Remember how I told you guys we went to Puglia for Easter?  No?  I haven’t covered that trip here?  Yeesh.  I’ll get on that.  Next blog project:  Puglia!

Anyways, have I told you how much Henry loves his pacifier?  Or his chupito, as we call it, a holdover from Spanish language daycare in DC.  He is OBSESSED.  In his earlier days, we tried to get him to accept a comfort item.  You know what his comfort items are?  MORE CHUPITOS.  We’ve got him down to one chupito that lives in the crib.  He knows that it is only for sleeping or at least he must be in the crib to access it.  (Which sometimes results in his taking “naps” where he just sits in the crib with his chupito.  I try not to take it personally.)

The plan is to attempt cold turkey at age three if he hasn’t already kicked the habit.  This does not sound like fun to me, but hey, that’s future Melissa’s problem.  Let her figure it out.  (If we fail, however, I see 7-year-olds walking around with pacifiers here.  At least he won’t be a social outcast.)

This works out 99% of the time.  But on trips, such as our five days in Puglia . . . . Let’s just say that the rules get chucked out the window.  It usually goes something like this.

Day 1:  “No, sweetie.  You can’t have your chup.  Chup is only for sleeping.”

Day 2:  “Well, I guess you can have it in the car.  You might take a cat nap, right?”

Day 3:  “No, the food isn’t here yet.  No, you can’t run around.  Please stop screaming.  Hey, would you like your chupito?”

Day 4:  “Can you walk just a little bit more?  Uh, what if I give you your chupito?”

Day 5:  “Whatever.  I don’t care anymore.  Just take it.”

We are susceptible on trips because he knows we have it.  Tricksy Henries.  I’ve left it home for day trips, and he doesn’t believe that we don’t have it.  “Mommy, it’s in your pocket.”  “Daddy, has it.”  NOPE.  Sorry, kiddo.  Search me.  (He does.)

I do admit to enjoying seeing a little more of baby Henry when he has it.  I’m also scared of him dropping his nap when it goes away.  But it must be done.  He is fairly OK with his baby brother having the chup at times that he can’t.  And when they both have them, such as reading a bedtime story, they play chupito steal where they try to snatch the pacifiers out of each others mouths.  It is both adorable and annoying.

Enjoy it while you can, my precious

So that’s where we are.  For sleep ONLY.  Or at least until our next trip.

Did you chuck the chup?  Any tips?