i'm having growing pains...

This is a picture of Baby Saren enjoying her last bottle...ever! What can I say about the gun? She has two violent toddlers for brothers. I weaned the boys off the bottle right at twelve months (because that's what "What to Expect the First Year" said to do and I was a good mommy back in the day). But is was so hard with Baby Saren...to help her grow up...which was and is already happening way too fast.

At her one year mark, Baby Saren was in the middle of what felt like a chain of never ending ear infections, and although I knew getting her off the bottle might help...I just couldn't bring myself to take her last, little source of comfort away. But, in an effort to not be lame, I told myself when she was healthy, we would say farewell to the Dr. Brown's. Thus, a few weeks ago we took away the daytime bottles, and finally, a few nights ago, the bottle altogether.

Suddenly, unloading the dishwasher is a pleasure, well...that's a stretch, but with only sippy cups to reassemble, it gets done so fast. And Baby Saren had a few rough nights with lots of tears and begging, but tonight I sang her a song, kissed her little face, said a prayer and she snuggled right into her crib with her favorite blanket and went to sleep without a peep. Is it crazy that this makes me tear up? I inherited the raging sap gene from both sides of the family, I am afraid.

I am so glad and so sad that she is growing up! Dave and I love her so much we can hardly stand it! And yes, we call her "Baby Saren". I don't know why, it probably has something to do with our inexplicable affection for "Dog the Bounty Hunter". Let's just say, I understand why Duane Chapman calls his youngest daughter "Baby Lisa" even now that she is all grown up.