To go, please

It has become increasingly difficult to make Abbie stay put in one place -- even for a short time -- let alone during feeding times. Now that she is mobile and (in her mind) totally independent, she squirms, moves, fidgets, rolls over, grabs her feet, all while I am trying to keep the bottle in her mouth. I am no contortionist, but I have invented new moves and distorted positions that even an able acrobat would envy just so I can keep up with her. Which is, come to think of it, a good thing: whatever might happen, I have a future in the Circus. But let's not digress: when it's time to hit the bottle, Abbie seems recharged with new energy which cannot be contained. I have explored all different scenarios and tried some good'ole deus ex machinae, to no avail: give her a toy, talk to her, engage her in some stationary game, sing to her, make funny faces... the list goes on.

Abigail will drink one ounce and then fuss to get free from the bottle chore and zip away. She eventually comes back, but after 1/2 ounce of sucking, something will inevitably grab her attention and she *has* to go check it out. Anyone who has formula-fed their babies (not my primary choice, in my case) knows that the life-span of prepared formula is an hour. After those 60 minutes are up, the formula goes down -- the drain. I have been lucky enough, anyway, because even though Abigail will never eat the entire bottle, now, she will at least eat most of it within the fateful hour. Believe me, she is not suffering from lack of nutrition. But the whole duodrama is funny.

Someone should invent something useful for when babies want their meals to go.