Weaning Teething and Crying, Oh My!

I have decided that I do want to wean Ryan. However, since he seems to be getting his 2y molars it may not be the best time to do this. And if I'm not going to nurse him to sleep anymore then I need a new strategy. And I've got nothing. The last 2 nights Ryan actually fell asleep with Adam, without being nursed. But in the middle of the night he was hysterical and would not go back to sleep until I nursed him. Teething pain? Who knows!?
I have also been thinking we should convert his bed back into a crib. While having it as a toddler bed hasn't made things worse, it also hasn't made things any better. And it has presented us with a couple new "issues". Like last night when Ryan woke up crying at 1:30am. I went into his room and found him underneath his crib. Stuck. Poor little guy!
So basically at this point I'm just really confused as to what my next step should be. Do I deliberately NOT nurse him before bed, and just let him scream and cry in the middle of the night? Do I go back to the crib? If so, how do I get Ryan to fall asleep in it? And maybe even stay asleep? I need a manual for this guy. He's so confusing.