Transition Issues

Despite the fact Dylan is merely a year old, he makes the best teacher. Most recently he’s taught me that he’s not the only one with transition issues- I have ‘em too! Like when I had to transition into a daycare mom aka my transition into a paranoid freak, that one time Dylan decided he was done breastfeeding and I had to deal with his rejection the transition out of that, or every morning when I transition out of bed. And while I typically have one foot dragging behind, stuck in the past, Dylan will run right past me and shout, “CATCH UP MOM!” So I do. 

Dylan is currently transitioning me out of our his bedtime routine. Six months ago, Dylan’s doctor explained that he could and should give up the bottle. In my oh-so-logical world, bottles are for babies and Dylan is still a baby...right? So instead of giving them up, I cut back! Six months later and Dylan still gets 1 bottle a night despite my husband’s reminders that I must eventually transition out of bottles altogether (all I hear is “eventually”). Those damn bottles are the basis of our bedtime process: Bottle, massage, goodnight. Or well, they were. Dylan’s transitioning me into the next routine whether I like it or not. 

That last part of the bedtime process, the part where I carry Dylan to his room, lay him down, kiss him, then slowly walk out while waving bye, is no more. Lately, he doesn’t let me lye him down. He wants me to hold him for a few minutes, pat his back, and then say goodbye. Extra cuddles? Yes please! But in those final minutes of back-patting and kisses to my shoulder, I can feel the end of the bottle days nearing to make way for a new routine. The ever-growing giant I coddle in my arms demands it. 

It’s not easy for me to let go (obviously) and accept that babyhood is over regardless of the bottles I’ve been serving. It's a real lesson in time taught by the best teacher imaginable. Because when you wanna learn just how quickly and just how precious time really is, kids will put it all in perspective for ya; they just keep growing and growing until there's no kid left.  One day you'll wake up and BOOM. You're the parent of an adult. So excuse me while I sob uncontrollably and try to keep my son a baby with bottles he doesn't need. Clearly I haven't learned how to transition gracefully.

P.S. So there's really NO WAY to keep a baby a baby??? Fiiiiine....