the mom card.

Confession: Everett is still drinking his milk from a bottle. Back in May, our pediatrician told us at his one year appointment that it was "okay" for him to use a bottle for the next month, but that we needed to switch to sippy cups after that. She didn't really give a good reason why, and not normally one to question the doctor, I agreed and said we would.

And I tried. Really. I did. I took the bottle away one day and tried warm milk in a sippy cup instead.

Ev wasn't having it. He just looked at me and cried and cried, like WHY MOM?! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME? HOW DARE YOU!

Not to mention that without the bottle, our mornings were rough, our naps were shorter, and bedtime was a total disaster.

So I did what any other loving mother would do and I caved.

I convinced myself that because I had just weaned him (!) and because we were moving (!), it was okay for Ev to enjoy his bottle a little while longer. It made him happy, we were all transitioning, whatever. Also worth mentioning: Everett has been drinking water out of a sippy cup since he was six months old. He just prefers his milk in a bottle. You know, like I prefer my coffee in a mug, my juice in a glass, and my soda in a can. Potato, po-tah-to.

Then we moved and I was getting ready for my trip to Liberia and like any loving mother would do, I decided we couldn't possibly get rid of the bottle before my trip because WHO DOES THAT? Who takes away the bottle and then leaves for two weeks? NOT THIS MOMMA.

Then I came back from my trip and not only was Everett even more in love with his ba-ba, he was also in love with drinking it on my lap, with his arms tightly wrapped around me.

Is this what heaven feels like? I think so.

And there you have it. Everett is almost sixteen months old, and we're still snuggling three times a day with his blue blanket and ba-ba: first thing in the morning on the couch in our pjs, right before naptime, and right before bedtime in the grey rocking chair while I sniff his freshly washed baby hair.

So doc, I hate to break it to you, but I'm going to have the pull the mom card on this one. I don't really care when Everett switches from a bottle to a sippy cup. I'll make sure it's sometime before college, okay?

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