The Easter bunny giveth, and the Easter bunny taketh away

{a post written on tuesday nite}

I am sitting here contemplating another wine or the shower I haven't had today. I think I will take my chances on getting one in the morning. 

The floor is still unswept, unmopped. It took three hours to get Summer to settle to sleep. I had plans. Check my emails, visit some blogs. Clean the floor. I have just folded and put away the washing that has been piled on my bed. It's now 11 pm and I should be in it, but I'm here, having that piece of me that everyone else has been taking bits of all day. 

Yesterday was a shit of a day. I was emotional, impatient, grumpy, not good company at all. 

Today hasn't been too bad really. A definite improvement.

Sunday was a good day. Nothing better than sharing the anticipation and joy with your kids on Easter morning.  I made flour footprints the night before and arranged the eggs out ready. Bit the end of the carrot  and left it laying next to the prints. Izzy was most excited and cautious at the same time, I had to reassure her that the bunny was now far away and not lurking behind the furniture, ready to pounce on her!

While the Easter Bunny bought chocolate, he took all the bottles on Sunday morning. No more milk bottles before bed for Izzy and no more cordial bottles for both of them during the day. I remember when Jake was the same age, the Easter Bunny took his milk bottles too.

Chocolate for breakfast!

Summer is still having me before bedtime. God knows how long I will keep that up for, she's almost 17 months! I fed Jake for 3 months and Izzy for 11. Maybe it's me who isn't ready to give it up. I was so ready with the other two. I think I could have stuck with it longer with Jakey, but Izzys biting was becoming unbearable and I'd had enough. 

It was about time the bottle left the building. All of Izzys friends (as far as I knew) hadn't had bottles for a long time. I had no problem giving her drinks in them during the day, and a milk one at bedtime. But I was conscience about letting her have them in front of other people, in public. I don't think it is very popular in this day and age, and I was wary of what people thought or judged of me. Most kids go straight onto a sippy cup before they can walk and talk. I'm not one for reading all the latest kid moulding wrangling books or taking advice from well meaning child health nurses, so I probably missed the memo about getting rid of the bottle at an early age.

The bottle had worked for me, it worked for us. But it was time that Izzy, at almost three and a half learned to live without it. This meant getting rid of them all together, so Summer has to get used to not having one either. It has worked out easier than I thought it was going to be. Although Isabel did sneak in a cheeky and quiet "I want it in a bottle", when I gave her her warm milk in a sippy cup, she didn't kick up a stink, and went off to sleep well. The next battle will be to successfully get her toilet trained at night. No nappies. Getting rid of her night time bottle is the first step towards dry nights, I hope!

Linking at Jacana