If you ever see Claire she will most likely be accompanied by her pacifier and blankets, the two great loves of her life. Little does she know that we will be saying goodbye to the paci in the new year, so hopefully the two of them will cherish the six or so weeks they have left together. The blankets can stick around for as long as she wants. It's actually amazing to watch the way her blankets (one big, one small, a matching set given to her by my mom when she was born) act as her own personal sedative. After she gets upset and throws a fit, she will always ask for her "bankents" when she is finally ready to calm down. It is a necessary step for her to regain her composure. Sometimes she will even go upstairs herself and pull them out of her crib. The pacifier, on the other hand, is more like a highly addictive narcotic, and for that reason - in addition to the fact that it's bad for her teeth and it drives me crazy when she tries to talk through it - the pacifier must go.