Weaning

For the last week and a half, Mommy and Aidan have been working hard on weaning. We have been working in that direction for a while, slowly reducing the number of nursings each day, and for the last few weeks only nursing before bathtime. However, a couple of weeks ago, Mommy made Aidan a "growing up" photo-book for Aidan to help finish the process. It is a little book that shows Aidan's major life milestones so far: being born, drinking from a bottle, rolling over, eating solid food, crawling, walking, using a fork, drinking from a sippy cup, playing with his babysitter Laurie, staying at daycare ("work"), and starting to use the toilet. At the end, it says "Congratulations, Aidan! You are a big boy, now!" and tells him that big boys don't need Mama's milk, just lots of cuddles. I made it because I wanted to help him understand what was happening, and it has been really helpful. But it has also been tough to use, because it makes Aidan sad! He really understands it, and he doesn't like the message that he has to give up milk with Mama.


On Friday (May 29th), Mama read Aidan the book before bathtime (when we usually would nurse), and afterward, he got up seriously, said "baf?" (bath?), and went straight to the bath, without asking for milk with Mama ("Mack! Mama!"). So, he definitely understood it!


On Saturday, he asked for milk, so Mama nursed him. On Sunday, he didn't ask again, so we didn't. On Monday, he asked again, so we did. Then on Tuesday and Wednesday, Mama tried to distract him, and he didn't ask, so we didn't.


Finally, on Thursday, we nursed for the last time. He asked, and Mama said yes, but expained to him that we were not going to keep having milk with Mama. He understood, but looked sad. Mama asked him how he was feeling, was he sad? And he said "uh, huh". And Mama told him that she was sad too, but that we could always cuddle as much as he wanted to, and that big boys got to do wonderful things, and that it was okay to feel sad now, but we should remember that we would be really happy about all the wonderful big boy things that he could do, now. He was very subdued, and Mama was sad. I will miss these sweet times together! But it is definitely time. And we can do it. So, I am proud of us.


Since then, it's been a battle. Aidan has been asking for milk with Mama much more often than usual, and Mama keeps saying no, and trying to distract him. I'm glad we have the book to read, and I'm glad that I am resolved, but it is still tough. It helped that this weekend we went up to the Catskills with Grandma and Grandpa Ruane, who Aidan love! They were a good distraction. It also helped that we recently got Aidan an "emotions" book, so he understands what "sad" (as well as "happy", "mad" and other emotions) mean.


Aidan really is getting to be a big boy. Today he turned 23 months - almost 2 years old! And at dinner tonight, when Grandpa made a joke ("Aidan, are you going to take a bath in the stream?"), Aidan laughed! ("No! Baf!" - big grin) It is amazing to see him not only getting bigger every day, but even understanding humor! He is amazing.