Mama's first escape

Last weekend was my future sister-in-law's wedding shower.  Leading up to the day, I struggled to decide what to do with the Maya...take her along or leave her at home.  I knew there would be a lot of people who would love to see her, so part of me definitely wanted to bring her with me, but I decided that it would be better to leave her home.  With so many people there (and the venue was a senior living community), I didn't want her to catch any bugs.  I also knew I'd be very preoccupied and unable to focus on the shower guests and activities.  Finally, I was excited at the thought of getting out of the house for a little "alone" time.
Of course, leaving her home would be impossible if not for one key point- she needed to take a bottle!  Our doctor had advised that we should introduce the bottle between 3 and 6 weeks.  Before 3 weeks could cause nipple confusion and after 6 weeks would be too late and she would have a hard time learning the new skill.  With the shower the day after her 4 week "birthday", we knew we needed to introduce the bottle that week.  The first attempt didn't go very well, but try #2 and 3 were great!  She finally figured it out and I experienced a major mental relief to see her take the bottle from Brad.  I saw some freedom and flexibility in the future and I was ecstatic!  Not that I don't enjoy nursing my baby, but having the option of Brad taking over a feeding every now and then was a very exciting thought!  Not only does it give me some freedom, but we both like the idea that Brad could partake in the bonding by feeding her as well.
Here's my girl taking the bottle for the first time!  She's getting so big (really...she weighed 9lbs 4 oz at her dr appointment yesterday)!

The shower was wonderful and it was great to spend some time with my family.  I'm so excited for my brother, Paul and Tina!  The wedding is around the corner and I cannot wait for them to make it official!