After two years, one month and nine days, Lenny has weaned.

To say that the weaning process has taken a lot of time could be an understatement. First, there was the decision to actually start weaning. I had wanted to for a while, but couldn’t figure out how (or maybe, couldn’t muster the courage?) to do it. Then, once we started the weaning process, we took it slowly—cutting out the naptime session; then, months later, stopping the before-bed session and, finally, the morning session a month after that. We took our time, and I think that worked well for us.

Bedtime seems to take more time these days. Lenny still has to figure out how to fall asleep with me, without nursing himself to sleep. He does better with my husband at bedtime, but it looks like we’ll need to take more time for Lenny and I to figure this one out together.

Without nursing as a way to connect, I have found myself wanting to take more time, just me and Lenny. There are days when I crave some alone time with him, which we often get on the weekends while my husband is at work. One of my favorite things to do with Lenny is to go to those bounce house gyms—we jump and play together, and he still needs me to help him climb to the top and go down the slides with him. Taking time just for the two of us has helped fill a void for me and find new ways to connect during the day.

Taking the time to wean meant finding the right time that worked well for us. It has certainly been bittersweet saying goodbye to something that was such an important part of our lives for so long, but it was time. I’ve taken some comfort knowing that, even if we can’t nurse, Lenny still needs me in so many other ways.

I hope it will take him a lot of time before he grows out of that.