Nuk it

April 30, 2010

I remember when the nurses at the hospital asked if they could give Greta a pacifier while she was in the nursery. “Uhh, sure?,” I replied. I was really so UNsure. In the following weeks and even now I wonder, “Did they ever REALLY succeed in giving her a binky?” Greta and a pacifier just did not go together for the first 7-8 weeks of life. She would have nothing to do with it. There was no (pardon me) “nipple confusion” whatsoever. If she would cry, we would attempt to pop a Nuk in her and she would cry harder…and then it changed. Suddenly and drastically. We didn’t realize how important that pacifier was to Grits (One of her many nicknames) until we forgot it on a grocery shopping trip. After realizing on the way to Super Walmart that I had forgotten her binky, Chris suggested we turn around. “Nah,” I said, “she’ll be fine, I think.” Well, she was fine–until we got in the doors. The crying started. I offered my finger, NO. We tried covering and uncovering her carseat. Nothing would calm her. So we tried ignoring it. I suck at that. I cannot hear Greta crying for more than 2 minutes without pulling out all of the stops to make her happy again. So we caved and purchased a package of 2 Nuk pacifiers for around $4.00 to add to our huge collection we already had at home. Meh.

My mother would never spend that kinda money on a binky. No, she had a different way to do things. The story goes that when my oldest sister, Krissy, was a baby my mother would calm her with chicken bones. Yes, the leftover bones from the chicken they had for dinner. Even while in the grocery store, my mom would give Krissy a chicken bone to suck on to keep quiet. Once, a fellow grocery shopper exclaimed, “Who gave that child a chicken bone!?” My mom tried her best to look surprised and grabbed it from Krissy like she had no idea where it came from.

The past few days we have learned that if Greta wakes up before 5 am, we can give her a pacifier and she’ll go back to sleep. What!? I love this! If I could go back to that time in the hospital where the nurses asked me if they could give her a binky? I would change my answer to “Heck yeah! And don’t come back until she loves it. And bring me some chicken!”

Uncategorized

filed under:

— Hide Comments

+ Show Comments

What do you think?

Rachel says:
May 2, 2010 at 5:49 pm
haha I’ve done that exact same thing in Walmart! You’ll do anything to get them to stop crying sometimes…
Reply
Mr. and Mrs. Briggs says:
April 30, 2010 at 2:39 pm
YAYYYYYYYYYYYY! Binkys are amazing. And the binky clip looks AMAZING! :-) Greta is a doll!
Reply
Ken and Patty says:
April 30, 2010 at 12:47 pm
I’m guessing this means she can keep it in her mouth now? The leaps and bounds this girl is making in development!! Is it even fair to call her a baby anymore?
Reply

Greta’s blessing »

« I’ve totally transitioned

all the latest

We believe we should all love where we live.

We’re a couple of homebodies, working to uncover the home our home wants to be. And we’re so happy to have you here.

HI! We're Chris + Julia

Semihandmade

Our wood grain Shaker cabinet fronts were designed for busy, high-traffic homes like ours. Clad with durable textured thermofoils, this line is compatible with Sektion, Akurum, Godmorgon, and Besta cabinets from IKEA. It's the perfect, practical way to add the warmth of wood to all the rooms of your home.

Collaborations

learn more

Loloi

We have teamed up with Loloi to create a line of rugs that are as affordable as they are beautiful. This collection houses a great mix of traditional and modern rugs, in cottage-y colorways, as well as vintage-inspired beauties that you’ll want to roll out in every room.

Collaborations

learn more

STUGA

We partnered with Stuga on a line of hardwood floors — The Ingrid is really livable, and the color is very neutral. It doesn’t lean warm or cool, it’s that just right in-between. We have really loved putting it everywhere in our house. It’s the best jumping-off point for design, no matter your interior style. In addition to being beautiful, Ingrid is really durable — we have three kids, and we always have a home construction project going on. Ingrid stands up to it all.

Collaborations

learn more

Design

Mood Board: A Boy’s Bedroom in Forest Green

Mood Boards

The Ultimate Test: The Best Steam Mops

Product Tests

Roasted Cauliflower with Homemade Dairy Free Caesar Dressing

Chris Cooks

The Best Dairy-Free Alternatives and How to Use Them

Chris Cooks

Elevate Your Candle Ritual: The Complete Accessory Guide

Lifestyle

The Home Collaboration Years in the Making…

product lines

Ultimate Guide to Outdoor Furniture Care: Tips for Cleaning & Maintenance

Cleaning & Organization

Load More

Reader Faves

SHop all

What We're Right Now

Looking for our favorite things? A place to shop our home room by room, or just catch up on what Julia's wearing / loving right now? Browse the CLJ shop.

Loving

Love Where You Live

In an industry that often feels designed to make you discontent, we want this to be place you come for inspiration, ideas, and encouragement to make the space you're already in feel like home.

Love Stories

read all posts

looking for inspiration?

A reader recently asked me if I’m starting to fully embrace traditional style and whether we still consider our house to be a “modern Colonial” and why. It was a really great question and so timely — I had really just been thinking about my approach to this home and how my style has changed […]

Defining My Design Style: Moody Modern Traditional

Design

How to (Purposefully) Mismatch Furniture

Design

Bedroom Tell-All: 5 Things to Remove, 5 Things to Add

Inspiration

6 Ways to Upgrade Your Bedroom: Renter-Friendly Edition

Inspiration

Want to do what we do? Get the tools, mentorship, and training to be a Good Influencer professionally.

Learn With Us

LEarn more

SEARCH THE BLOG

We've been doing this since 2009 and we've posted a whopping 24145+ blog posts and counting. You might need a little help searching, huh?

looking for something?

find stuff like:

Can We Send You Our Love Letter?

Another way for us to stay in touch! Joining our weekly newsletter gives you access to exclusive content, never-before-seen photos, your questions answered, and our favorite DIYs. Sign up below!

Follow Along on Instagram

Welcome to our online community where we've posted home, DIY, style, renovations, and family since '09. Renovating our #cljmoderncottage in Idaho and headed for new adventures in Raleigh, NC. #cljfam #cljtransformations