We first tried to retire Jake's pacifiers on his 3rd birthday, and it was a disaster. This past weekend, I casually mentioned to Jake that when he was ready, we could give his pacifiers to the Paci Fairy and she would leave him a treat. The next night, he said he was ready. He went to bed just like a normal night, and we didn't hear from him again. Until 1:00 am. And then 4:00 am.
The next night, it was a repeat of five months ago: screaming, crying, and assorted drama. After a half hour, he finally passed out. And slept through the night. The past two nights have gone the same way. It's almost like he's in withdrawal from a drug. He's just hysterical and not himself at all. And he's not even asking for pacifiers, he just can't calm himself down. It's physically and psychologically draining for us. But I'm impressed that we haven't given in and brought the pacifiers back out, as much as we'd like to. Looking at toddler chat rooms, it sounds like most parents went through similar withdrawal battles, lasting a few nights or a few weeks. I'm afraid Jake will be in the 'weeks' category.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Saturday Adventure
On Saturday we headed out west to see Dinosaur Land, a kitschy 50's style exhibit of dinosaurs in their natural environs - the backyard of an old motel near Rt. 81. Here we are in the jaws of a prehistoric shark:
Sadie loved everything about this place. We weren't technically supposed to climb on the dinosaurs, but I couldn't keep her off. In fact, I had to drag her away from this one kicking and screaming.
And King Kong was there too, because....why not?
After driving an hour out to Dinosaur Land and spending only about 20 minutes wandering the grounds, we did a quick search to see what else there was to do nearby. Ali came up with the Route 11 potato chip factory, which was a nice scenic drive down the road. Here we are driving through a covered bridge on our way there:
Anyone know why there are covered bridges? Check here if you're as curious as we were. The Route 11 chip factory was a small operation, but we got to watch them slicing the potatoes and then see the chips fry in giant vats of peanut oil. Then, the chips rode a conveyor belt upstairs where seasonings were added before they were dropped into the bagging chute. It was a fun little tour, and we got to sample all the different varieties of chips.
They asked what brought us out that way and we told them we'd come from Dinosaur Land. Then they told us we really should check out the American Celebration exhibit just down the road. So, we hopped back in the car, not quite knowing what to expect. It turns out, this is the company that makes all the parade floats for the inaugural parades, as well as other parades like the Rose and Thanksgiving Day parades. The warehouse was packed with all kinds of floats and displays. Here are a few shots:
And after that, we went through their exhibit of old storefront displays from the 50's and 60's. And for that last bit of randomness, they also had a goat:
Fun day. Check out more pictures here.
Sadie loved everything about this place. We weren't technically supposed to climb on the dinosaurs, but I couldn't keep her off. In fact, I had to drag her away from this one kicking and screaming.
And King Kong was there too, because....why not?
After driving an hour out to Dinosaur Land and spending only about 20 minutes wandering the grounds, we did a quick search to see what else there was to do nearby. Ali came up with the Route 11 potato chip factory, which was a nice scenic drive down the road. Here we are driving through a covered bridge on our way there:
Anyone know why there are covered bridges? Check here if you're as curious as we were. The Route 11 chip factory was a small operation, but we got to watch them slicing the potatoes and then see the chips fry in giant vats of peanut oil. Then, the chips rode a conveyor belt upstairs where seasonings were added before they were dropped into the bagging chute. It was a fun little tour, and we got to sample all the different varieties of chips.
They asked what brought us out that way and we told them we'd come from Dinosaur Land. Then they told us we really should check out the American Celebration exhibit just down the road. So, we hopped back in the car, not quite knowing what to expect. It turns out, this is the company that makes all the parade floats for the inaugural parades, as well as other parades like the Rose and Thanksgiving Day parades. The warehouse was packed with all kinds of floats and displays. Here are a few shots:
And after that, we went through their exhibit of old storefront displays from the 50's and 60's. And for that last bit of randomness, they also had a goat:
Fun day. Check out more pictures here.
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