The Paci Fairy

The kids used pacifiers from day one (their only one) in the NICU.  Early on, their dentist mentioned that the paci was causing a gap in Caroline's teeth, but didn't seem to be affecting the boys' teeth at all.  She also mentioned that Caroline would likely be needing braces regardless so we should do what we needed to do in terms of getting them to sleep.

I know a lot of parents agonize over getting rid of them, but since they were pretty good at using them only at bed and in the car, I wasn't too concerned.

Daniel tripped at school and banged his teeth into a bookshelf about six months ago.  His front teeth were a little wobbly and hurt and he was advised by the dentist to only chew on the side for the next couple of weeks.  He wisely determined this meant he couldn't use a paci at night.  And from then on, he didn't need it.

A few months later, Max got a cold and his nose was stuffed up.  This meant he couldn't breathe with a paci in his mouth.  And so he stopped using it.

That left just Caroline.  She did not want to give it up.  Eventually, she told me she would give it up when she turned five.  And I was fine with that.  Her Auntie Lee Ann gave up her paci on her fifth birthday and it seemed like something to strive for.  I would ask her occasionally, "when are you going to stop using your paci?" and she would respond, "When I'm five," or "On my birthday."

And then we went to the dentist last week.  I told Caroline the dentist would probably ask if she was still using her paci, because she'd want to see if the "hole" in her teeth was getting worse.  Caroline was apalled at the thought that she was getting a hole in her teeth and she decided she was going to give up.  I liked the decision, but I worried that she would backslide.

And thus I invented (or at least, I thought I invented - it turns out there's a book about it and everything) the Paci Fairy.  I told her Wednesday night after the dentist that I'd sent a text to the Paci Fairy and was waiting to hear back.  On Thursday, I told her that I had heard back and she was booked up on Thursday but had us on her schedule for Friday night.  This gave me time on Friday to purchase Paci Fairy surprises for them to find on Saturday morning.

First, we collected all the pacis (of course, we immediately found five more the next day) and put them outside on the porch.  Then they headed off to bed.  Caroline and Daniel were incredibly anxious.  They asked to see pictures of what the Paci Fairy looked like.  They were on pins and needles at any noise - was that a dog? Does the Paci Fairy have a dog?  How is she going to get in our house?  Is she magic?  Is she going to leave our surprises on the porch?  Caroline kept herself up for an hour and a half excited.

The Pacis on the porch

Finally, all three were asleep and I could set to work making sure the Paci Fairy didn't forget her appointment.  Obviously, we didn't want her to leave the surprises on the porch, but I also didn't want them in the hall because then they'd find them when they woke up in the middle of the night to go potty or relocate to my bed.  The solution was that she would leave the surprises in the living room, but would leave a note for the kids at their room so they'd know where to look.

When they woke up in the morning (in my room), they were alert instantly wanting to know if it was morning and if the Paci Fairy had been there.  They scrambled out of my bed and to their room.  Max was first to see it and call out, "I see a paper! There's a paper on our door!"

They grabbed the letter and then brought it to me to read to them.  When they got to the last sentence, they were off into the living room to find their surprises.  They were very excited to see that the Paci Fairy knew their colors and they thought the gift bags she chose were really cool.

And HOW did she know that the boys liked the Avengers and that they needed Hulk and Thor masks?  And HOW did she know that Caroline's favorite princess (if you don't count Elsa and Anna and Ariel) is Cinderella?  It's a mystery!

The masks "glow in the dark," too

And of course we had to check that the pacis were all gone.

And more important than ANY of those other considerations - in the nights and road trips since the Paci Fairy's visit, we have suffered no ill effects of their absence.  WHEW!