Here We Go Again...

Today I decided to try and introduce Jonas to cows milk for the first time.  Remember when I said I was going to be weaning... like 6 months ago?  Yeah, I never did.  Forget it... I love breastfeeding too much.  And honestly, if I didn't HAVE to wean at this point, I wouldn't either.  But now it really is time.  I've done well... 11 months so far... but I want him on all cows milk by the time he's 13 months.  My RA symptoms are coming back with a vengeance and it's time to go back on meds.  I don't feel good about having a chemical cocktail inside my body, traveling through my milk and into my baby... hence, the weaning shall commence.   

Unfortunately, it didn't go so well today... what a shocker.  I decided to cut out my afternoon feeding first.  So, after lunch, I prepared a cup of cold cows milk for him.  Since he was thirsty, he began chugging it... and I thought "oh, my good boy isn't gonna give me a problem like Marco... what a good eater".  That was until his thirst was quenched.  Then he would take a sip and let it fall out of his mouth.  So I decided to warm it up.  Try again.  No luck.  He'd take a sip, shake his head and spit it out.  Ok, let's try to add some honey.  I laid him on my lap like I was going to nurse him, gave him the sippy... he took a sip and spit it out.

Oh boy, here we go again...

Marco gave me this SAME problem.  It's so bad, that we gave up... that's right... my toddler does not drink milk.  None.  Not a drop.  Which has been challenging because I have to be sure he gets enough calcium.  Basically, every day he takes a calcium supplement, eats at least 1 cheese stick and has at least 1 cup of yogurt.  I have exhausted my options on how to give Marco his milk.  Here are all the ways I've tried... you can mix and match on your own and see just how many options I've given him... and none have worked:

Temp:            Method:                Additives:
Cold               In a cup                Honey
Warm             In a sippy             Sugar
Hot                 In a straw cup      Splenda
                       In a mug              Chocolate
                       In a bottle            Vanilla
                       With cereal          Strawberry
                                                   Breast-milk

The warm milk in a bottle with honey worked for a few months... then nada.  So I tried to thirst him out.  He went to sleep and when he woke up in the morning, I offered him milk... he refused.  Then snack time, I offered him more milk.  He still refused.  Lunch, milk, refusal.  It was 2 in the afternoon when I finally gave up.  I was afraid he'd get dehydrated!  He hadn't had a DROP of any liquids since the night before!  Talk about strong willed!!!  So, I came to the realization that he just doesn't like it.  And I gave up all together.  He has never asked for milk again.  And the few times I've tried to reintroduce it has yielded the same results.

I was REALLY hoping that Jonas would be different.  But I fear I'm going to have another battle ahead of me.

The only honest conclusion I can come up with is that I must have some rockin', good tasting, never duplicated, out-of-this-world breast-milk.  I should bottle this stuff!  Who's buyin'?