I'm writing a book.

It's going to be called The Nursing Mother's Guide to Weaning Your College Student.

You think I'm kidding?

I'm SO not.

I never thought I'd be nursing my daughter for very long. I had no clue what the heck I was doing, so how would I even begin to imagine that I'd make it to a year, let alone past two? Seriously. It's amazing. And yes, it's a precious and remarkable experience. And I'm proud. But I swore I would not be one of those mothers whose children asked for the breast. I had a caveat, I meant with actual sentences, so perhaps I'm not really there yet. After all, her favorite request is "boobie!" That can't count, can it?

Anyway, I'm trying various ways of weaning her, but she is pretty attached. Other kids have binkies and loveys, my daughter has me.

We've drastically reduced the number of nursing sessions per day. We pretty much nurse in the mornings, at night and sometimes once in the afternoon (for naps) but there are days I'll turn around and suddenly realize it's early afternoon and we haven't nursed once. The nighttime sessions are not a bother, they're time for us to unwind, calm down before bed, and often I'm even able to move her into her crib without having her fall asleep first. She's growing up, she's becoming a big girl. I am amazed by her every single day.

And it's bittersweet. Because while I love the nighttime nursing sessions I think we're closing in on the end. And I think it's time. But I can't figure out HOW to stop, and I don't know if it's more me or her. But I know that we'll get there. Because I will not be nursing her into her college years. At that point I'm going to want her out of the house anyway!

So what started off as a joke of a post ended up showing how the moments are so precious and I enjoy them, if only they were just at night. If only the minute I sat down on the couch wouldn't represent *boobie* for her. Having a new couch has helped. The butt groove from the old couch where I nursed her for the early days and months of her life is gone, and this couch is firm and strong. And different. It's harder to get comfortable, it's more of a struggle to sit and nurse, and I'm not bothered by that. So as you can see, I'm stuck in the middle. I know we'll get there, and along the way I'll try to figure out steps towards the end.

But if you have any tips for me on how to cut her off before her teen years I'm all ears!

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