The Bottle Era

****This a therapuetic mama post.****
Just warning you.

 Yesterday marked the ending of the bottle era for my Jojo and Bellamy.

Up until yesterday morning both kids have been using a bottle to drink milk out of during the day and then water at nap and bed time.

 Jojo will be 3 in June and Bellamy will be 2 in May...both way past the "bottle using" age. I know.

It's been something that I have been slightly embarrassed of.

I always made the excuse that they're 11 months apart, so if Bellamy has a bottle then Jojo gets one too.

For the longest time it was a battle I just wasn't willing to fight.

It was easier to let them use the bottle.

They wanted it when they were tired, just woke up, or just needed a break, which means it gave me a break too!

Usually one of them wanted to cuddle with me, which I absolutely adored and treasure.

{There is nothin better than cuddling with your babies!!}

 So, to make this transition easier on myself I created a situation to where I would be forced to have them give up the bottle.

Yes...as silly as it sounds I needed away to force myself into this decision.

So what I did was let the bottle nipple supply run out.

Those things start to crack after awhile, so instead of buying more to replace the broken ones I just stopped buying them.

Two days ago we were down to TWO nipples.
I explained to Jojo and Bellamy that once those break they wouldn't use bottles anymore.

At this point I was mentally prepared for one of them to break any day.

Well, yesterday morning I went into Bellamy's room and she handed me her bottle.
It looked like this....

She had completely bit off the top!

It was go time.

No.more.bottles.

 My heart sank a little.
Ok well, alot.

It was the same feeling I had when I stopped nursing them.

 Making this transition was like finishing a really long chapter in a really a good book.


The baby phase is officially over.

In most ways having this phase be over is great!
 I won't have to get bottles ready before we go anywhere.
They won't be dependent on them for comfort.
I won't feel embarrassed because my 2 and 3 year old are drinking from a bottle.
I probably won't be buying as much milk.

But then there is that part of it that makes me cry when I think about it.
The fact that they are growing up.
They aren't babies anymore.
They are kids.

 
I realize now that this whole prolonged situation was more about me not wanting to let go.

Before Bellamy was born.

They have both been really good with this transition so far.
No meltdowns!
It's funny how different their thinking is between the two of them though.
Bellamy keeps telling me "no babas mom. sippy cup."
Jojo tells me "no sippy cup. baba mom."
So indicative of their little personalities.
Gosh, I love being their mom.
 :)