Sippy cups

Yesterday, Hal and I got home from work, and we were both sitting with Ella on the couch. Hal was holding her, and I was drinking water from a Mighty Fine Burgers cup (we're not above saving the plastic to-go cups). Well, Ella reached out for it and would not accept "no, you can't have this" for an answer. So, I held it up to her lips...and she DRANK FROM THE CUP!! I mean, she seriously put her top lip over the edge and took a few sips of water. She already knew how to do it...when did this learning occur?? Amazing. The girl won't take a bottle, but she'll take a cup???

Needless to say, I am excited to start putting milk (and some thinned out rice cereal) in her sippy cup and see if she'll drink from that. I don't expect her to take to it well right away or anything, but it was such an awesome view of things to come.

P.S. The moment was also bittersweet as I realized that our time of exclusively nursing (as taxing as that can be) is starting to come to an end. I hope to continue nursing for another couple of months--8 months was my original goal--but the more that she starts branching out with things like sippy cups, the more I realize that very soon I won't need to nurse her as often. This is a wonderful and a confusing thought.