big boys don't cry- unless their bottles are taken away

Jonathan was doing fairly well with the bottle-sippy transition up until Ethan was born. For the past 9 months, it's been a real struggle, however, as Jonathan is (as mentioned before) big on Jonathan-equality. About 3 weeks ago, I was trying to decide when would be a good time to make him give them up. Do I wait 3 months until Ethan is old enough, and take them away together? Then I wondered, what if I got pregnant again (just for the record, I am not going to) and there was another baby who got bottles? Would all 3 of them get bottles? Of course not, that would be insanity. People with multiple children can wean their eldest, and so can I. That morning, we decided we were ready to do whatever it took to help Jonathan recover from his bottle addiction. Of course, the first day without baba's, it ended up reaching 86 degrees inside. Having left our 2 bedroom apartment with central air for a three bedroom with windows that don't even accomodate window a/c, I probably should have tried this in the spring. He cried and refused sippy after sippy, big boy cup, straw, even the ones he used to like best, as part of an elaborate thirst strike. Bedtime that night was fun for all in attendance, and for the neighbors who must have wondered what on earth was going on. I think he drank maybe 16 ounces that whole day. As he was curling up, finally going to sleep, I nearly caved. We were trying to teach him to give up babas, but what kind of lesson would I be teaching my son if we had to take him to the emergency room for dehydration? That IV's are better for little boys than bottles? Just as I was about to spring from my seat and get him a bottle, his little eyelids fell closed. We tucked him in, until 3 am when he woke me up crying. At that point, I got the biggest bottle we have (nine ounces, not eight!) and filled it with cold water. He felt warm and I was starting to really worry. The next morning, he woke up with a sopping wet diaper and I couldn't have been happier. I handed him his green sippy and he downed it. There have been times since then when he has looked longingly at Ethan's bottles, when he has even taken them, but he's getting used to it. I should have known it was going to be an ordeal when Jonathan was learning his first words. I wasn't surprised when he said dada first, but I was surprised that baba came before mama. I guess that means that with bottles out of the picture, I must be Jonathan's second favorite thing. Finally.