Pacie Fairy

Chase is almost 3 and a half and still very attached to his pacifier (aka pacie).  Back in December we talked about maybe having him give them to Santa (Matt's idea) but that didn't end up happening.  At our last dentist appointment, Chase's dentist said that as long as it's gone by age 4 then we'd be ok.  That made me feel a little bit better.  We had more time.  But now that we'll have a baby (!) 2 months before he turns 4, I started thinking about how we need to break that up a bit more.  The poor guy is already going to have so many things changing.  I wanted to do this well before baby #2 is here.  A friend of mine said that when her daughter was 3, they mailed her pacies to the Pacie Fairy.  They put them in an envelope, took them to the post office, and mailed them off together.  I thought it was a brilliant idea.

So I decided that we were going to do that.  I started talked to Chase about the pacie fairy a few weeks ago.  I didn't think he was paying much attention until I picked him up from daycare last week and found a pacie in his bookbag.  When I saw it, I reminded him that it wasn't supposed to be anywhere but home and that we wouldn't be using them for much longer.  His teacher overheard us and asked Chase what was going to happen to his pacie.  He told her that it was going to the pacie fairy.  I was thrilled to hear that he got it.

I just wasn't exactly sure when the pacie fairy would be coming.  I was a little stressed about that.  So this past weekend, we were out shopping, and Chase picked out a toy that he really wanted.  Knowing that he needs a new toy like he needs 25 more pacies, I gave Matt "the look" that told him we needed to say no.  But then I started thinking.  What a great distraction from the trauma of having to give up his dearly loved pacies!  So I told him we'd buy the helicopter but that the pacie fairy would be coming in exchange for his pacies that night.  He didn't seem to care and just wanted to get that toy home and out of the box.

So we packed up all 15 pacies, put them in the blue bag, wrote the letter to the pacie fairy and then put them in the mailbox for her to pick up.  Chase helped me put the bag in the mailbox because I really wanted him to see what was happening and understand that they were going away.

This happy face would turn into a very sad face several hours later when the reality set in.  It was one of the most difficult nights as a mom when my precious boy cuddled up to me with tears streaming down his face, telling me he was sad.  He cried twice.  Once when he put his pajamas on.  "I'm SAD!" he said in the sweetest, most pitiful little 3-year-old voice I've ever heard.  And then once when I was laying down with him before bed.  He started crying again and asked for a pacie.  When I told him they were gone, he said, (again, in the sweetest, more pitiful little 3-year-old voice I've ever heard) "Can we buy some more?"  Ah, rip a mama's heart out, why don't you?  It literally killed me.

BUT.  We made it!  Last night was night 3 and there were no tears!  In fact, he hasn't even asked for them at all other than the first night.  The day after the pacie fairy came, he asked me where she took them.  I explained that she took them to babies for them to use.  I think he understood.  Man, I don't know who had a harder time with this , me or Chase.  Either way, I'm glad it's over. 

Thank you, Pacie Fairy.