*V* is for VICTORY!

The bottles are gone. Just like that ... we're done with them. Operation Bottle Wean (OBW) has been a success.

I'm quite surprised at how easy it was. Here we were fully geared up for nights on end of crying, and three babies that were completely unable to funtion without their bottles. Well, that didn't happen at all. We've gone four full days now, without any kind of bottle ... and they are doing fine. How 'bout that?

They definitely aren't taking in as much milk as they were when they had their bottles ... we've gone from about 24 oz a day per baby ... to about 2 oz a day per baby, if we're lucky. But, they are getting adequate hydration from other sources, because we've got loads of wet diapers (that's always a good sign).


It didn't seem to matter whether I heated up the sippy cup with milk in it, or not, they weren't taking it. So, I'm saving myself the 45 seconds and giving it to them cold. For the first two days of OBW, no one was budging on the sippy cup with milk. They'd stack their food on top of the cups - or try to stick things in the opening. Then, they'd take a little taste, realize it was milk - and fling it across the room. Elizabeth finally buckled last night and started to drink the milk from her cup. When the other two saw her - they decided to try it, too. (Mind you, Charlie and I trying to show the babies how "good" milk tasted from a sippy cup didn't sway them in the least bit.) After taking a few swigs - William handed his cup to Elizabeth and I could just see him thinking "Well, here - you can have mine if you like it so much." Carolyn tried a few swigs and then eventually ... all three cups wound up on the floor. But, it was a start.


We're still putting them to bed with sippy cups of ice water (which they seem to like) and we are going to only give them milk twice a day for now, until they start drinking it better from the cup. Our game plan is to give them milk in the morning when they first wake up - - and again at night, with dinner. I figure that because they consume the most fluids during these two mealtimes, we stand the best chance at getting them to drink milk then.

Other than that ... we're trying to pump dairy in to them by feeding whole fat cottage cheese, yogurt, assorted cheese ... and last night - for the first time, ice cream. I can honestly say - the babies got more excited about eating mint chocolate chip, than I've ever seen them get excited about a bottle. The apple didn't fall far from that tree.


I'm still at a loss regarding what I'll do if someone wakes up in the middle of the night. Before OBW, it was a no-brainer what to do with a baby at 3 AM. You'd get them a warm bottle of milk (or, I'd nurse). Now, I'm imagining what it will take for me to pacify a hungry baby in the early hours of the morning. Diet be damned, I suppose that from this point on ... we should always keep the freezer stocked full of ice cream. (It's for the children, of course.)

I have a business meeting that will take me away to a resort in Palm Springs this week. I was really apprehensive about leaving the babies and Charlie, until my co-worker sent me a link to the place we'll be staying. It is absolutely magnificent. A luxury hotel and spa, situated on a golf course and surrounded by beautiful mountains. Even though I don't leave until tomorrow - I finished packing yesterday.

Charlie's sister will be flying in to visit this week and it is great that he will have another set of hands to help while I'm away. The last time that she saw the babies, was before they were walking. Or throwing sippy cups. Or climbing on the furniture. Or climbing out of their cribs. She is in for a big surprise. She will be crazy busy, but I know she'll have a good time. As challenging as a week long "vacation" with 3-18 month olds will be, the development in their personalities and abilities each and every day, is amazing to witness.

I'll only be gone for 2 nights but I know that I'm going to miss the chaos and I'll definitely miss their beautiful, bright little faces. That reminds me, while I'm sleeping peacefully in my king sized pillow-top bed with 5,000-thread count sheets ... the absolute last thing I want is a phone call at 3 AM from Charlie wondering how to appease a hungry baby. I need to make sure that we have a sufficient supply of mint chocolate chip on hand before I go...