“Do you think Lorelei is ready for a bigger nipple?”

This was the notation on one of Lorelei’s sheets from daycare last week – the ones on which they record bottles (inputs), diapers (outputs), and naps (kaputs). Incidentally, she just finished out her very first notebook of these sheets, which they gave us for posterity – they even pasted in a few candid photos of her here and there. It’s fantastic, our very own personal copy of Lorelei: A Retrospective.

I have to say, the question of nipple size never occurred to me. I didn’t know they – the rubber ones, that is – came in different sizes. This is the sort of maternal detail my sister-in-law is totally on top of and I am completely oblivious to, until I look over and compare Matthew (happily drinking his bottle) with Lorelei (pounding the side of her bottle with her fist and sucking so hard she’s practically turning it inside out).

At the drugstore I found a package of “fast flow” nipples for the 7+ month old. Lorelei is just now hitting 6 months, but I figured she could handle a more high-performance model than the 3-pinholer she’s been using since she was born. This one has an x-shaped cutout and is, according to the packaging, “ideal for thicker liquids.” I know they’re not talking about milkshakes, but I must confess that that’s where my mind immediately went.

We tried out the new nipples yesterday, and all went well. Bring on the milkshakes.

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