I miss the bottle-only newborn days. It was so simple to just prepare a couple of days worth of bottles. Why didn't I appreciate it more? I have a near-toddler now that turns one-year old this coming Sunday. Her feeding-requirements are changing dramatically and quickly! How could I have been so deliriously exhausted that I overlooked the simplicity of the newborn/infant phase? I have unknowingly been grieving the bottle-feeding process of the newborn/infant phase of my daughter. First-world problems at their finest.
I drug-out the bottle as long as I could. I'm going to be honest here: I selfishly wish that my daughter could have her nutrition needs satisfied by a bottle all the way until she is 18-years-old. I didn't (don't) want to acknowledge the fact that my baby girl is entering the next phase of her life. I didn't want to change the process that I had worked so hard to perfect.
It almost makes me want another baby. I'm going to miss her adorable "gulp, gulp, gulp" noise that she makes when she sips from her bottle, and the way she lays on me while she gulps her bottle down.
I think about another baby, but then I remember Pregnancy. This was not a pleasant experience for me. Uncontrollable vomiting during the first trimester. The second trimester was actually great. But the third trimester was met with a baby that had managed to crawl her way into my rib-cage and continuously kick my ribs...and my bladder. I firmly believe that short people (such as myself) have a serious disadvantage in the child-bearing process in life - there is only so many places a baby can go while growing inside of you, and short people have less options than tall people!
Back to my bottle-crisis: I had finally just perfected my bottle-making system. I have invested in so many Playtex Drop-In bottles over the past year....I can make almost 2 weeks worth of infant bottles. My system was perfect....I could pre-make these bottles, and my baby and I could go anywhere! (Walmart, Target, her aunties' house, Ruby Tuesday's....). It was so easy. Why does it have to be over?
I have enough trouble going the bathroom with a toddler running/crawling around (and getting into EVERYTHING). How the hell am I going to cook now?
Signed,
Terrified of Toddler-Food (aka, Mommy Mia)
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1. Denial
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| The Simple Days...Bottle |
2. Bargaining
I even began to think "What if...". "If only..."....I so badly wish that her health needs could be satisfied by the same process that we've been using since I stopped breastfeeding - the bottle. But that's not an option. I have no choice now.
3. Acceptance
With her 12-month birthday just days away, it is official now that solid foods are a necessary part of her diet (according to her Pediatrician and my other mommy friends). She is going to be 12-months-old this Sunday, and her baby formula clearly states "0-12 months" on its packaging. It's official now: my simple, bottle days with my first-born baby are coming to an end.
4. Depression
I'm sad.
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| Playtex Drop-Ins - I Will Miss You |
I think about another baby, but then I remember Pregnancy. This was not a pleasant experience for me. Uncontrollable vomiting during the first trimester. The second trimester was actually great. But the third trimester was met with a baby that had managed to crawl her way into my rib-cage and continuously kick my ribs...and my bladder. I firmly believe that short people (such as myself) have a serious disadvantage in the child-bearing process in life - there is only so many places a baby can go while growing inside of you, and short people have less options than tall people!
Back to my bottle-crisis: I had finally just perfected my bottle-making system. I have invested in so many Playtex Drop-In bottles over the past year....I can make almost 2 weeks worth of infant bottles. My system was perfect....I could pre-make these bottles, and my baby and I could go anywhere! (Walmart, Target, her aunties' house, Ruby Tuesday's....). It was so easy. Why does it have to be over?
5. Anger
It took me until my daughter was 9-months old to perfect this bottle system. And now, three-months later, I have to change the entire baby-feeding process. I know there is "Toddler Formula"...but it's not the same! My little baby/toddler wants big-kid food now - she wants blueberries, pancakes, shredded chicken....I now bear the burden on providing a balanced meal for my child - this is a major responsibility, and I am afraid of failing.
I need a new system. I need to figure this out! I need to find a way to streamline my Toddler food process, like I did with the bottles. My first idea was to pre-make meals for a week ahead of time, but I have no room in my freezer! Time to buy a new freezer? Sheesh!I have enough trouble going the bathroom with a toddler running/crawling around (and getting into EVERYTHING). How the hell am I going to cook now?
Signed,
Terrified of Toddler-Food (aka, Mommy Mia)
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