THE BEGINING OF A NEW ERA!

Well, like i said, TODAY is the first day of a new era! The era of "NAP TIME WITHOUT BOTTLES!". Many have been faced with this hard and difficult time in their life and have survived and lived to tell about it! I am one of them. It was a long time ago, back when teased bangs and frizzy dos were in, acid washed jeans with matching jean jackets were the normal street threads, and an alien named ALF was on everyones TV set, Some say the 80's were a mistake?....

I remember the day like it was yesterday when my mom laid me down in my crib without a nipple in my mouth! It was a hot sunny day, birds were chirping all around, my brother was being his normal scrubby big brother self, I ate my breakfast and was prepared to be rocked in my mothers sweet arms while she fed me and stared into my beautiful brown eyes. WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, I was chucked into the crib as a farmer would his bales of hay, as if i had to feelings at all! I stared at my mom with this confused look in my eye thinking she had gone crazy or something, while she was whispering me some malarkey about how she loved me and it was nap time! I remember thinking, "WHO DOES SHE THINK SHE IS!? SHE CANT DO THIS TO ME! DOES SHE EVEN KNOW WHO I AM!? OH BOY, WAIT TILL DAD HEARS ABOUT THIS! I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS (yes, pun intended), I WILL CRY UNTILL I GET THE NIPPLE I DESERVE! LITTLE DOES SHE KNOW, HA- SHE THINKS I'LL JUST LIE DOWN AND TAKE IT (pun intended again)! I WILL GO DOWN KICKING AND SCREAMING (pun intended once again)!!!!! ILL FIGHT THIS, IM STARTING A 'NAP STRIKE! 'THATS IT, IM MAKING ME A PICKET SIGN "NO NIPPLE, NO NAP!" -I CANT WALK IN A CIRCLE AND CHANT THIS OVER AND OVER-BUT SHE'LL GET THE IDEA!"

Its funny cuz i dont remember much after that last thought, I never got around to making my sign mostly becuase i couldnt find a pen in my crib, or paper for that matter. But all i know is that one day when i grew a real brain and realized she did that for me because she loved me! Thanks to my mom i havent 'fallen off the wagon' yet! 20 years and 6 months later IM GOING STRONG! haven needed a bottle to go to sleep since! I think my husband is the most thankful for that out of all of us.

But there comes a time in every babys life when the day sneaks up on them as it did to me, and it catches them off guard. BUT not in my monkey boys, I was preparing him all through breakfast about what was going to happen afterwards. SO he cant say i never warned him. Monkeys mom and i have been talking about making the transition sometime soon and today while we were playing and reading books and i looked out the window and saw the sun in the sky i said "TODAY IS THE DAY!". When you live in Alaska and spring time comes around the corner and the sun is out you could face the ugliest of uglies, the hardest of hards, meanest of means, and the worst times of all the worst time in your life times 50, but the sunny beams make it seam 'HAPPY' no matter what it is! SO i seized the day! (There is no way i would have entertained this thought if it were cloudy and snowing)
Our new schedule is as follows:
-He comes at 8:00.
-We play together till 8:45ish 9:00.
-Then afterwards is independant time with his toys and then what i like to call "The Wild Adventures In The Nussbaum Outback" (or aka time in his walker).
-9:30-9:45ish is baby rice cereal and some fruit for breakfast.
-Clean up (his by now super sticky cereal/babyfood body) and diaper change and back into his clothes, and headed up stairs.
------------------------(heres where the twist comes in)----------------------------
-Then a little 4oz bottle while he is still awake but getting drowzy. Once that 4 oz. is gone ITS GONE! (Im thinking about making a sign that says "NO REFILLS" and sticking it in on the underside of his bottle, that way when he drinks his last drop he see's it) hehe:) .
-Then i rock him a little bit and just as he is alseep putting him into his crib.
AND from there on its all up to him!

I know he will cry ALOT and i will feel horrible at times- but as the saying goes "YOU GOTTA DO WHAT'CHYA GOTTA DO!" I just keep telling myself im doing him, me and most importantly his mom a HUGE favor! I'll check on him every 5-7 mins at first and then every 10-15 mins and rub his tummy "shhh-ing" him and telling him "Everything is going to be OK and its just time for a nap".. AND GUESS WHAT!? 40 mins and 4 trips up to check on him later -IT WORKED!
!!!!!!!!!YAHOO!!!!!!!!! Im reading the 'WHAT TO EXPECT THE FIRST YEAR' and it says that if you stick to your guns EVERY TIME your baby should catch on and learn to put theirself to sleep and learn the new schedule within a week. SO-One nap down and one more to go for today!

I used to work as an ISP (In School Provider-or Individual Service Provider). I 'shadowed' a 1st grader around in school and made sure he was following directions, minding his manners and doing all the things a responsible 1st-ALMOST 2nd grader should be doing. I know that there REALLY are children when issues and baggage they are carrying around with them, may the case be their homelife, verbal or physical abuse, or real mental issues that have been diagnosed. BUT in the case of my little guy and ALOT of little kids it just boils down to having NO BOUNDRIES growing up. Its either do whatever they want, or just throw an ugly fit untill they get it! My monkey is a very sweet boy and his just happy as can be! But he is deffinetly not going to have a nanny that lets him get away with anything, or a nanny that picks him up everytime he even has the LOOK on his face, that he MIGHT make a peep or a fuss! I keep telling myself "Spoiling leads to Rotten, Rotten leads to ornery, Ornery leads to ISP!" I know that means im taking a job away from a potential counseling service employee, but thats the way its gunna be!

ANYWAYS, im going to go enjoy my first succesful nap without a bottle attempt and go clean! (WHat a way to celebrate huh?)