Project 52 | Week 34

R.I.P ‘Nukkabunny’.

All 3 of our kids have had a love affair with the pacifier (otherwise known as: nukka).  So for just about nine years, I have had a love/hate relationship with the nuk.  I love it for being able to soothe my kids in a way that no parent can (come to think of it, I hate it for that reason also), but I hate it because it causes so much unnecessary stress for me when it’s time to break them of the habit (our pediatrician recommends stopping by age 1.  We do not listen to that advice).  When Abby was 2.5, we secretly snipped off the end of all of her nukka’s so that the suction was not quite the same.  She cried for 3 days straight.  I’m not exaggerating.  It took her 3 weeks to rid herself of it.  Three long, annoying weeks of us secretly clipping more and more off of that wretched piece of rubber until it was only a nub and there was nothing left to suck.  I knew there had to be an easier way (for me, not them). Oliver was quite a bit older, taking after his mom who sucked her thumb until she was in 6th 3rd grade.  One night the tooth fairy visited Abby, and kindly left a note for Oliver saying that her cousin was the ‘Nukka Fairy’ and she would be paying him a visit the following night to take his nuks away.  If he surrendered his nuks, he would receive a present for his bravery.  No problem.  The kid put all 47 of his nuks on his nightstand the following night and that was the end of it.  He was also 4 1/2 so it was easier to reason with him.  Two down, one (stubborn as hell girl) to go.

Lila loves her nukkabunny.  Nukkabunny is a combo of her nukka and a (once) pink and soft bunny that we are not allowed to wash because then it won’t smell right and she won’t sleep (Lila is our worst sleeper so we think it’s a perfectly acceptable excuse for not washing bunny….ever).  Bunny is now grey, and has patches of scratchy hard fur from being dragged all over creation. We do not go anywhere without nukkabunny.    Nukkabunny is a fixture in our family. Every new babysitter gets instructed on the importance of nukkabunny, and how they are to treat it like my 4th child.  And now, nukkabunny is no more.  I should clarify (because I’m sure you’re all gasping at your chests thinking I threw it out in a fit of rage), nukka is gone, but bunny is still alive and well, and dirtier then ever I might add.  Tuesday morning, Tock decided it was time  and without any warning he snipped her nuk, threw it down in front of her and said “Hey Lila, what happened to your nukka?”  She gave it a once over, glared at him and shrieked, “YOU CUT IT!” There’s no fooling this kid.  She’s actually done remarkably well with this transition which has seriously shocked the hell out of us.  The only snag we’ve hit is that she wakes up in the middle of the night and can’t get herself back to sleep.  So we’re a bit more weary these days.  We’ve all sung her praises this week, reminding her that she’s such a big girl, to which she replies: “No I not.  I’m a big boy.”  More on that in another blog post I’m sure…..

Farewell nukkabunny, farewell……