Today is one of those “real” posts when you let it all out there…it’s one that shows the ups and downs of family life, but I hope with me sharing this that some of you other mommas know you are not alone!
Backing up a bit… I have mentioned the past few weeks have been rough, mostly because we listened to the pediatrician’s advice and decided it was time to wean Caroline from the bottle before Carson comes. We knew it was going to be a difficult transition to rid her of the “nankie” as she lovingly called it because it has always been her comfort, her security blanket of sorts.
Well, my little headstrong darling of a girl fought and fought us on this, and it’s been REALLY emotional to watch her get upset/cry/throw tantrums just because she wanted her milk from a bottle, not a cup. We made the decision to quit cold turkey and put away all the bottles, and finally after three long, exhausting weeks, she has taken to drinking milk from a sippy. Cue the applause!
I am sharing this because I want y’all to know I had to put MY big girl panties on and do things I didn’t want to do. I went to bed at night wondering if she was still hungry, wondering if we did the right thing, and second guessing myself and feeling like a complete failure…her molars were coming in at the same time, so we were trying to combat two monsters at once, which made things REALLY fun :/.
On the other hand, I had the support of a lot of other mom-friends and most family members, yet others fought me on this decision and made me feel like I was doing the wrong thing. Thank heavens for Mimi, who is always in my corner, assuring me she knew why we were making this choice, and telling me I was doing what I felt was right for Caroline in the long run.
Though most of us are venturing into this parenting territory with all sorts of helpful resources-books, internet, other blogs, advice from friends/family, etc-at the end of the day, we are the ones who know our children better than anybody else…we are the ones who cuddle them when they are sick, we are the ones who know when something’s just not right, and we are the ones who spend hours each day caring for them. We may not know best when it comes to everything, but we know THEM best, and we should follow our gut instincts…God made us parents for a reason. My best advice is to seek out information from the experts, to ask others who have walked down the same path before, and to pray about it…no one said this parenting thing was going to be easy, that’s for sure.
And today, I can say that we successfully conquered this tricky time. My girl is growing like a weed, she is happy, healthy, and she is drinking out of her big girl cups! Good job Caroline!!
That doesn't sound fun at all. Good for you for sticking with it and doing what you know is best!
Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy!!
I couldn't agree more! Motherhood is one of the most challenging, humbling and rewarding things I've ever done <3 beautifully put!
Good for you! I envy your strength when it comes to this. My daughter will be 2 in 3 months and I need to get her off the bottle. I know part of it is me making excuses and needing to like you said "put my big girl panties on", maybe you will give me the extra push and motivation I need to make it happen. Any tips or advice you have I would love to hear. Thank you for this post!
Way to go, CC and good job, momma!!! Bless your heart – I had no idea you were dealing w/ both weening from bottles AND teething over the past few weeks. Because I've been there (primarily w/ the teething nightmare), I SO FEEL FOR YOU! I'm glad that Caroline is happily drinking out of a sippy like a big girl and completely agree that it's best before Carson makes her debut! It always surprises me how certain friends and family members can be so passionate about things just like this pertaining to YOUR child. I can relate to that a lot. Just because it's not what YOU did with your child (ummmm, 30 freaking years ago!), doesn't mean that's right for my babe! I could go on. But I won't…. I'll just leave you with this:::: WAY TO GO, GIRL….you're one smart mama! Glad that's behind you!! xoxo!!
I couldn't end w/ that…. go figure. Had to add that the new blog design looks great!!! Are you feeling fully made over and like you need to go out for drinks to show off your new look?! đ đ That's how I am when I spruce up the blog a bit! Ha!!! Looks fabulous!!!
Aww, good for you and Caroline. Jackson's bottle was a comfort to him as well. I dreaded weaning him from it and put it off til around 17 months. It ended up being easier than I thought it would, but there were some moments where I wasn't sure I could do it. Thankfully we made it through those few rough times and he's doing great with his sippy cups now. đ
BTW, I love your new blog design. So cute!
yay caroline!! i know it was hard, when they are sad it breaks your heart!! yay for mom too!! đ
Way to go Caroline and momma! I dread when we have to wean and cannot give her what she so desperately wants. Way to stay strong Natasha!
Good for you Natasha!! And I am just LOVING your new blog design! So crisp and fun!
That sounds rough but so glad she's a big girl now!
Your new design is so fun :)!
YAY for sippy cups!!!! I feel like sometimes it is harder on the mama than on the baby to do stuff like wean from bottles, or institute a napping schedule, but in the end it is so worth it! Go Caroline!
WOOHOO! I don't have children, but I've watched friends go through this exact thing, and it looks incredibly hard. You're right, it's up to you because you know your child. Caroline is a very blessed girl to have such loving and wonderful parents!
Love the new design! Mama does know best, way to follow your instincts!
Good for you! What a tough thing to do. I'm right on your heels with weaning Mac. Totally dreading it. I know it's best for him and we have to do it eventually, I'm just dragging my heels and making excuses. Any advice or tips that you learned would be GREATLY appreciated!
oi, that does not sound fun. I'm glad she finally started drinking from a sippy cup for you. How wonderful that your mom was there to encourage and support you during this time. You are right, mamas do know their babies the best, way to be strong and stick with what you thought was best.
We are about to go through this with Cameron's pacifier…he LOVES that thing and honestly, so do we! It gives us a few minutes of peace and he falls asleep without a hitch, but I am sure once we take it away, we will have three (if not more) long weeks until he gets used to not having it. Good job, Mama!!
Good job Natasha!!!We are at the stage with Ellison. I am at a total loss of how we are going to get rid of the bottle. I have tried offering the sippy and he just cries and refuses to drink from it. He will drink water from the sippy all day long but not a drop of milk. Once he puts it to his mouth and notices that there is milk in there he throws it on the ground. How did you do it? Did you still warm the milk? How did you know she was getting enough liquids (it is my greatest fear that Ellison will get dehydrated and need fluids)?
Good for you Mama! These decisions are often the hardest to make, but in the long run it all works out best in the end! đ
Why great job! I felt the same way when we started to sleep train our little girl. We just had to let her cry it out, because we knew in the long run she would benefit from sleeping in her own bed. It's really hard to figure out what to do when so many outside opions are always coming in, but you have to listen to your mommy intution in the end. Thanks for sharing!
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loving the new look!!!
Aw good! So glad it's behind you now!
Such great words and good for you for sticking to what you knew was best! You are such a wonderful momma!
Awwww yay Caroline (& yay mom and dad!!)!! It is SO HARD not knowing if they are hungry – and the emotional part of taking that "baby" item away.. the bottle is a huge thing that we relate to them still being a little baby. I had a hard time with thinking I was rushing her growing up đ So glad you guys got over the hump!! Go CC!