The bottle

Having my little girl in a structured daycare system has really helped me figure out when she should be starting things like solid foods, going from 2 naps to 1, and all those things that come with babies growing older.  She's done well with all transitions.

At a rather young age, Sami was able to drink through a straw thanks to a few visits to restaurants where she would sip some water.  She then mastered the sippy cup and daytime bottles went away.

I may get some flack for this, but I still give her a bottle as part of the bedtime process.  She's just over 2 years old.  I don't give it to her to fall asleep on.  We brush her teeth after the bottle is done.

The reasons I still give it to her a twofold.  The main one is that she's still pretty small for her age.  She weighs between 24-25 lbs and is at an incredibly picky stage when it comes to food.  I feel this gives her good calories to round up her day.  Could I probably give it to her in a sippy cup after dinner?  Probably.

But.

This is totally selfish.  I missed out on so much with having lost Preston at such a young age that I'm probably compensating by trying to prolong Sami being a baby.  She's not.  I know that and every day I often feel like I'm being unfair to her.

She likes her bottle.  We enjoy the special cuddling time as she drinks it.  We then read books, brush teeth and rock in her chair signing lullabies.  It's a ritual.

One that needs to be changed up I know.  Maybe just a couple more weeks?