Bottle Battle

Ok. I am completely abandoning the 30 day challenge for the time being. We've got issues in the Martin household and I need HELP!

As you may know, sweet Maggie Claire is now a year old. Along with turning a year old the doc expects us to be off the bottle and formula. Formula? Check. Bottle? NOT EVEN CLOSE. My child will be going to kindergarden with a bottle in her backpack. Here's the deal...

I knew we needed to be off the bottle at a year so around 8 months or so we started giving MC water in a sippy cup (the kid will NOT drink juice and we liked the idea of her becoming a water lover). So anyway, she had her bottles of course, but she also got the sippy cup. I assumed that when it was time to ditch the bottles, she would all too gladly accept the sippy cup since she was already used to it. Well, you know what they say about ASS-uming....

After I got the low down from her doctor about how to do this whole "milk thing" works at her 12 month appointment I was ready. Guns blazing. It was a showdown - mommy vs. Maggie....

Day 1 of no bottle: We ran out of formula the day of her doctor's appointment so I wasn't about to go buy more since I knew we were getting rid of it all together. We had enough to make a 4oz bottle that morning and I knew her appointment was at 3 - so I figured I'd just tell daycare to give her milk in a sippy and see how it went. When she finished the 4 oz in the bottle that morning she started SCREAMING. Wonderful. This is going to be super fun. Let's just hope she gets thirsty enough to drink some milk at daycare today....

I picked her up for her appointment and asked the teachers how it went. Apparently she wouldn't drink ANYTHING. (Let me back track here for a moment and say that MC was never a HUGE drinker from the sippy when she was on the bottles as well. She'd drink some sips here and there but never guzzle it the way she did the bottle...) I figured that maybe she was one of those kids who didn't like milk - or needed it warmed or something. I thought that night when we gave her milk I'd warm it a little.

After the doctor's appointment we went home and had dinner. I gave MC some milk in a sippy and when she went to take a drink it immediately dribbled completely out of her mouth. Her poor little face was staring at me with a questioning "what is this??? YOU HAVE DECEIVED ME WOMAN!" Again, I figured maybe she just didn't like it cold and at bedtime I'd warm it and it would be find. Well, after her bedtime routine I asked Adam to go get some milk ready while I got her pjs on. He came back with a bottle full of warmed milk. Once she saw the bottle I knew it was over so I just let her have it - and she GUZZLED it. Obviously this kid doesn't have a probably with milk, its just the darned sippy cups. (On a side note, I probably did yell at the hubs about bringing in a bottle - he played the "I didn't know!" card and I let it slide...

Day 2 of no bottle: The next morning I attempted the sippy with warmed milk and she wanted nothing to do with it. She kept pushing it away like I was trying to poison her or something. We continued trying the entire day and while we did feel encouraged that she would take a few sips here and there, I knew she wasn't getting enough liquids. She barely had any wet diapers and when they were wet they weren't WET, only mildly damp. And we're only talking like 2 or 3 of them - not the typical 7 or so. Needless to say, I was freaking.

Day 3 of no bottle: The next day was much the same. A few sips here and there but probably no more than 2 ounces or so the entire day. Freaking again.

Day 4 of no bottle: Then comes Monday morning. After having a complete breakdown Sunday night with a long bout of crying, I decided something had to give. The kid had to drink - and I had to know whether it was the milk or the sippy she wasn't into. When I got her up, I again attempted the sippy cup. Denied. I then tried another type of sippy cup (I forgot to mention that throughout this process I have tried every sippy cup on the market, thinking maybe we just hadn't found the right one) Denied again. Then I tried putting some Nesquick in the milk via the doc's suggestion. A few sips, then denied. Then in attempts to figure this out, I poured the now chocolate milk into a bottle and handed it to her; of course she drank the entire thing. Experiment complete - MC is just as stubborn and hard headed as her mother and just wants a bottle.

While I now had the answer I had been seaking, I don't know where to go from here! How do I get her to drink enough from the sippy instead of demanding a bottle. I mean the kid went 2 days without drinking anything when I didn't give her a bottle! I've gotten a few suggestions such as trying different types of cups (done. I've bought hard spouts, soft spouts, with handles, without handles, with straws, without straws... you get the idea), and giving part of the milk in a bottle and then finishing with a sippy. I thought this was a great idea, however MC didn't. When she finished the milk in the bottle and I put the sippy in her mouth she started crying and pushed it away.

Now, I appologize for the super long post, but I need answers people. I am compeltely confused as to how to get my stubborn sweetie to give up her bottle. Also, if she wasn't such a picky eater I wouldn't worry about it as much - but the kid will only eat fruit, lima beans, pasta, and crackers (and of course the Gerber snacks like puffs and little crunchies). Any suggestions for a picky eater would be welcomed as well. I'm scared my kid will dehydrate before she gives up that stupid bottle so please help a momma out! Thanks!