him if he could do that before we left for the doctor, and he agreed. I've been mentioning this to him for about a week or so and he's had some cries about it, so I knew he knew what I was talking about.

As we entered the building, he asked, "Where's the baby?" He hadn't forgotten. I told him that we'd find one (hoping there would be someone that had a little baby at the doctor's office). As we entered the office, he spotted an empty infant carrier and asked again where the baby was. I assured him that we'd wait and see if the baby came back. Meanwhile, Zach got measured and weighed and a diaper change. When we returned to the waiting area, the baby and her/his daddy were there. Sam said, "Look, Mama, baby." I asked him if he was ready to give his passi to the baby and I handed him the gift bag. He carefully took the passi out and with some gentle coaxing handed it to the baby's daddy ... of course, the daddy said, "thank you" and understood my mutterings to throw it away for me. :) I reminded Sam that he was a big boy now and the baby needed the passi more than he did. (I don't think he noticed that the baby had one in his/her mouth!) When we returned to the car, I had a gift bag with a soccerball pillow that he's been asking for from the dollar store. :)

So, the deed is done! He fell asleep on the way home and I ran a couple errands so he got a good 45-minute nap in. We stopped and saw Mimie at the bank and had lunch with her so we told her our "big boy news". Always helps to get a grandmother's reassurance.

And, although he tried to rest for another nap later in the afternoon, he kept being silly and saying in a funny tone, "I want my passi" over and over again. I'd remind him that we didn't have it and he had given it to the baby. When Doug came home, he made a big deal about Sam being a big boy and talked about how cool his soccerball pillow was. (you know little boys and their daddies -- he ate it up!)

Without a real nap, he actually went to sleep with no trouble tonight after a long bath and Doug reading books with him. He asked for it, but again Doug reminded him of what happened and he stayed in bed without a fuss.

I'm sure the "transition storm" isn't over, but so far, so good. Sorry for all the details -- thanks for reading!