That's right! I finally did it. I decided to go "cold turkey" - mostly - with bottle weaning. I've been putting it off due to illness and fatigue, but now's the time. I want to make this change well before the baby comes, so Katie doesn't have to get used to too many new things at once. The baby will be quite enough change all by herself! So on Saturday morning I talked to Katie about the fact that she knows how to drink her milk from a cup now, so she doesn't really need a bottle anymore. She seemed to accept the idea, and even said "No more bottles," so I thought that was a good sign. Of course, she was drinking a bottle right at that moment, so I'm not sure if she was fully aware of the reality of "no more bottles."
But, since then it's been pretty much OK. Saturday afternoon was the first completely bottle-free wakeup from her nap. She protested (read: screamed) when she realized I didn't have a bottle for her. I told her cheerfully, "Remember? No more bottles?" and then distracted her with her favorite book. She soon forgot all about it. That night, however, it was clear that she wasn't ready to give up her goodnight bottle just yet, so we let her have one. The next morning and nap went a little smoother, and at bedtime she forgot to even ask for her bottle in the excitement of having her hair washed and blow-dried. Monday was ok again, but Monday night she threw a fit and we gave her what I hope is her last bottle ever. Tuesday went ok, and this morning did too. We're on our way!!!
In other news, I took Katie to our local science/wildlife museum yesterday. To say she loved it would have to be the understatement of the year. Her favorite exhibits were the fog machine (much of the museum is focused on our local ecosystem) and a really cool vertical wind tunnel, into which the kids can throw styrofoam shapes. The shapes go swirling around the tunnel and come shooting out the top, and then you can pick them up off the floor and start over again. Endlessly fascinating for a toddler! (Pretty fun to watch as an adult, too!)
We also saw a live falcon and a live owl, on the arms of museum staff members. Katie was totally fascinated by the owl, and wanted to get a *little* too close for my comfort! (Its beak looked really sharp!) There was also a super-amazing sand and water table, meant to demonstrate erosion or drainage or something educational. Katie couldn't care less about that stuff yet, she just wanted to get as wet and dirty as possible. They had little step stools for her to stand on (her new favorite thing) so she was in hog heaven. I was really impressed that they also had a small bubbling fountain in which to wash off sandy hands. Naturally Katie went back and forth, washing, then getting dirty, then washing again. We could have stayed there for several more hours, I bet.
I thought about buying a membership to the wildlife museum, but I don't want to go too crazy. After all, come June I'm not going to want to do much museum-ing. We've already bought an annual pass to the aviation museum, which I didn't really think through. But, it was pretty cheap and we've been there every week since becoming members, so I think that one's paid for itself. Plus, we got in free to see the Easter Bunny arrive by helicopter, which Katie's been talking about ever since.
What other good stuff is happening here? Plenty of baby kicks and hiccups in my growing belly. (Seriously, I am already huge.) I am also exhausted. I don't really remember being this tired in the third trimester with Katie, but maybe I've just blocked it out. I do remember not sleeping well because of hip pain, and that's definitely happening again. My friend Emily asked me a month ago how on earth I was able to keep up with Katie amidst the fatigue (her two boys are over 6 years apart, so it wasn't an issue for her). I told her it wasn't too bad. Well, that's because I was still in the second trimester! Now I'm really drooping. Yesterday I even considered asking my mom to come over and watch Katie for a while. Longtime readers know that I must be REALLY tired if I'm willing to put up with Crazy Grandma!
Yawn! Oh - I almost forgot I promised you a tale of stalking! When we used to go to Gymboree, there was a little girl named Anna who used to come with her nanny. We've bumped into them a whole bunch of times outside of Gymboree, like the library, the store and, most recently, the aviation museum. The nanny told me that they go to the aviation museum every Thursday, and they usually meet up with another little boy from Gymboree. In my search for a babysitter for Katie, I suddenly remembered Anna's nanny, and how great she is with Anna. I wonder if she would be willing to take on a couple of extra hours here and there? So I'm trying to accidentally bump into her at the museum. Last week they weren't there, but here's hoping for tomorrow! There's a 90% chance of showers, so hopefully some of Katie's regular playgroup will show up too, and I won't look like a stalker at all. :) Wish us luck!
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