Operation No More Sippy Cup

Two updates. And one explanation regarding the second.

I passed my glucose screening test. Can I get an AMEN!? That means I do NOT have to take the 3-hour test, enduring fasting for 12 hours and three pokes in the arm. That. Is. Such. Great. News. If I failed, I was going to tell my OB to treat me as if I did have gestational diabetes because I just couldn't see myself making it through that test. Woohooo!

Also, we won't be starting potty training tomorrow as I had originally planned. Seems as if I've got another battle to win first. Instead, tomorrow begins Operation Get Rid of Our Sippy Cups and Drink Out of Big Boy Cups.

The past few weeks have been helpful in creating a transition for our quest towards no more diapers. We've been decreasing the amount of calories the boys have taken in liquids, moved their potties to the bathroom, and trying to equate bowel movements with disgust. I bought a bunch of books off of Amazon.com and have been talking about how big the boys are now and how big boys use the potty. But one of the requirements for the 3 Day Potty Training program we're going to use asks for the kids to have mostly dry diapers, especially through the night. Yeah, we're not even close. Most mornings, the boys' pajamas are soaked right through and I have to change their sheets as well. Sippy cups are to blame.

Now, I'm not coming down on parents who still use sippy cups with their kids. It was really helpful for us in getting rid of bottles. But for us, it was a crutch. A comfort they've come to rely on waaaay too much. When they request a drink, they want it in their sippy cups. Because they want to lay down while they drink it. Lay down on mommy. It was cute in the beginning. The boys lay their heads, one on each of my thighs, with their legs stretched out over the couch. Honestly, we take up the whole space. The boys hold their cups with their opposite hands and twirl with their other hands. This used to be cute, until I got pregnant and my belly started taking over the space where they used to lie. It's also pretty annoying when they want to drink when we're in public; there aren't many benches large enough to hold me and my two lounging, drinking boys. And it's not always publically comfortable to just sit on the floor while your toddlers stretch themselves out over a six-foot area. It's pretty embarrassing, actually.

This is me with the boys in November 2009 when they were about six months old. I didn't always hold them like this, but when your babies just want you to hold them... you do what you gotta do. I suppose it just helped me to look back and see that we have, in fact, progressed. At least just a little.

They can drink out of a cup. A juice box. With a straw. Anything. They really are quite adaptable. They just like the sippy cups because they can lay down with them. But in order to make this potty training transition (and also give them a little more autonomy away from Mommy,) I feel like we've got to get rid of them.

So tomorrow's the day. I searched for ideas on Goggle and came up with a plan. How did our mothers parent us without the Internet? We'll throw out all of our sippy cups in the trash, explaining they're big boys and big boys drink out of big boy cups (which means cups with straws or open-faced cups.) Then we'll make a trip to Target so the boys can pick out and buy their own cups. I'll be steering them toward open-faced cups. I don't care how expensive they are - I'm just hoping they find some cups they like well enough to ONLY drink out of them from now on. And then I'll be reinforcing the idea of them ONLY drinking at the table, while sitting in their chair. One mom online even suggested putting a piece of painter's paint on the table so her daughter would know exactly where to leave it when she wasn't drinking. That way, we may not have to worry as much about spilling or hitting it off the table. I like that!

So anyway, that's my plan. Sippy cups are gone. Straws and cups are here to stay. I'm anticipating this to be a battle of wills. They're just so set in their ways and are very comfortable with the way we've been doing things for so long. But here's my resolve: if they won't drink out of their new cups, they don't drink. Moms online said they had worried about their kids getting dehydrated, but the truth is, kids will get their hydration from other sources from a bit. I'm hoping they'll be completely satisfied with their new drinking utensils after three days. I'm hoping anyway.

I honestly have absolutely NO idea what I'm doing. But I'm pretending. Until I figure things out for real, anyway.

Wish us luck!