Getting rid of the bottle

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I have decided it is time to get rid of the bottles. Not that I have any problem with them, we love them. The problem is that my 17 month old son still wakes up to 3 times a night wanting one. This is NOT GOOD. I would love to get 8 hours of sleep 7 days a week. So, I have tried to dilute the bottles with water, which works for the first few times. Then he throws a fit until we give in because we have no other idea what to do. We have tried to reduce the amount that is in the bottle gradually down to nothing. Guess what? Not happening. So, I have finally decided to just jump all in. Hoping that if it is not introduced at all, then he won't remember that he is missing it. I did this one day on a hunch for naps (just decided to see if he would go down without it) he never even noticed and has not gotten a bottle for nap since. He is already use to this so I will not be doing naps and bedtime at the same time (which I think is a good thing). This is also how we got him to sleep in his crib, gradually doing it for naps, he got used to it then started to do it for bedtime. Now goes down wide awake with no problem (besides the bottle, obviously!). 

This is going to be such a hard week. Not sure what to do yet for the middle of the night screaming fits that are going to come. Everyone says, get the attached to a comfort item. I'm like, "like the blanket he won't go to sleep without, way ahead of you!". Like everything else, we will have to figure out what works for Kaine. I think he has broken the mold for baby raising. What seems to work for most, does not work for Kaine. Most of the time I have to combine many different methods to get it to work. This is as hard as it sounds. Lots of trial by error. But I have faith that this too shall pass and nothing worth having is done easily. I am willing to put in the work for the good of all. Send me positive thoughts and pray that Kaine will take to this easily without much trauma!