Saying Goodbye

After 2.8 years … I'm finally able to say GOODBYE to Maree's bottles. The girl has been so attached to it… and requests chocolate milk in it all throughout the day.  It's her breakfast, snack, etc.   I've tried throughout the last year to get rid of it.. and every time I did, she would get sick, and the only way to keep her hydrated/give her medicine was in her bottle.  (if any of you have expert medicine taking advice for a child who will spit everything back out I would love to know it!!) And as I'm sure many of you know, with my face being paralyzed for 4 months.. having a new born who never slept.. etc. I decided I had bigger battles to fight… her drinking milk from a bottle wasn't one of them.  But, society/family etc. creeps in an everyone tells you/looks at you like you are a terrible mother for letting your two year old still have a bottle (even if they don't mean it to come across this way) and I would feel horrible about myself. Ugh.

However, two days ago, Maree came out with her blankie on her head and her sleepy little face looked up at me and said "Chocolate milk please"… I made her her usual bottle and as I handed it to her, I had this moment of "I'm sooo tired of making her bottles".  So at 7:15 I had the brilliant idea to offer letting her throw away her bottles in exchange for getting to go pick out a toy/play somewhere.  She threw away all the bottles immediately… and then I had to wait for 2.5 hours for stores to open… not brilliant on my part.

Anyway, she had no problem throwing them away at all… she said bye bye bottles, gave me a smile, and never looked back. Wait, what?! Rewind. My child who has thrown countless tantrums when I refuse to make her a bottle…. just threw them away?!?!?!!? And didn't throw a tantrum!?! Yes, you read that right… she didn't care. SO…. I waited, and waited, and waited for the meltdown.  Nap time was coming and bedtime was looming in the distance.

She must have been so worn out from playing at the mall, (yes the mall, our outdoor play equipment here would give you a 2nd degree burn) that she didn't even ask for it.  After nap time, she did ask for a bottle, and I reminded her that we threw them away and that she could have milk in a cup.. she was fine with it. FINE WITH IT?!?!?! Ok, so bedtime… we brush teeth, read two books, sing two songs, and pray before she notices that her bottle isn't in her bed…. I'm waiting for it, the absolute meltdown. She asks for her bottle… I again remind her that we threw them away…. and I'm not even kidding, she crooked her arm and did a "darn it" swing but said "shoot" and that was it. I'm still kind of in shock.

The last test was the next morning…. she's had a chocolate milk bottle for her initial wake up ever since I could remember… of course she asked for it, I remind her they're gone, and she was fine with a cup.

Hallelujah! I'm free from the bottle washings of two kids… down to just 1.. who will shortly be off hers too!!! Best feeling ever. It's so funny how we (the parents) dread, and I mean DREAD things with our kids…. and then they end up handling it way better than us.  I was so worried about moving her to a big girl bed, potty training, and this bottle thing… postponing both by weeks/months because  I was so worried… man this parenting stuff is tough.

Anyway - yay to my big girl Maree! The last thing on our list before I can officially call her a big girl… is the paci removal. I was too afraid to do both at once….

Reaching up & ready to throw them away

See ya later bottles!

No big deal!

The next morning's "bottle" was in a cup. SO happy