We noticed right away in the hospital that the only way Natalie was calm was when she was sucking on Keith's finger. It's not always convenient to have a child sucking on your finger, hence we all developed a quick and easy love affair with the "foof".
Side-note: Keith has always called Natalie's pacifiers "foofs". I think he heard Anna and Julia call theirs "fuffies" and tweaked the term. (Anna and Julia hail from Keith's cousin Brian and his wife Toni, who also watches Natalie while I'm at work.)
The upside of having a foof around is a tranquil, peaceful child. She sleeps more soundly and doesn't fuss as much in her carseat. The downside is that she's a shameless addict. As Keith would say, "Natalie + foofs = true love." This means that every time she loses her pacifier, she becomes a madwoman in a single-minded pursuit to retrieve it. Unfortunately, she never understood how to do that and would call on us to assist...at 3:00 in the morning. That is, until now.
Yes, folks, Natalie has found a new talent. I've read about it in all the books and am reaping the benefits of following that advice. Here's how it works:
Foof Land
We re-designated her crib "Foof Land", littering it with no fewer than half a dozen pacifiers each day.
The Reconnoissance Mission
When Natalie awakens after losing the original foof that she had at the start of her nap/sleep, she rolls over and sweeps at the mattress. Locating several foofs at a time can be problematic, but she usually settles on one and brings it to her fishy-lipped mouth.
When Natalie awakens after losing the original foof that she had at the start of her nap/sleep, she rolls over and sweeps at the mattress. Locating several foofs at a time can be problematic, but she usually settles on one and brings it to her fishy-lipped mouth.
The Eagle Has Landed!
Twirling the plastic (sometimes only with one hand!), she'll play a round of what we call "foof games" to figure out which way it belongs in her mouth. When she's still sleeping, this doesn't last long and always results in a correctly-seated foof. When she's awake, this process becomes playful and often involves more than one foof. As you can see in the picture (I had to take a picture of the monitor, lest I disturb the foof games today), she has one in her mouth and is examining another. This was after she had tried out four others.
You know what they say: practice makes perfect. We are SO pleased with our sweet wunderkind and her sleep-saving tricks.
