Less Milk, More Public Dancing

Yesterday was a BIG day in this house. We decided to take away Topher's M-I-L-K in a bottle. (We have to spell things around here, he's getting too smart.) We know, we know, most kids have been off the bottle for about a year by now, but we're terrible at all of this. So every time he asked for milk yesterday, we gave him a choice of milk in a cup or plain water in his bottle. He chose the bottle every time, which confirms our suspicions that his bottle is really just his pacifier. He literally went the entire day yesterday without a sip of milk, and for a kid who usually drinks half a gallon a day, that was a BIG change. We expected a lot of meltdowns yesterday and there were a few, but it really wasn't as bad as we thought it would be. In fact, after a nap, we took him to Jordan Creek Mall and he surprised us by being unusually happy and hyper. In fact, as we passed by Hollister, he heard some music he just couldn't resist. And then, right there in the middle of the mall, he started dancing, and I mean dancing. He even made up this new move where he puts his palms flat on the ground and shakes his booty up and down. He even ended every performance with the "fish-out-of-water" routine where he'd lay down and just keep wiggling. Strangers were watching, suppressing grins, and laughing out loud. He is quite the outgoing, exhibitionist, entertain-the-world kind of guy. It is so far from my personality that it just blows me away to watch him be so fearless, and so much without any reservations. He is a slightly strange and completely wonderful individual. It has now been more than 24 hours, and he still doesn't want anything to do with milk in a cup. After a little while of the water-in-a-bottle, we'll phase that out too. (Although in the meantime we can already tell that it will be much easier to travel with regular water rather than ice packs and gallons of milk at the ready.) It really is hard growing up sometimes, but with moves like that, I think he's going to make it. And probably to much applause. --KC