LET'S GET READY TO RUMMMBLLE!!!

And in this corner: weighing in at just 18.12 pounds and standing (holding on to something) at 28.5 inches... He was born early and triumphant through a high risk pregnancy, so he's an undefeated warrior with a will of steel! It's Michaelllll Xavierrrrr Goodwinnnnn!!!

Most parents use these long holiday weekends to complete long awaited house projects like painting a room or organizing closet space. I tend to always end up with a child development project as well, like transitioning to a crib or toddler bed, getting rid of a pacifier, and I’ll never forget the July 4th holiday I thought I’d fully potty train my daughter–now THAT was funny! Oh what endless and unrealistic optimism I had as a first-time mom.

But I still believe good developmental progress can be made with our children while we're off work for a consistent number of days, so I'm starting this long Labor Day weekend early to get a jump start on Operation Bye-Bye Bottle, though it's looking more like The Nipple-Spout SmackDown.

I've never seen such a strong will in a 12 month-old. I'm wondering where on earth he got that from! Geez! Trust me: this guy is madly in love with his bottle. He never got attached to a pacifier, so his bottle soothes his doubts, calms his fears, and makes our house a lot less noisy I might add.

Confession: that's why I have procrastinated with this transition. I should have been more persistent with the sippy cup introduction months ago, but when he refused it, I decided to put it off until I had more time (HA!) to devote to the project. Now that his first teeth are finally here to stay after months of playing peek-a-boo, getting him off the bottle is of utmost urgency.

We have tried many brands of sippy and straw cups to no avail. This dude would rather fast from drinking than drink without a nipple. He's throwing the cup on the floor, crying real tears, pitching fits arching his back, and screaming with all his vocal strength. He has had me and my husband sweating bullets after just a few moments of battle. And our four year-old who's not just covering her ears for fun these days is right, "He's hurting my ears!"

We're in a standoff, a duel of sorts this weekend, but I'm determined to win. I'll be reporting live from The SmackDown on Twitter today, so stay tuned. And like the old mothers of the church I once attended would say after testifying before the congregation, "Those that know the words of prayer, please pray my strength in the Lord."