Weaning...

I hate that word but I think the time has finally come for me to wean Liam:-( I had every intention on breastfeeding until he was at least 18 months old- I know it sounds silly but I felt like I "owed" it to him since Emery got to nurse that long! Plus I believe that there are many nutritional benefits for both a mother and toddler to nurse longer than a year. (http://www.kellymom.com/bf/bfextended/ebf-benefits.html)
However, over the past few months Liam has gotten VERY bad about biting/grabbing! Enough to cause some damage and extreme pain while nursing. Weirdly, it has been the same side every time and needless to say, I've had pretty much all I can take.
Right now we're at the point where he's nursing maybe 3-4x a day and I hope to cut it down to 1-2x a day over the holidays. My goal is to have him weaned by January, at least to the point where he's only nursing before bed or maybe every few days if he absolutely can't go without.
I really hate the thought of going "cold turkey" on him- not only is it tough on him, it'd be painful for me!
As sad as it is, seeing as he is our last baby, I am excited my body will finally be my own again- it's been about 3 years and 9 months since I haven't been pregnant or nursing!!! Shocking when you think about it!
Hopefully this all goes well and we both adjust easily to the change.