The Easter bunny’s new job

What do you get when you cross the Tooth Fairy and the Pacifier Fairy?  The Easter Bunny, of course!  She (he?  it?) is coming early to Chez Rasler this year.

We’ve had ups and downs aplenty with Sebastian’s pacifier over the past two and a half years.  I still laugh in solidarity when I read other articles or posts about the parent who at first replaces and later carefully washes off the pacifier that falls on the ground and much later simply blows on it, waves it around a little, and hands it back.  I’ve carried them religiously in my purse, diaper bag, and suitcase.  I’ve gone in several times in one night to replace them or retrieve them from behind the bed (blowing on them.  obviously.).

But in general they were my saving grace and the way we all got a good night’s sleep around here, and the pediatric dentist said not to worry about it at all until he was three.  So I didn’t worry.  At least, not about that.

But no one told me that he was going to become even more attached to the dratted thing before he turned the magical age at which he would miraculously become a compliant child who slept through the night without it.  What?  That wasn’t ever going to happen?  And of course, being two and a half, he would start to view the thing as The Only Important Thing To Have at Bedtime?  If you already knew that, why didn’t YOU tell me?  Because I would’ve chucked all of them several months ago if I’d known.

It used to be no problem to put it aside when he got out of bed each morning or after each nap.  He never requested it except when he was really tired.  Now I have to practically pry it out of his mouth, even as he tries to say complex sentences while holding it firmly between his clenched teeth.  It also seems to be the only way he calms himself down during one of his impressively loud tantrums.

And so I had to declare it official:  This pacifier is a problem, and it has to go.

I’d heard about the idea of creating a Pacifier Fairy who would take the pacifiers and leave a little present.  Or trading them in at the dentist, also for a prize or two.  But as I was gathering doodads for Easter baskets, it occurred to me that Sebastian knows practically nothing about the Easter bunny, so there’s no reason in his mind that she wouldn’t take his pacifiers and leave him little trinkets in exchange.  In other words, why buy extra stuff?  Let’s just do it all in one fell swoop with only one made-up character!

We have five pacifiers left, so each night from now until Easter, he is using one and leaving one out for the Easter Bunny.  I suspect that there will be no fuss until Saturday night, which will be monumentally painful for all of us, but then there will be a whole Easter basket full of fabulousness to ease our suffering.

I just really hope there’s some chai tea in MY Easter basket this year.  I’m going to need it.