A boy and his duck...

Quacky is a little rubber ducky toy that sits on the ledge of our tub awaiting 7pm bath time to roll around each night so his little buddy Austin will come and play with him. Austin loves his duck, Quacky, and he's one of the first (of many) bath toys Austin reaches for once he gets in the tub. However, Quacky serves a purpose to Austin, and it's probably not one poor Quacky really appreciates (if he was a real duck, that is).

Backing up a little bit, as I've mentioned before, Austin loves his paci. He loves it so much that we limit his paci access to bedtime and in special situations (such as public place meltdown moments). We are not being mean to our paci-lovin' baby, but rather making the eventual weaning process easier on us all. Limiting his paci access, however, doesn't stop my dear boy from putting anything and everything in his mouth to try and find a replacement.

And that's where Quacky comes back into the picture. Austin has discovered that the little yellow rubber head of his friend Quacky the bath time duck, makes for a perfect paci replacement! Quacky is no longer a bath time only toy, but one Austin continually carries around in his mouth throughout the day. Ok, ok, I do put Quacky back in the tub most of the time to prevent the odd habit of my child walking around at 3 years old with a rubber duck hanging out of his mouth...but sometimes it's just so stinkin' cute that I just let it go.