Nursing No More

Today was the first day Harper has ever gone without nursing.  For the past few months she's gone from 3-4 times a day, to just morning and night, and recently down to either morning or night.  I knew the inevitable was coming, but I didn't expect the progression to happen this quickly.  She's just over 15 months and I expected us to go until at least a year and a half.  In a way this is a good thing.  Wade and I are going on our first out of town trip.  We'll be gone for 3 days.  The longest we've ever left her was around 7 or 8 hours and that was when she was around 4 months old.  I didn't know how she was going to handle 3 days without nursing, but it looks like that won't be a problem.  That's good for all of us, I think.  I must admit, though, that a part of me is mourning the loss of this closeness that we've shared for so long.  It means that my little tiny baby is no more.  It's forcing me to accept the fact that she's growing and so is the dynamic of our relationship.  She's becoming more independent each day.  It's absolutely amazing to watch her grow and develop and while I am outwardly cheering her on, the inside of me is selfishly clinging to the little baby she once was.  Oh the anguish we parents must endure so our children can grow, huh?  And we've only just begun!  I'm proud that we were able to last this long.  We surpassed my goal of a year and so I can't complain.  Now, let's see how I handle being away from my sweet little girl for 3 days!  Eek.