Today was the day... the day I started to introduce a cup to my little Parkeroni. If you don't know, my Parker won't take a bottle, cup, or eat food. Looking at his solid physique you would think he would eat anything. He presses his lips together real tight whenever you get a spoon close to his mouth. If he did get food in his mouth he would gag. Recently tough, he started eating graham crackers and green beans. That was a hopeful start.

So, now that he is 8 1/2 months and I've had some great encouragement (Thanks Devon) we are giving the cup a shot. I started out the morning trying to get him to take a bottle. It is one that a gal from church gave me. It is unlike any other bottle I have seen. So, I worked on it all morning and he would not drink from it. Nap time came and he was hungry, but I didn't give in. He eventually dosed off and took a real good nap. When he woke up I tried the bottle again and no go. So we went ran errands and kept his mind off of it. When we came back I tried some applesauce. To my surprise, he ate it. He actually opened his mouth and ATE the applesauce. That was reward enough for all my efforts. Then when my dad came over for dinner he was able to get Parker to drink from his cup. He just took little sips here and there. He drank about 4 oz and then took some more from Dave later. It is not a complete success, but it is a start. I would appreciate any helpful hints or suggestions. I am still going to nurse, I nursed this evening before he went to bed, but I want him to be more independent! For my sake, right?