Water!

Last night Alex had one of those bedtimes that are becoming increasingly usual for him--the kind where he goes to bed only to wake up 45 minutes to an hour later, then can't fall asleep again until he has been fussy for several hours and his parents have tried every trick they know multiple times until they are exhausted too. This is a habit I do not want him to get into! I don't know what the solution is yet, but I am determined to find it!

So anyway, he was up and tired, but not sleepy. I had a glass full of cold water, and he seemed very interested in it. He watched me drink, and kept reaching for the glass. I put it against his arms to show him that it was cold, but he still kept trying to get it. I drained the glass until almost the end, then decided to see if he would like some water.

The first sip didn't go so well. I put the glass to his lips and raised it, but instead of water going into his mouth, I saw a big bunch of spit bubbles sliding down into the water at the bottom. Gross!

The second sip went much better--he actually got some water into his mouth! And all over his shirt, of course. He kind of smacked his lips, and reached out his hands for the glass again. Another little sip, and then he was hooked! He would drink a little (making his shirt wetter each time), and then reach out and try to bring the glass to his mouth again. His daddy and I kept laughing at how much he wanted the glass, and were shocked that he wanted to drink so much.

We poured out most of the water because it's not safe for babies to drink too much, but he still drank probably 1-2 ounces of it. And wanted more! From the way he was acting, it was obviously the most delicious thing he has ever tasted. Fortunately though, he has been happy enough to drink his milk the usual way since then!