Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve caught myself looking at V and thinking, ‘Why does he look so grown up all of a sudden?’ and ‘When did he get so big?’

There are a number of things that have happened over the last couple of months that make him appear more grown up.

1. No more pacifier.  *sigh of relief*

2. We had our first trip to the doctor AND for a haircut (on the same day) and there was no screaming or crying (not even one tear) at either appointment.  It’s amazing what the promise of chocolate milk can do, isn’t it?

3. We went swimming twice last week and he got into the pool very happily without making any fuss.  And it was our first time in four or five months, so I was expecting fussiness!

4. He’s more aware of Christmas and Santa.  Last year he was terrified of Santa (though he still wanted presents).  This year it’s all ‘Santa, Santa, Santa’.  We’ve even written Santa a letter.  He’s singing Christmas songs non-stop as well!

5. He has dropped his afternoon nap.  While I know this means he’s growing up, it also means that I don’t get my afternoon nap any more!

He’s getting big – but there’s one last step he has to take before he reaches ‘bigness’.  And it’s not his fault he has to do it – but mine…

He still drinks formula (SMA Toddler Milk) and he still drinks it out of a bottle.  AND he still wakes in the night for it.  I know, I know *embarrassed face*  I should have stopped it a long time ago.

When we went to Bali last year, we took three tins of SMA with us (as they don’t stock it there).  When we went to Dubai earlier this year, we took the SMA with us (finding it isn’t always easy).  Let’s keep in mind, also, that the SMA in Lagos costs double the price that it does in the UK.

My mum wanted to try and ‘wean him off it’ during our last trip, but I wouldn’t let her.  I didn’t want him to get used to drinking fresh milk and then come back here and have to readjust to UHT.  It just sounds like more of a hassle than it has to be!

Now that we’re leaving again in a couple of weeks, my mum said not to bring any SMA with us and let him just deal.  That sounds a bit mean to me, but I’ve been considering it.

Meanwhile, a friend of mine recently had a baby.  Her first child has just turned three.  She said that before she left London to come back here with the baby, they had a ‘bottle ceremony’.  She explained to her daughter that she was a big girl now and that she was a big sister, and that she had to say goodbye to her bottles, etc.  What did they do?  The little girl threw all her bottles off the balcony (into the garden below) and now drinks regular milk from a regular glass!

I told V all about his friend and what a big girl she was now (even though a couple of months younger than him) and how we will do the same for his bottles.  He looked at me horrified.  Then he crouched down on the ground and said, ‘But mama, see myself.  I’m small!  I need to drink from a bottle.’

So funny.  But so irritating!

I kept bringing it up in conversation, and he kept resisting.

Then one fine day he said, ‘Mama when my milk finishes I’m going to throw my bottles from the balcony and I’m going to drink cow’s milk from a glass.’

EH?  Where did this come from?  I was so excited!

We decided we’d go out and buy a special cup for him to drink his milk from (we haven’t done that yet).

But…  But yesterday he was going through all the cupboards looking for something, and he found a new SMA tin!  He was ever so excited – so now we may have to wait for that to finish first!

Santa replied to V’s letter and has told him that he will bring him an airplane, a London bus and a book about birds.  But only when he starts drinking cow’s milk!

Fingers crossed for a smooth transition.