Weaning the nipple guard

I got up at 4:30 and have been feeding Josiah each feeding since without the nipple guard on the right side. I am not ready to wean the left yet due to a scab that hurts without the guard, but he is. I did not realize how much that guard is slowing him down. He can empty the right side in 5 minutes, where he'll work at the left for 20, if he stays awake that long.
Josiah is very consistently putting his fists and fingers in his mouth to suck on for comfort. Today, he has been doing it several times in a row each time he is hungry. His neck is strong enough that he leans back in the Moby wrap and arches his back so he can look around. He loves looking out the windows at the trees. He watched Bryan as he moved his cocoa cup around. He followed it up and down and when Bryan saw him looking he also followed it side to side.
He still seems back to normal and I am enjoying every minute of it.