Mission Accomplished

Yesterday was November 14th… exactly two weeks since Operation: Bye Bye Nigh-Nigh began, as well as Jake’s 20th birthday.  The deadline.  D-Day.  Who can believe I’m old enough to have a child who’s 20?!  I know, I know… how do I look so young?

Under most circumstances, secret missions such as this are generally classified.  But, I think it’s time for me to come out of hiding.  To blow my cover if you will.  To date, this was my most difficult and dangerous mission, and now I’m thinking of retiring from this double life.  And so I reveal a glimpse into the classified details of this story of greed, passion and power…

Days 1-2: I snipped a little hole in the end of the nigh-nigh (pacifier).  It made a louder sucking sound, but pretty much went completely unnoticed.

Days 3-5: I made the hole bigger.  He didn’t bat an eyelash.  His dad decided we might as well also begin “Operation: No Getting Up Till 6.”  We all have a cold and the clocks are changing due to Daylight Saving Time.  Oh yeah, and Jake is probably getting his last set of molars as he’s leaking drool like a sieve.  Let’s do it all!  He’s got a tough love kind of style.

Jakey would wake-up, get very mad, cry and throw his nigh-nigh out of his crib in a fit of anger.  Then we’d listen to “nigh-nigh, NIGH NIGH” for up to an hour.  Sometimes he’d pull out all the stops and forlornly call “Mama, Mama.”  It was pitiful.  Especially since he still calls me Daddy most of the time.  James made me wear earplugs.

Days 6-7: I cut more off.  Jake started sticking his little digit in the hole and saying “feen-gr, feen-gr” (finger) and showing it to us.  He asked for his nigh-nigh every night and every morning.  It had to stay in his crib.

Days 8-11: Jake’s nigh-nigh didn’t seem to taste that good anymore.  It’s hard to keep a good hold on such a small piece of rubber.  I went out of town to Laguna Beach for two nights.  His dad reported excellent behavior and sleeping-in until 6 or 7.

Days 12-14: I can report 3 nights in a row when Jake went to sleep without his nigh-nigh.  Only 30-60 seconds of crying and then he’s zonked out.  He’s still asking for it, but I pretend I don’t understand what he’s saying.  Huh?  What?  Bedtime!  Plus he’s slept-in till at least 6 for the last 3 days.  Even if he fusses at 5, he goes back to sleep for an hour.

Mission Accomplished.