No More Night Nursing

Last night (being Saturday night we got in late)  I put the baby down about 11PM and he did not want to nurse again until like 9something this morning.  I offered and he just wanted to sleep!  I am having mixed emotions... happy to sleep through the night w/o needing to nurse because SLEEP IS GOOD, but I am a little sad that he's basically weened himself of all night feedings before 4 months.  My toddler nursed for 19 months!  I literally stopped on the day he turned 20 months.  (my husband said he might never have stopped if we had not gotten pregnant again.... cause that boy could eat/nurse!)  When I weened my toddler, I did the opposite of what most books tell you to do.  That is, I began by cutting out a day feeding and I would keep that cut out for a few days (usually at least 3 or 4 days) and then I would move to another feeding and cut it out.  I took 9 full weeks to gradually ween and I ended with night feedings.  I was also co-sleeping/bed-sharing so that is just what worked for me.  With my toddler (my first child) he directly associated nursing with going to sleep -- either for naps or for night sleep.  That was HARD to break.  I thought it would be nearly impossible.  But like everything in life, we just gradually moved into a new season where I could read a book and sing to him and that became a new way to bring comfort and SLEEP.  Fast forward to my second son..... we does not associate nursing with sleeping.  He does occasionally fall asleep nursing, but he does not have to nurse in order to fall asleep.  This is a huge difference.  This child can be nursed, burp, changed into a dry diaper and if I know it's sleepy time, he will be perfectly content to be placed in his crib STILL AWAKE and he will go to sleep!!  God bless him.  He is so easy.  No crying.  Sound asleep and sleeps well (not continually popping up).  This is another huge difference.  I don't know that one is all-the-way better than the other as far as nursing and sleeping go....  just different.  The bonding will be and has been different too.  With my second son, being that he's not even 4 months old yet, I feel that I am still learning him.  And that's exciting.  I am not pushing any certain Mommy agenda.  I am learning what works best for him.  And it IS going to be different from big brother.  They are going to eat, sleep, and need me in different ways.  But that's so cool to me because I can see how God made them.  They are each their own little person.  And I LOVE THAT!  I LOVE MY BOYS!!!