Finding the right sippy cup for the long trip!

As our next road trip steadily approaches I have been trying to find a sippy cup that will work for Lady A. It would be really nice to be able to give her a bottle & have her feed herself, even just once or twice a day would help cut down on the number of stops we have to make. Over the past week or so we have been trying out different sippy cups. Abigail will usually put her mouth on the bottle but no more.
She also doesn't like the ones that she'll have to tip her head back. Next we tried one from her cousin that had a straw. She sucked on that a couple of times but with the open straw too much came out at once.

Finding the right sippy cup is really proving to be a challenge. I was telling my sister-in-law that I needed to find a soft straw that worked more like the nipple of a bottle, where the end would be closed off but open as pushed on it & was sucking on it. She said there are ones like that so now I just need to go find one. Yesterday at the store I find some but when I switched them out to get the colors I wanted & got them home, turns out that I picked up the wrong ones.

Since we couldn't test out the new cups, because I got the wrong ones we were back to the bottle today. This time I gave it to her & finished cleaning. She was holding it up right & started trying to drink from it. Since we use the ones with the liners I pushed from the bottom to get the extra air out. Well, she went to town. She ate the whole bottle with no assistance from me. The drop in liner shriveled as she drank. Wonderful!!! So now, if we don't find a sippy cup that works in time, she can use the bottle to feed herself even if it will be a but more messy from leaks.

The picture shows her going at her bottle & feeding herself.

Bonding With My Beauful Baby Girl

While we have been in Utah visiting family we have also got to see some great friends. Paul has a month off for winter break. What a blessing it has been to be able to come and spend so much time here and so that Lady A could come and meet family. My mom has said that she has grown so much just in the three weeks we have been here so far. I would have to agree!!

I have been able to share with some about our experience trying to nurse when Lady A was born {it wasn't until she was 7 1/2 weeks  that she figured it out}. I was so excited and we have been able to keep going at it. One friend was really excited for us and asked me if I have been able to bond more with my baby girl since we have been able to nurse? I think my answer shocked her but I told her 'No!' I know that this experience is different for every mother and can very from child to child. It also seems like there is a big push now for nursing, while a lot say that the health benefits for the baby and mom are the best, the money it saves is huge and I have gotten the impression that many feel the only/best way to bond with your baby is from nursing.

For me it was at the moment when I decided to move on from finger feeding her to using a bottle during the power outage of Nor~Easter Alfred that we were able to bond more than we had so far. We were without power for 9 days, Lady A went in to get her tongue clipped, we were spending our days at the University to stay warm and the last three nights we spent with some members of our church who had just gotten their power restored. When Lady A was three weeks old I decided we had to move on and start using a bottle.

I remember the first time I used the bottle with her and I remember instantly feeling an immediately stronger bond with her. I was able to hold her, cuddle her, sit and enjoy her while I fed her. She looked up at me like she was so happy to be moving on too. It was cute to watch her little nose move up and down as she ate from the bottle. I really felt an instantly closer bond with her.

Being able to bond with her came from knowing that she looks to me for comfort. Spending time to cuddle with her. Being there with her as she learns and grows. I have loved getting to know her and being able to help her with the things she needs.

While we were taking pictures she started getting a little fussy. Since she was finger feeding at the time this is how I comforted her.

I love this picture!!!

Her looking up to me knowing that I am there for her are the things that help us bond.

I am pleased to say that I have been able to bond with Lady A from day one and that I didn't have to wait until she started nursing. I hope that all mothers out there find ways to bond with your children.