Smoothies…spoons…straws…someday solids

So last week she said ‘goodbye’ to her custom bottles.

It is still hard for me to believe they are a thing of the past.

We’ve spent a year and half packing a cooler full of bottles whenever we leave the house.

It is second nature to make sure we always have one of her custom bottles with us at all times.

Not anymore. Crazy. Thankful. Excited for her.

When she had the cleft lip and palate, she was not able to create enough suction to use a straw or suck from a normal bottle. Drinking from a cup was also tricky for her, even after her lip was repaired.  There is so much to learn when your entire mouth and lips drastically change.  Since her palate repair last summer we’ve been trying to help her learn to use a straw and eat from a spoon. So many other parts to this story, but I’ll just say last week she mastered the straw and spoon enough to transition off the bottle and still get all the nutrients she needs.

Spoon – straw – next up Solids!

I know there are tons of more toddler friendly cups with straws – we’ve tried them. Her siblings use these water bottles, so naturally she has decided they are her favorite. She normally drinks at the table, but I wanted some cute pictures of her new accomplishment. It is so amazing to see her drinking from straw!

While I was distracted taking pictures and making sure she didn’t spill, her brothers found my drill. I figure they get points for creativity. I get points for keeping my cool with all those rainbow loom rubberbands around the house.