Monday, May 9, 2011

Free At Last

Three days ago, Scott and I jumped off a cliff together.

We held hands, took a deep breath and dove right off the edge.



We were down to one bottle a day. The after-dinner bottle was no problem to kick. Grace cried one night and we haven't looked back since. But the after-lunch bottle was a bit scarier.

We've been trying to muster the courage to kick these bottles for four months. Ok, I've been trying to muster the courage. Scott was ready to ditch them all the day after their birthday. But the idea of no bottles terrified me. What if they were hungry, what if they didn't go to sleep as well, what if they woke up in the middle of the night, what if they missed them, what if they refused to drink milk from a cup ... and the big one ... what if they couldn't nap without them.

Every day we had lunch, had a bottle and then went to sleep. It was a glorious routine. A routine that produced napping results every single day. And as those of you who have been reading awhile know, napping hasn't always come easy to us. And as those of you with kids know, nap time is crucial. For everyone.

So, taking away this bottle scared the crap out of me.

But last week, we added a book to our routine, hoping that it would mask the very obvious detour away from bottles.

The first day, Grace screamed when we skipped the bottle and went straight to reading.

The second day, Grace screamed when we skipped the bottle and went straight to reading.

The third day, Grace screamed when we skipped the bottle and went straight to reading.

But each day, the screaming lessened. And on the third day, we even got her to giggle.

Naturally, Claire took it like a champ, like she had never even had a bottle before. Easy-going doesn't even begin to describe this child.

So, now, after 496 days, we're bottle free. And had I known it would feel this awesome not to be chained to those bottles, I would have ditched them a looooong time ago.

Lesson learned, I suppose.





2 comments:

Amy said...

Yay! No more bottles to wash! Harper never had problems kicking the bottle habit, but I totally understand why you would be reluctant! Naptime is soooooo glorious and I wouldn't want to jeopardize it either. Glad it went well for you, high five friend :)

Katie said...

Thanks! Ya, Claire was easy-going, too. It was Grace that I was worried about. She's a bit of a firecracker. :)