Our New Bedtime Pal

Last week I took the plunge and weaned Madi off of the bottle. I didn't know how she would do without it, but our doctor advised us to just cut it out completely all at once because that seems to work better for most babies. It worked great! She was at first a little hesitant of drinking her milk from the sippy cup, but after about the first day she didn't whimper or fuss at all! I'm very happy that it was a smooth transition, and I definitely don't miss washing 3-4 bottles a night after she's gone to bed.
For her nightime bottle, the doctor suggested replacing it with a security item of some sort (such as a stuffed animal or small blanket). Well, Madi's new favorite toy is her stuffed monkey. She will carry him all around the house and everywhere she goes! We decided to give it a try and see how she did with it. As you can tell by the following picture, it was a big success! We now curl up with monkey for naps and bedtime, and she's doing great with it!

Oh, and here's some pics that daddy took when he and Madi played outside while I taught piano lessons yesterday. As you can tell, she LOVES being outside!