Pull the plug???

I've done my research. Both with Andrew and now with Ryan. Both times, I said I wasn't going to use a pacifier. Both times I have. I held off for the first month with both boys but surrendered upon coming to the realization that their sucking needs were resulting in my breasts becoming human pacifiers. Apparently research shows that pacifier use can interfere with long-term breastfeeding. But Andrew breastfed for 16 months, which was even longer than I had intended. Most of the books say that it is ok for the first 3 months, until they can find their fingers/thumb themselves. They say to NEVER use it at bedtime as it interferes with a baby learning to fall asleep himself. I remember getting up 20 or 30 times a night sometimes with Andrew, putting the pacifier in every 10 minutes, each time it fell out. I said "never again". But looking back, do I really have regrets? It was a saviour with Andrew on all our long airplane trips. On long car rides. In restaurants. Weaning him from the breast. Putting him to sleep. Fast forward 3 years though, and since Ryan's arrival and the start of school, and to the fault of both Mommy and Daddy, the plug is in his mouth way too often (thank god it's not allowed in the classroom). For a long while, he ONLY had it at bedtime, but then it got to the car, and then somehow, it started travelling around with us again when Ryan came. Obviously, it is time to begin the weaning process soon. Do we give it to the animals at the zoo? Should I cut off the nipples, telling him they all broke? Should we mail it to the poor babies that don't have soosies? Need to think of the best tactic for Andrew, but I know I want him to feel a part of the decision.
So, now with Ryan, as you can see in the photo above, he has it in the bed already and I found myself putting the soother in his mouth several times last night and the night before to put him to sleep (fortunately, it was not all through the night). He's not yet 3 months. Should I take it out, cope with the crying for a little while and try to soothe him using other means? But then if he becomes a thumb sucker, which I am quite sure he would, I will not have the control to remove the thumb when the time comes.
As a more experienced mom now, I realize that this is a rather small problem relative to others I will confront in the near and distant future. So, I should probably just let it be. He won't have a pacifier 20 years from now when he's out on dates. I hope.