Confession

It's my deep, dark secret.  There are very few people in on it.  Here it is....



I still give Molly a bottle.



Oh I have my excuses.  She won't drink milk unless it's in the bottle...She'll be hungry without it...It's part of her routine to go to sleep............................

Before nap and bed I take her upstairs.  She lays on my lap in the rocking chair.  I rest my check on her silky blonde hair.  We rock and I give her the bottle like she's a newborn.  She doesn't even try to hold it.  In fact, she refuses. 

Yes, all my excuses are valid (or so I believe).  But there's something else.  I just don't want to rush her to grow up.  She is changing into a little girl before my eyes.   Everyday I am amazed by how much she's changed from just the day before!  Does she HAVE to stop having her bottle too?  She loves it, and I love our time together as well.

I pushed Jane away from the bottle she loved.  And I pushed her to sleep by herself.  And I feel like I pushed her so hard to "grow up" that I pushed her right away from me.  Why was I in such a hurry?  Why did I care what books said, or what others were doing?  Why did I have to hurry her?  It makes me sad.  Really sad. 

So the secret is I give Molly a bottle still- and she's almost 2.  But I will let her lead.  She's not going to want it forever.  If she finds comfort in cuddling with her mommy and having milk, I am not going to stop her.  I'll let her be little for as long as she wants because we all know, time goes too fast when you have babies.