The baby books offer lots and lots of advice about how to wean your child off of the bottle and onto a sippy cup or regular cup. I have been trying quite a bit of it for about a week now.
None of it is working.
Owen is apparently more attached to his bottle than I first suspected. They're like velcro...really strong, industrial, hold an aircraft carrier together kind of velcro.
What made me realize that I am not up against any average baby with average bottle love was nap time today. He always gets a small bottle before his morning nap. The baby books suggest replacing what's in the bottle with water, and then having a sippy cup or regular cup with his milk handy, and offering him the choice. "Baby will soon realize that the bottle, offering only water, is not as satisfying, and will accept the other offered cup."
Bwaah haa haa! They have never met MY child.
Owen sucked down the water from his bottle in a flash, relinquished it when he was SURE it was empty, took two sips of milk from the sippy cup and spit it out all over his t shirt, and then threw the sippy cup of milk on the floor.
So much for the wisdom of baby books.
I am wondering if we will just have to resort to cold turkey methods. Eventually he will accept his sippy cup, right? It might take a few days of him not getting much milk, but it won't kill him, right? Right...?
a teeny blurb about me
- another clueless mom
- I am a 32 year old first time mom who is continually shocked at how much those baby books and doulas and midwives don't tell you about having and raising kids...let me tell you, it's a lot!
9.03.2011
What I really wanted to do was punch her...
We were at Wal-Mart in the produce department tonight, getting veggies for a snack tray for Owen's party tomorrow. A mom, grandma, and little boy who was about 4 (whose name was actually Owen!) were having a hard time. The little boy apparently was worried that the movie they were letting him get was going to get lost (their buggy was VERY full of stuff and I bet he lost sight of it) and was upset. He wasn't tantrum upset, he was just asking them repeatedly to make sure it was in there, and they were ignoring him. He finally started to lose it, and the mom went bonkers.
She grabbed him, pulled him to the side, and got in his face yelling at him about how he's a "selfish, ungrateful little boy" who "needs to act like a gentleman if he's going to come out with her ever again" and how she's "sick of his sniveling attitude all the time." He of course started crying, and he kept trying to hug her, he so badly needed some comfort. She pushed him away, snapped at him to stop crying, and then started belittling him about why he thought his movie was going to disappear, it wasn't going anywhere, it's stupid that he doesn't know that, etc. He kept crying, obviously past tantrum and into big hurt feelings. She was not nice or loving at any point, and finally dragged him out to the car.
It was HORRIBLE. All I wanted to do was grab that little boy, give him a big hug, and punch his mom right in her mean old face. I wanted her to beg that little boy to forgive her for being such a raging bitch. I wanted to walk away knowing that would never happen again.
It will, though. She's done this to him before, she'll do it again. And he'll be a little boy who struggles with self esteem and feeling loved or secure. And it breaks my heart so much.
It also makes me even more determined than ever that I will NEVER speak to my child that way, that I will NEVER treat Owen with such disrespect and disdain. I started reading "Love and Logic" for kids, and I really think that book makes sense and will help me get through the trying times with O.
Sometimes I really hate people. Sometimes it's all I can do not to roundhouse kick them in the back of the head.
She grabbed him, pulled him to the side, and got in his face yelling at him about how he's a "selfish, ungrateful little boy" who "needs to act like a gentleman if he's going to come out with her ever again" and how she's "sick of his sniveling attitude all the time." He of course started crying, and he kept trying to hug her, he so badly needed some comfort. She pushed him away, snapped at him to stop crying, and then started belittling him about why he thought his movie was going to disappear, it wasn't going anywhere, it's stupid that he doesn't know that, etc. He kept crying, obviously past tantrum and into big hurt feelings. She was not nice or loving at any point, and finally dragged him out to the car.
It was HORRIBLE. All I wanted to do was grab that little boy, give him a big hug, and punch his mom right in her mean old face. I wanted her to beg that little boy to forgive her for being such a raging bitch. I wanted to walk away knowing that would never happen again.
It will, though. She's done this to him before, she'll do it again. And he'll be a little boy who struggles with self esteem and feeling loved or secure. And it breaks my heart so much.
It also makes me even more determined than ever that I will NEVER speak to my child that way, that I will NEVER treat Owen with such disrespect and disdain. I started reading "Love and Logic" for kids, and I really think that book makes sense and will help me get through the trying times with O.
Sometimes I really hate people. Sometimes it's all I can do not to roundhouse kick them in the back of the head.
9.02.2011
Sad Thing...Happy Thing...All in one day...
Tuesday was Owen's first birthday. My sweet little cherub has turned into a walking, furniture climbing, baby talk babbling small person. He is so smart, and so tall, and so beautiful it almost hurts to look at him. I woke up Tuesday morning with gratitude in my heart and an extra bounce in my step. I sang Happy Birthday to him when I got him out of his crib, and told him how lucky I was to have him in my life.
It was a happy moment. I was anticipating a fully happy day.
It didn't turn out that way.
I went to the bathroom and realized I was having some heavy bleeding, which is not a good thing when you're 8 weeks pregnant. I went to the OBGYN, and the ultrasound was inconclusive, so they drew some blood and sent me home with very little information and a lot of confusion. My happy day with my baby boy was turned upside down, and that almost made me more sad than anything else. I didn't want that to be how I remembered his first birthday.
The next day I had to go back, get another ultrasound, and they were concerned about a spot that looked like an ectopic pregnancy, so they rushed me into emergency surgery. I only got to spend a few hours with Owen that day, too.
I am angry that the beauty of my baby's very first birthday was overshadowed by the sadness and drama of losing his younger sibling-to-be. I am sad that this next baby, who I wanted very much, is now gone. I am hopeful that we can try again. I am tired and drained by all of the events of the past few days. And I am trying to have faith that it all happens for a reason.
We are still having his birthday party on Sunday, and something like 20 people are coming from 3 states to be here for the celebration. We are very lucky, and very loved. My Monkey is a special boy.
It was a happy moment. I was anticipating a fully happy day.
It didn't turn out that way.
I went to the bathroom and realized I was having some heavy bleeding, which is not a good thing when you're 8 weeks pregnant. I went to the OBGYN, and the ultrasound was inconclusive, so they drew some blood and sent me home with very little information and a lot of confusion. My happy day with my baby boy was turned upside down, and that almost made me more sad than anything else. I didn't want that to be how I remembered his first birthday.
The next day I had to go back, get another ultrasound, and they were concerned about a spot that looked like an ectopic pregnancy, so they rushed me into emergency surgery. I only got to spend a few hours with Owen that day, too.
I am angry that the beauty of my baby's very first birthday was overshadowed by the sadness and drama of losing his younger sibling-to-be. I am sad that this next baby, who I wanted very much, is now gone. I am hopeful that we can try again. I am tired and drained by all of the events of the past few days. And I am trying to have faith that it all happens for a reason.
We are still having his birthday party on Sunday, and something like 20 people are coming from 3 states to be here for the celebration. We are very lucky, and very loved. My Monkey is a special boy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)