Operation No More Ma: Update

In my last post I mentioned that we were undertaking "Operation No More Ma" and "Operation Sayonara Sippy Cup" due to BuddyRoe's two, yes two, cavities that we must have filled. 

Well, I wanted to give you an update on Operation No More Ma.  The dentist gave us some advice on how to break BuddyRoe from the ma and we decided to give it a shot.  She said to "cut it back a little each day." 

When she said that, I assumed she meant take it away for an hour the first day, two hours the second and so on.  Oh no...she meant C-U-T, cut it!  Like literally take a pair of scissors and snip a piece off of the end.  After a couple of days she said to snip a little bit more off, and continue that pattern until

eventually he wouldn't like the way it felt anymore

and would give it up. 

I'll be honest, I was more than a little apprehensive about the idea of the screams that were about to begin but I decided to try her method out.  The same day as his appointment I went home and snipped the very tip off of all of his ma's.  Just a tiny sliver at the end.  When I gave it back to Buddy he put it in his mouth, immediately pulled it back out, looked at it, said "ma broke" and handed it to me.  He then went about his business with NO MA!!  He didn't ask for it again that afternoon.  At bedtime he was a little fussy but when I asked if he wanted his ma he said, "No, ma broke." 

I swear, I heard a hallelujiah chorus!!  The dentist told me it would probably take a couple weeks, and I doubted it would work at all, but one night...ONE NIGHT!  It was a miracle!

Now, he did wake up screaming for it three times in the middle of the night.  So, sucker that I am, I gave him the one that I hadn't cut (just in case of emergency).  But before he woke up the next morning we took it out and put one of the "broke" ones in its place.  When he woke up, it was once again "ma broke."  And when he got to daycare he walked in and immediately told his teachers, "ma broke." 

I won't call Operation No More Ma a complete success until I throw the very last (emergency) one away, but I'm more than pleased with the progress made so far!

My Mission...Should I Choose To Accept It

I'm on a mission, two really. And I have to accept them whether I want to or not!

BuddyRoe went to the dentist today for the first time. Well, technically he went once when he fell and busted his teeth, but this was his first non-emergency visit. We went because he's been fussing when we brush his front two top teeth, and we noticed two small holes on the back of them.

Yep, that's right. Baby Boy has his first TWO cavities!! We have to go in and have filings put in both of them. They're going to attempt permanent (or as permanent as they can be on baby teeth) filings, but since he's too young for sedation in their office they may have to settle for a temporary fix. Either way we're looking at several hundred dollars. Y'all these kids are killing me!

The dentist told us the cavities are most likely directly linked to his constant use of a sippy cup. So...mission #1...Operation Sayonara Sippy Cup!

As of today, sippy cups will only be used in the car on trips and for other emergency situations. For example, if he gets sick and needs fluids I'll give him the sippy cup for ease. Otherwise, it's a big boy cup for BuddyRoe. And while we're at it, those big boy cups will be filled with water rather than juice! And this coming from someone who makes their living based on a fruit juice!

The other thing the dentist mentioned is his pacifier. She wasn't overly concerned about it, but did note that they like to see the kids weaned by their second birthday. Since that is rapidly approaching (one month and five days to be exact), we are on mission #2...Operation No More Ma*!

*He calls his pacifier "ma"...please don't ask me why. It's right up there with calling his blanket "gunky." I don't know why he does it, I just know he does!

I've accepted the fact that neither of these missions is going to be fun or easy. Unfortunately, I've allowed my child to become addicted to both the ma and the sippy cup, and now I have to accept the consequences. Whether I want to or not!