{"id":1427,"date":"2011-06-05T21:39:42","date_gmt":"2011-06-06T04:39:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.streamdoubletrouble.com\/?p=1427"},"modified":"2014-03-10T09:37:45","modified_gmt":"2014-03-10T16:37:45","slug":"out-damned-sippy-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/out-damned-sippy-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"Out Damned Sippy Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a>\u201cIn the Hall of the Mountain Kings\u201d was humming in the background when I said goodnight to the boys. Both of them were still awake. They sat up in their cribs, eyeing me. It was a Wild West standoff. I stood in front of them \u2013 sippy cups in hand; they stared back \u2013 howls of protest filling their lungs.<\/span><\/p>\n The muppets have been pronounced \u201cbig boys.\u201d Their one-year checkup showed a 20- and 22-pounder respectively \u2013 they\u2019re officially caught up to their peers in terms of size. And now that they\u2019re charging into their second year of life, it\u2019s time to say farewell to the baby bottle.<\/p>\n We had a long conversation about food. The muppets like their pureed fruits, vegetables and ground meats (blech). So as we start to phase out the pre-made blended foods, we\u2019re adding \u201creal food.\u201d Naturally we\u2019ve had Cheerios \u2013 a toddler staple. (Toddlers?!)<\/p>\n They\u2019re favorite food is fresh French bread. Search actually mastered the sign for more<\/a> once he got his first taste. His eyes opened wide as he chewed. He swallowed and frantically gestured for more. When I gave him another piece he didn\u2019t even bother wasting time with the chewing and swallowing before asking for another piece.<\/p>\n They remain a big fan of milk. As it turns out, they\u2019re also a fan of the dispensation method. As part of the people-food transition, they\u2019ve graduated to sippy cups. They are not a fan of the sippy cup. I would go as far as to say they are exceedingly anti-sippy cup.<\/p>\n We started introducing the cup several months ago. They would chew on it for a few minutes and then get distracted by another toy. When we substituted the cup for the bottle permanently, the muppets began staging their protest.<\/p>\n Stage 1: Flat out refuse to have anything to do with the cup.<\/p>\n Stage 2: Scream bloody murder. Attempt to grab the cup and hurl it as far as your little 22-pound self can muster.<\/p>\n Stage 3: Begin (liquid) hunger strike \u2013 stuff your face with grownup food.<\/p>\n Destroy has now reached the point where any attempt to persuade him to drink any liquid substance from a sippy cup results in a full-blown tantrum. During our last attempt, he flung himself to the floor in defiance.<\/p>\n \u201cListen lady\u2026you *insisted* I drink from this bottle. I figured that out. GIVE ME MY BOTTLE!\u201d (This is a similar protest to the one we experienced during the breast-feeding experiement. And\u2026now that I think about it\u2026the same reaction Destroy expressed when he realized there was no milk coming out of his pluggie nipple. \u201cI will not be fooled! Bottle, damnit!\u201d)<\/p>\n So, the muppets have been very cranky these past few days. They do not enjoy having their routine altered. The first afternoon of our new big boy menu plan, we caved \u2013 they got their bottle. That evening (they still get the bottle before bed \u2013 we\u2019re not completely heartless parents), Destroy sat on my lap with a smug gring. \u201cI won.\u201d Search gulped 10 ounces, instead of the typical six, apparently exceedingly concerned that this bottle may be his last.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the Hall of the Mountain King\u201d began to reach its climax. Our duel came to a draw. The boys are sleeping soundly. But I returned to the kitchen with two very full sippy cups.<\/p>\n Like mother, like son. We are engaged in a battle of wills. And those muppets are contenders. The war continues. (But I\u2019m not afraid to play the trump card \u2013 I control the milk flow.)<\/p>\n So, dear readers (all 12 of you), any sage advice on how to encourage a not-so-little-anymore muppet to drink from a sippy cup – milk, water, juice, Starbucks mochachino…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cIn the Hall of the Mountain Kings\u201d was humming in the background when I said goodnight to the boys. Both of them were still awake. They sat up in their cribs, eyeing me. It was a Wild West standoff. I … Continue reading