Decided to work on night weaning with earnest last night. Freya is almost 22 months old and I know she is nursing at night now out of habit rather than need. She can still nurse during the day of course, but we need to start focusing on other ways of getting back to sleep, which I know she is now capable of. So I prepared myself for tears and possibly a tantrum.

We went to sleep around 9:30 or so. Then of course Brian comes in at like one in the morning, waking me out of a sound sleep. I had to move over, which meant waking Freya. I was too tired to deal with weaning at that second, so I just let her nurse for a few minutes back to sleep. Then I lay there for who knows how long trying to get back to sleep myself.

Freya wakes again at maybe 5:00, I’m not sure as I couldn’t see the clock. “Mommy milk?” she began to say repeatedly. “Nigh-night, baby,” I replied. I then explained that mommy milk went night night and would be back in the morning. She cried, and I rubbed her back. She was very persistent, but so was I. I decided to take her mind off of it.

“Let’s talk about something else,” I said. “What does an owl say?”
“Hoo hoo hoo,” said Freya.
“Do you remember the bunny we saw at the park?”
“Bunny go woods!” she replied. The bunny we saw yesterday hopped into the woods, which provoked much conversation.
“Do you like the moon?”
“Good night, moon,” said Freya.
“Yes, good night moon, and good night Freya.”
Then we had to say goodnight to everyone in the house of course.

She cuddled up next to me and was quiet for a moment. Was she really over it so quickly? Because there have been nights when I’ve denied her milk and she has positively freaked out. After a while she spoke up again.

“Goodnight nursing. Goodnight mommy milk. Goodnight mommy.”

I about fainted from the cute, and gave her a kiss. It still took her a while to fall asleep. She said she needed mommy’s hand or mommy’s arm, so still wanted that close contact, which is just fine as long as I can find a position that doesn’t put my limbs to sleep. Finally she was out, and the sun was rising. I think I slept a while longer, but then it was seven, so I got up to make coffee.

I am so sore from yesterday’s workout, as I knew I would be. It’s nice to have my own live-in personal trainer, but god it can be quite punishing, too. But I need to stick with it. I saw some pics of myself that were taken yesterday in the yard when Freya and I were painting the playhouse, and I look like such a slob. Ugh. I seem to recall a time when I didn’t mind having my photo taken, but now I absolutely hate 99% of all pictures taken of me.