Comforts

We all have those certain things that we use as comforts during difficult times. Comforts can also be used when we are bored, tired, happy, sad - really anytime. They can be good for us, or not so good. Some people smoke, some turn to chocolate, and others turn to more healthier alternatives like exercise. When we are babies our comfort most likely comes from those that nurture and take care of us or for some babies they figure out how to comfort themselves by sucking a thumb, finger, binkie, blanket, etc. etc. Sometimes those "habits" or things that comfort us keep us going from day to day. Many of us wouldn't know what do to without them. Some of us try to give them up as New Year's Resolutions, but find ourselves giving in to the old comforts within days of giving them up. They are a part of us and who we are. Tonight was a difficult night for all of us. Mostly, Ava. Ava is a thumb sucker and has been since birth. I think I actually have an ultrasound picture of her sucking her thumb! I was okay with having a thumb sucker because it meant that she was able to self soothe. She could comfort herself when needed. She was able to put herself to sleep. I could lay her in her crib wide awake and she would fall asleep without a fuss. Morgan, on the other hand, was not a self soother. She had to be rocked and rocked and rocked some more until she fell asleep way past age 2. I was excited that Ava was able to soothe herself. But.....she is almost 2 and Dana and I felt it was time to start weaning that thumb away. Problem is......it's attached! My brother found success with his daughter's thumb sucking by using STOP. It looks like a little bottle of nail polish and you paint it on their thumb nail. Apparently, it tastes so horrible it will keep them from putting their thumb in their mouth. Well, our bottle of STOP arrived in the mail today so we put it on this evening. It was a pretty traumatic experience! Poor Ava cried and cried. She put her thumb in her mouth as she always does when she gets tired and got the nasty tasted in her mouth. She tried to rub the taste off her tongue, spit it out, or began to drool. When 10:30 pm rolled around and she was still awake I was feeling pretty guilty. The poor thing couldn't get to sleep. I had to rock her and rock her and rock her with gentle reminders not to put her thumb in her mouth each time I noticed it creeping closer and closer. The cries started to fade by 10:30, but I could tell she was exhausted. As I type this post, I wonder if we made the right decision taking this comfort from her at such a young age? Is it too soon? Are we rushing her to grow up too fast? She's no longer a baby and is creeping quickly to the preschool years. There are so many benefits to having a thumb sucker, but on the other hand so many cons. Her teeth are pushing outward, she has become so dependent on it and the longer we wait the harder it will be right? You don't know how close I came to scrubbing the nasty stuff off with soap and water just to take it all away...but I didn't. Tonight may be a long night, but tomorrow will be a new day and we can see how it goes. As with any New Year's Resolution, we need to take it day by day. Wish us luck!