Kicking the Habit

Luke is done. Done with bottles. Doctors recommend that infants stop using the bottle at a year, and most parents worry some about the transition. Bottles can become comfort sources, and they can ruin little teeth. We've been reducing the number of bottles Luke gets a lot of the past few weeks. And in the past few days, we've just cut him off completely.

And he didn't care.

I think this means infancy is completely behind us and toddlerhood completely upon us. The tantrums were an indication of that. He's learning to reach up to the counters and tables to try and get the things he sees.

He eats real food - last night he dug into a Mexican stew - the beans, the corn, the tomatos, and of course, the meatballs. He's trying to use his little fork to stab his food, and will refuse food simply because I'm holding the spoon.

I'll eat it, Mom, but not when you give it to me.

I think his first words are starting to come out, and 'Dada' actually means 'Dada', not the dog, the cat, where are my toys, and I'd like some milk, please! I think I've heard 'Mo?' for more.

He walks up to his chair to let me know he's hungry, he throws his hands on his head when you ask 'Where's your head?', and he ever so carefully pushes his trains along the tracks.

I know that the transition is a slow one, that he first learned to sit, and then crawl, to grab things and then manipulate them. I know I fed him rice cereal mixed with baby food and held him for nighttime bottles. But those nights already seem as far ago as college.