To Wean or Not to Wean
Greetings to everyone.
Xavier was up early this morning and Rebecca decided to take him to breakfast as part of her errand running today. Sitting like a big boy in his booster chair, Xavier posed for a photo for one of his most adoring fans (his mother). After that, he ate his bacon and toast.
He has started eating more and more solid foods these past couple of weeks, and growing more proficient with flatware. The primary reason for his increase in solid foods is Rebecca. She decided a couple of weeks ago that it was time for Xavier to be weaned from the bottle. "He's two years old!" she said. "It's time."
We have been so focused on keeping him eating, we lost focus on transitioning his eating. Also, the two times in the past we've attempted a weaning did not go well for anyone. This time, however, Mom's countenance took on a steely strength; it was "go time" and it showed. We knew Xavier would throw fits and not want to help with his weaning, so we prepared ourselves for a battle of wills.
Of course, that battle of wills was not just ours against Xavier's. It was also ours against ourselves. Could we endure his shrieking and his tantrums? Could we endure watching him go hungry if he chose to not eat his meals?
It did not start off easy; everything we expected Xavier to throw at us (including food from his plates), he did. It was anger at times, frustration also. He mixed in attempts at manipulation, tantrums and the most adorable—and nearly effective—lost puppy dog look.
We started by cutting his bottle slowly, only giving it to him after he got up, or before he went down. We offered the bottle after he put some effort into eating solids. (Xavier has been eating solids for some time, but the bottle is still his go-to source)
It took a week, but Xavier got the idea. If he did not like the hunger pangs, he had to eat his breakfast, his second breakfast, his snack, his lunch, his dinner, etc. Throughout these past few weeks, I frequently mused over a mother camel and her little one I came across in Jordan. The owners were weaning the baby from its mother, and the baby camel did not like it. It called out to his mother with lamenting cries, but could not get to her. The separation of the young camel from its mother was a necessary thing for it to grow, and so a similar reasoning for Xavier.
The pain to our ears, the painful pull on our hearts, the cries of Xavier pleading with Mom for his bottle, then pleading with Dad when Mom did not acquiesce has paid off. Xavier is eating more solid food now. We've moved him to whole milk (though we are still spiking it with formula at night, mostly to augment any nutrients he misses during the transition). He is drinking from cups and glasses, often with straws. And, he is sitting at the table longer, sometimes eating well, other times playing with his food, but we think it progress either way.
We figure he is now at the 60/40 point, perhaps 70/30 now of solid supplied nutrients to formula/milk supplied nutrients. We've got a way to go, but the screaming and willful denial has greatly lessened. I credit Rebecca for her tenacity; she is the one who must endure Xavier's low blood sugar personality most of the time.