In the heat of battle

I looked at my calendar last week and I realized that Kyra's 18 month appointment was fast approaching and thus, the dreaded pediatrician question: "Does she still take a bottle?" Well, yes, thank you very much for making me feel inadequate and not being able to change the mind of a child who clings to her bottle the way Linus clings to his favorite blanket.

Still, I know orthodontia isn't cheap, so I need to begin the battle. Thus, this weekend we attempted to go cold turkey. Saturday morning she subjected the entire bowling alley (and you know how loud bowling alleys are) to her tortured wails. Still, we stood our ground. In fact, we battled all day and when she was occupied, she didn't really think about it. But, in the evening we gave her a bottle. The look on her face was priceless as she cradled it to her chest and in the tiniest voice whimpered, "bawtul".

I came away from the day feeling that though I may have won the battle that day, I obviously am far from winning the war. Still, we are managing to reach a peaceful compromise and if we're not looking, the sippy cup isn't really a bad option after all - just as long as "bawtul" is there in the evenings.