Embracing the sippy

Sadly, I have neglected my poor little blog these past weeks.
August has been crazy - and being in the final days of the big countdown to Scott's 1st Birthday hasn't helped. For those keeping track...we're one week away. It's crunch time people.

But lest you all think Scott has failed to provide me with material for a new post...here's a brief update:

About three months ago Jim and I took the big step of introducing our Tank to the sippy cup, based on our pediatrician's recommendation. She warned he might not take to it right away, but said giving it to him early -- with a bit of water at meal and snack times -- might allow him to get used to it slowly.

Slowly, as it turned out, was an understatement. Turtles grasp new tasks more quickly. Of course, in Tank's case, I think it was pure stubborness.

Scott was quick to drink out of the cup, but only if Jim or I held it up to his mouth. If left to his own devices, he flung the sippy over his head, across the room, or used it as a makeshift drum/noisemaker on his high chair tray.

Weeks passed. We spent a small fortune on learner cups, cups with straws, cups with handles, cups without straws and without handles, cups shaped like bottles. At one point I think we had seven different sippys in the house.

If one didn't work, I put it in the back of the cabinet, and tried another - usually to no avail.

As Scott approached his first birthday, our desire to get him to even TRY to use the sippy cup increased. With daycare moving him to the toddler room, it became even more urgent to make some marked progress - Tank is the youngest one there, and the only one still using the bottle.

So like all good mommies these days, I turned to social networking. The general consensus on Facebook was to either switch him cold turkey or try a sippy with a soft/silicone spout, since that is most similar to the bottle.

As luck would have it, we had one - back from when we first bought out the sippy cup store. I gave it to Scott, and he instantly threw his head back and drank -- like a natural.
Fast forward a week, and he now routinely downs 5 oz of milk or water from one of three or four rotating cups with ease.

Yay Scott!

Of course...he still reverts occasionally.

Eleven Months Old!!!

Really?
How in the hell did that happen?

I am counting down to Scott's first birthday with a mixture of unbridled excitement and, yes...if I am honest, just a little bit of dread.

How is my baby so big already? He's talking nonstop (not that we can always understand him); he's learning to point and follows our lead when we point at something; he's trying to pull himself up without holding on to something and he loves making a mess at mealtime.

(Although, I could live without his new habit of constantly changing what he likes to eat. He'll enjoy it one week and then, a week later, reject what we thought was his a favorite food. (The one exception: soup. He will always eat that!!!)

Scott's oddly strong, he's growing like a weed, he is apparently loving being with the big kids in the toddler room at the daycare...and I think he looks like a little man.

I have an old friend in Fort Worth who once told me, "you will never know your capacity to love until you have a child."

On a purely logical level, what he said made sense, but I didn't really understand how true that statement was until I was blessed enough to have Scott enter my life.

He makes a bad day better, and puts a smile on my face whenever I see him, and I burst with pride over all of his accomplishments - great and small.

Happy 11 month birthday Tank!! Mommy and Daddy love you!!

This month's winning photo:

And a couple of my favorite outtakes:

Hello Dear Mr. Bear, I will lure you into my good graces with my soft touch and sweet whisperings.

Word. Two old pals, chillaxin and hanging out.

Step back, Mr. Bear. This photo shoot is all about me!!