Bye-Bye, Bottles!

We marked a somewhat bittersweet development this week...we are now officially baby-bottle free. Sigh. Oh, how I loathed washing those suckers but, oh, how I relished the bedtime bottle with Brynna. No matter what concoction I put in there--breast milk, formula, cow's milk or a cocktail of any of the above--it always seemed to cure what ailed her, soothe her and put her in an extra-cuddly state of mind. It was a few peaceful moments every day that I counted on that she and I could be together. A little guaranteed Mommy-Brynna time.

And she loved her bottles. We learned early on to have a pacifier close-by for when the bottle ran dry. Tears were imminent. Giant, crocodile tears. I-wish-we-had-gotten-them-on-video tears. It was the end of the world as she knew it. So what would happen when we repossessed her last, and arguably favorite, link to infancy??? We shuddered to think.

Our pediatrician urged us to go cold turkey and we knew from experience with Brogan that, as far as the bottle (and paci, for that matter) was concerned, the sooner, the better. So, I went for it. Just like a Band-Aid...Quick and painless. Or so I hoped.

Night #1: I went about our nighttime routine as usual. Lights dimmed. Diaper changed. PJs on. Then came the time that I would normally give her the bottle. Dun, dun, duuuun. She was definitely scanning the room for it. I made our way to the glider but instead of sitting her in my lap facing me as was typical bottle-giving protocol, I faced her outward with her back to my chest and read her a book. She actually paid attention without grabbing for the book for the first few pages. Her curiosity got the best of her eventually and she had to reach for it but I think it was distracting enough to wipe the thought of the bottle from her mind. Book complete, we continued our routine with the addition of a few swigs of water from her sippy cup. Lights out. Munchkin in bed. Mission accomplished. She slept well and actually slept in a bit longer the next morning.

Night #2: Just as flawless as night #1. Plus, she actually leaned back against my chest and snuggled in as we read the book. This was a good sign. Again, she slept soundly all night and slept in the following morning. The sleeping in is most likely a result of not having downed 7 ounces of fluid immediately before bed. That leads to one bulky, wet diaper in the morning. Trying to sleep on that is no treat, I'm sure.

So, tonight is Night #3. If it goes as well as the others, I'm boxing up all bottle paraphernalia and making plans for what to do with my newly vacated cabinet space. Can you say panini press? :)