Breaking the habits

I think I'm crazy stupid for doing this, but it had to be done. As of this week, I am breaking each of my little darlings of one of their habits.

(Keira with her post-ba-ba belly. Explains the Buddha nickname).

It all started with Keira and her ba-ba habit. She is 22.5 months old and still takes a bottle in the morning and one at night. Though she's happy with only 4 oz each time, I want her off the bottle. As her mother, I can only assume complete and full responsibility if her teeth turn black and fall out (well I guess Matt would have to take half that responsibility). Yes, I make her (and her sisters for that matter) brush her teeth with Matt or I assisting so she gets all the gunk brushed away, but I do know that milk sits on teeth and rots them away. And I don't want my my brown-eyed beauty to be ashamed to smile.

When she woke a few mornings ago without uttering her usual mantra "I want ba-ba," I took it as a lead to stop ba-ba cold turkey. I offered her cheerios with milk and she happily obliged. All was well until Daddy came home that evening while I was in the other room. The girls ran to him with hugs and the first words out of Keira's mouth were, you guessed it-"I want ba-ba." At 5 in the afternoon? I don't think so dear! But nice try. Of course Daddy said no, but that didn't seem to phase her. She threw a fit for at least 15 minutes.

My darling dear is smart. She knows which one of us is wrapped around her cute little finger. You see, Daddy is usually the one who gets the girls up and ready while I finish getting ready or do my workout. And he is the one who gives Keira her ba-ba. So, yesterday when it was Mama who got up with her, Keira knew not to bother asking me for her bottle. She knows I don't give in easily (on important stuff). She knows I'm just as stubborn as she is (when I have to be).

But I can happily say the girl hasn't had a bottle since I decided she was done. I know she doesn't think she's done, and she lets us know this every night as she screams and cries and throws her body about declaring emphatically that she wants her ba-ba. But eventually she drifts off to sleep and doesn't think about it again- until morning when Daddy gets her up. Apparently, in her eyes, Daddy is associated with ba-ba.

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(Just a cutie smiling on her beloved swing).

While fighting the good fight with Keira and her bottle, I decided that Kenli, almost three, needs to drink out of "big-girl cups" for the majority of the day. She was easy to get off the bottle. Down to one a day at 15 months and completely off by 18 months. But, in hindsight, I think she substituted the comfort of a bottle for the comfort of a sippy cup. The girl would nurse the cup all day and I eventually had to start telling her to slow down on her drinking. Then one day, I'd had enough. I decided that Kenli needed a big-girl cup with each meal or she too would start rotting those pearly whites. I told her that she could still have one sippy cup a day- half full in the a.m. and the other half after nap. We've been doing this a few days, but not with perfection. She is handling the big cup so well and I'm very proud at how she is taking the change. Not only is she fine with it, but she thinks its neat to have her BG cup and meal time. In fact, she's had to remind me a few times at dinner to fetch her a regular cup. I've also stopped carrying a sippy cup for her if we run errands-which means if I'm just taking Kenli with me somewhere, I don't have to take any "diaper bag" items with me. And I appreciate this new stage in her life.

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("Ummm... you don't plan on taking this from me? Do you?).

Now on to baby Kaelyn. She is already showing signs of needing a bottle to fall asleep, and I'm going to stop it right now. I do not want her to develop the same bottle-sleep dependency that I've been fighting with Keira. My goal is to have her off of all bottles by 12 months. It still sounds so early to me, but I think she'll survive it. Just two nights ago, I stopped in at Walmart to pick up two "training" cups. After comparing the different brands and what they offered with their "uniquely designed" cup, I decided upon Dr. Brown's. They have the handles, soft spout, and they are completely leak-proof (yeah!), but my princess just doesn't know what to think of them.

I got home with her two new cups and washed them. Since it was her bed time, I put her formula in the new cup and decided to give it to her. I held her in my arms and put the spout up to her mouth. She took it and tried to suck on it like it was her bottle. She got too much formula in her mouth and pushed the cup away. But I put it back and she just played with it. She rubbed her gums all over it and that was about it. In the time it would have taken her to finish her normal night bottle, the girl had only taken in an ounce of formula from her cup. But she fell asleep anyway and I decided I'd try again in the morning.

When she woke the next day, she only drank an ounce or two. She nursed that thing all day. Seeing her struggle with this, I've decided to give her a bottle in the morning and one at night for now. During the day she'll get the cup- at least until she gets used to it. Then I'll ease her into no bottles at all. We'll see how this goes over. Maybe she and Keira can compare notes about mean mom is. But I know that I'm doing what's best for their health.