Clara's First Bottle

We introduced a bottle this weekend. Julie was a little apprehensive about doing so because the dairy has been working overtime which has meant nursing has been a very focused and deliberate activity as she works to reduce supply and Clara Jane works to keep pace with it, with the hope we'll meet somewhere in the middle. (We're told by the lactation consultants and a dear friend that this is slow going; indeed it has been but we are making progress slowly but surely.) However, as Clara Jane will be off to school and Julie back to work before we know it, we decided to do it lest the Bird reject the bottle when we need her to take it. She didn't bat it away, but she exhibited the same difficulty chug-a-lugging as she does initially with Julie. She just a more languid lady, but she is learning that a with gusto approach is sometimes the way to go. Raleigh*, using this approach always whether appropriate or not, tried to tell her, but you could almost hear Clara thinking, "Are you the one they refer to as Cuckoo? Or are you Cocoa Puffs? Either way, I'll keep my own counsel."

*Note that he is perched very helpfully in the middle of this tableau.