Bittersweet

It's taken me a few days to get a grip and post this.

As of this weekend, Carter is officially weaned. It's a little sooner than I wanted (only by about a week), so I wasn't emotionally prepared AT ALL. He's been slowly weaning himself since February, and in the last few weeks we've gotten down to nursing once a day, first thing in the morning. My plan was to continue this until his 1st birthday, then make the switch. I had NO idea at the time, but Friday was it. Saturday morning he wanted nothing to do with me, he just wanted that darn bottle..... I was CRUSHED. I tried again later that afternoon and again Sunday morning, both times without success. So I made it official this morning. I knew I would be sad when the time came for it to be over, but I had no idea how sad I'd actually be. I just thought that I'd have to decide one day that it would be the last time. It never really occurred to me that Carter may decide when he's done, and that's exactly what he did. This weekend was rough for me, and this morning was VERY weird giving him a bottle as Eric was leaving for work. I'm sure it will feel normal in no time, but until then, I hope I'll be just a little less sad about this each day.

I am very proud of the fact, though, that I've never had to give him even one ounce of formula. In fact, I still have enough stored in my freezer to get him to his 1st birthday. That is a huge accomplishment, and I'm happy I could do that for my little man. Not to mention the fact that we saved an estimated $1500 dollars in formula costs for the year!!

Carter.... right now Mommy is sad this phase of your life is over, but I'm proud of you (and me) for sticking to it for one whole year. You're such a big boy, and I'm positive you're going to love WHOLE MILK!! =)