Weekend at Jenn’s and Good Riddance Paci!

A few weekends ago, we took a weekend trip to Huntsville to spend time with my best friend, Jenn (or Aunt JJ as Austin calls her). When Jenn and I plan a weekend together, it takes weeks of planning, editing of packing lists and menu organizing for us to feel as if we have everything together. We’re the same when it comes to planning and making lists, so the sooner we start, the better the chances are that we’ll remember everything. And I have to say, to have packed as much stuff as we did, we didn’t forget one single thing! It’s amazing how much you have to pack for a toddler, especially one who is potty training! Side note: he’s doing great on potty training and after having his first full day of dry diapers the day we left for Huntsville, we graduated to pull-ups during the day!

We left after work on Friday in a hurry and of course got stopped on the interstate – not good for my nerves or anxiety! It apparently wasn’t good for Austin’s either because he was in the backseat saying, “Drive Daddy!” My thoughts exactly, buddy! We got there around 8:00 and the plan was to eat pizza, let Austin and JJ play for a bit in the backyard so he could see the pool he was oh so excited about and then put him to bed ASAP. Some other friends of ours were there with their 5 year old girl and she was in her bathing suit ready to swim. Austin was so excited about the pool and watching her swim that he really didn’t care to eat much. We let him stay up WAY past his bedtime so that he could have fun with everyone, not to mention we knew he would put up a fight if we tried to pull him away from the fun to take a bath. So he saw his latest bedtime ever at 10:30.

We hoped that he would sleep a little later since he got in bed so late, but I’m not sure what we were thinking. By 5:20 he was wide awake. I tried to get him to lay back down with me but by 5:45, it was obvious that getting up was inevitable. All he could talk about was playing in the pool. So by 6:00, Austin and Justin were in the pool and Jenn and I were outside with them. Apparently the water was freezing because Austin was shivering and his lips were blue, but of course when you asked him if he was cold he said no. Luckily, he took Justin’s advice and got out after about 15 minutes.

While we waited for the sun to heat up the pool, we ate breakfast, watched cartoons, played outside and just hung out. Around midday, Austin couldn’t stand it anymore and was ready to get back in. Jenn and I got to lay out for a while until Austin wanted me to swim with him. I was reluctant because I knew how cold the water would be, but there was no way around it. Once I got in and got used to it, it was fine. Austin had a great time swimming all afternoon and even playing in the sprinklers. Since he never took a nap, we put him to bed very early at 6:00 so that he could catch up on sleep. He didn’t put up a fight either, so I’m sure the lack of sleep, plus the sun and swimming all day finally caught up to him.

It apparently caught up to the adults too because by 9:30, half of us were already in bed with the other two quickly following. Austin gave us another 5:30 wakeup call on Sunday, so we snuck downstairs to watch cartoons while everyone else slept. Justin was able to get a few extra hours for Father’s Day, so when he got up Austin and I gave him his cards. We’ve started letting Austin pick out his own cards, which ends up being hilarious! My Mother’s Day card had ducks on it and Justin’s card had a motorcycle. After we ate breakfast and sat outside on the deck for a while, we went ahead and packed up to hit the road. We drove for 8 minutes before Austin was asleep! We got home around lunch time, started a load of laundry and then went to Justin’s parents for a Father’s Day dinner.

The following night, Austin and I were going through his normal bedtime routine and sat down in the glider to read his books. This is normally when he asks for his paci. Since we cut them, he still wants it at night and at naptime so we planned to cut them again the weekend after going to Huntsville. He took me by surprise though and never asked for it while we read. When I put him down and walked out, the first thing I told Justin was that he never asked for his paci so be prepared for him to start crying for it any minute. But he never did. He didn’t ask for it the next night either. After a few nights, he randomly asked for it but I told him that I didn’t know where it was and that he had fallen asleep without it the night before. That answer seemed to satisfy him and we’ve been paci free ever since!! Hallelujah!!! I was beginning to think this day would never come! I’m so glad that he weaned himself and we didn’t have any tumultuous nights of crying for hours by going cold turkey. Although he kept it much longer than we wanted, I’m happy with the way he basically gave it up on his own. Let’s hope it goes this smoothly for Sawyer Baby!