Growing Up

So, for the last 9 months, finding something Marley will eat has been a hassle. At first she liked bananas. Then she grew out of that and only ate Cheerios. For the past 3 months or so, it has been cheese and bread. No matter how hard I try to get her to eat something healthier, she would not do it. I kept think, maybe I am nursing her too much. But if I tried to not nurse her and give her food, she just cried and made it an even more miserable experience. But, about a week ago, she just decided to start eating. I didn't change anything with nursing, she just wanted food. She ate half a bowl of chicken-pot-pie, an entire Mandarin orange, half a banana, five strawberries, grapes, bacon, and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It just makes me feel so much better to know that it wasn't anything I was doing wrong, she just wasn't ready yet!


For the past 15 and a half months, Marley has been nursed to sleep. Like I have to wait until she falls asleep and then I can sneak away. I have been trying to figure out how to fix that, fearing that she would never be able to fall asleep on her own. I bought a book called The No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers, but was doubting it would work and dreading what I would have to do to teach her to sleep by herself. But, like she was reading my mind, she went to sleep without me last night. I nursed her until she was relaxed, but then she rolled around in bed for another ten minutes. When she got tired, she just plopped her head down on a pillow and held her bear until she fell asleep. It must have been a fluke, right? That's what I thought, but she did it again tonight! I don't know if it's the bear or just the fact that she is growing up, but she can go to sleep! You don't know how excited this makes me, just the fact that she can do it! It just makes me feel so good to know that I haven't screwed everything up like I was thinking I had. She is very attached to me, but it just proves that she is going to grow out of it. She just wasn't ready to be as independent as everyone thought she should be. But I am so proud of her, even if my little baby is growing up.