Bye bye Gagou, Hello Sea Squirt

It is night number six without Gagou (known to most other people as a soother). Yes, I waited this long to take it away from (my common defense line being "she only uses it at bedtime", which is totally the case). Yes, I knew it had to happen. No, I just didn't have the "heart" (i.e. emotional balls) to do it earlier. And yes, I know there was no point in putting it off. But I wasn't ready and so it has waited this long. It took my mom giving me a wake up call asking me what the heck I was waiting for and asking did I think it was going to get easier the longer I waited to make me realize, there is no time like the present. Besides, the big girl bed was a no sell for the last little while so I decided, why not tackle this first, that when while in Gagou withdrawl she can't jump out of bed and throw herself against the door or her room or try to make a break for it. So I convinced myself this was easier, more reasonable and logical than to tackle the big bed first (that and I rue the thought of having her come out of bed everytime the new baby wakes her in the first few weeks). Our plan, we decided (as this was a big family moment we had many a parental discussion on developing the PLAN) was to go on a big outing to the TOY STORE!! (which she had never been to before since being conscious). We then helped her (coaxed her really) into falling in love with a toy that she would "pay" for with her Gagous. We talked it up for a few days ahead to really get her on board that she didn't need Gagou anymore, that it was making her mouth yucky (which she seems to actually care about since I threatened her about teeth brushing and getting a stinky mouth like Kusa if she didn't cooperate), and how EXCITING a new toy would be. After not much interest on her part in any particular toy (other than a Yo Gaba Gaba guitar which I didn't think would comfort her too much come bedtime) we convinced her to love a dolphin (since her obsession of the week was the dolphin race episode of the Backyardigans). Then mommy picked out a white "Glo E Bear" that is a stuffed bear with colored lights inside of it so it does a cool psychadelic light show when you squeeze the hand (a good distraction from a Gagouless bedtime I thought). So we left with Seasquirt and Glo Bear in tow.

So how's it been. NOT SO BAD!!! Go forth all you sootherless-fearing moms out there, pull the plug (I hate a good pun). It was FAR, FAR less horrific that I imagined. The crying went from about 35 minutes on night one down to 10 then 8 and tonight, 2 minutes! Seriously it's like excercise, the thought of doing is much worse than actually doing it and you will be so glad you did it after the fact. Sure there were heart-wrenching moments when she would ask with pleading eyes in her sweetest littlest voice "May I want Gagou please?". And the time when she reasoned that she would return the toy we "bought" with the Gagou, Seasquirt the dolphin, back to the store to get Gagou back. There was agonizing screams of Mommy, Gagou, and when times got really desparate "Daaaaaaaadddyyyyyy" but when you turn the baby monitor off and turn on What not To Wear, it's not so bad. Take whatever tactic you need, the old toy trade, the ever popular donating it to a friend's baby, the cutting it up and saying it's broken, whatever lie you feel comfortable with to allow you to work up the courage and do it! Power to the Gagou-less.