power struggle

Last night when we picked up Ada from daycare the center director asked us to step into her office because she wanted to talk to us. Nothing bad, Ada is going to be transitioned to the toddler room at the center and she wanted to discuss that process with us. The biggest difference for Ada is going to be the removal of the bottle. Once she moves to the toddler room she will no longer be allowed to drink her milk from a bottle. You wouldn't think this is a big deal since she is very proficient with her sippy cup, but you would be wrong. We have until January to make the transition but Ada is apparently so attached to her bottle that the director thought we should start now.

So being the studious parents that we are, we went home and presented Ada her evening milk in a sippy cup. Seconds before that she had been drinking water from a sippy cup but that is apparently very different. We warmed the milk, poured it in the sippy cup and tried to hand it to Ada. She pushed it away and said, "Nah".

Side note here - I love that Ada says Nah instead of No. It just seems so much more relaxed and cool. Like she just doesn't feel like doing what she is being asked to do rather than full out defiance. I know... I'm only fooling myself. But it is the little things. Ok back to the story....

So I offered her the sippy cup a few more times, Elliot tried to lay her across his lap like he normally does with the bottle and got the sippy cup as far as her lips but then she pushed it away again and said, "Nah". We figured it might be a bit much to do all in one night so we explained to her that we would let her have her milk in a bottle but that we were going to continue to first offer her the sippy cup and after this week we would not be putting the milk in the bottle for her. Quite the logical argument but I'm not so sure she is going to let us off that easily.

So this morning when it was time for her morning milk, Elliot offered her the sippy cup and when I got out of the shower, he was still trying to get her to take it. She is normally so sleepy, calm, and hungry in the morning you can get her to do just about anything. Anything, that is, except drink milk from a sippy cup. She ended up with her bottle again. We'll see how long this takes. If we have learned anything in the last 15 months it is that Ada is a strong willed little being. In fact I think that was driven home most poignantly when we were struggling to get her attached to the same nasty little habit we are currently trying to break - the bottle. How ironic.