I Guess I’m Going To Keep Him
What I’m about to say is one of those things I probably shouldn’t write down, not because it’s bad or shameful or scandalous but because every time I say something good about the baby he immediately stops doing the good thing and does the complete opposite. It’s the curse of smug parenting – as soon as you start bragging your baby can sleep through the night/eat vegetables/walk/do long division that ability falls right out of their head and you’re up all night/refusing veggies/carrying him/doing all your own dividing. But I’m going to tempt fate by writing it anyways and maybe give some hope to exhausted miserable new parents everywhere.
Having a baby that’s seven and a half months old is awesome.
Our nighttime routine is dependable and portable – the first bedtime with the baby in Pennsylvania was later than normal but by the second night he went to sleep just as easily as at home. All that cuddly co-sleeping didn’t ruin the baby or his ability to self sooth at all. SO THERE PUSHY BABY BOOKS.
He’s the perfect size to prop up in my lap to nurse – no pillows needed – so he’s easy to feed anywhere. He still gets distracted by loud noises or dogs or new places but he doesn’t bite or pull or try to rip of my nipples and he is very serious about his snacks and gets right back to business. Gotta keep those thighs as enormous as possible!
He has an adorable shy face he uses when women try to talk to him, tipping his face down and peeking out from under his ridiculously long eyelashes. But he’s a big fat faker and is only doing it to draw them in so he’ll get even MORE attention and MORE smiles and MORE “oh what a happy baby!” comments. Who can resist a charming ginger?
He also has a very serious thinking face he uses when he’s concentrating. Usually he’s concentrating on untying my shoes or eating a magazine or trying to climb through the coffee table, but when he sticks out his jaw and bites his tongue and goes “thhhhhhhhpppppt” I immediately forget I was going to scold him.
Mostly, he feels so much like MY BABY now, my very own tiny person that I grew. You get 9 months to prepare your mind and your life for a baby…but no part of pregnancy really prepares you for what it feels like to be someone’s mother. Now, finally, at 7 months I feel like someone’s mother. I love doing new things with him like the aquarium or the park or the beer factory museum. I can’t resist buying him presents every single time I see something I think he might like. Plus, I’ve started referring to Baby Evan and I as “we”, as in “we should probably take a nap” or “we did not nap today” or “WHY AREN’T WE NAPPING RIGHT NOW??” So I’m officially in a committed relationship with my baby. At least I know meeting his family won’t be too awkward.
Tags: 7 months, baby, breastfeeding, development, love, milestones
i just notice that i now refer to Rory and I as “we”. i didn’t even notice until i heard someone else do it. it’s exactly like the attachment parenting books say, i literally feel like she’s part of me.
So then, how bad is the first three months, really? I’ve been polling my friends with kids to try and prepare myself…..Thanks!
Well, the first month wasn’t too terrible because E was home the whole time and we worked in shifts. But month 2 was killer…I felt like I was never going to sleep EVER AGAIN and the breastfeeding still wasn’t good and I never left the house and was generally totally miserable. But then things got better, I got some sleep, the baby started to become more interesting and less screamy and by month 3 things were manageable.
Really, the time goes by so fast you forget how bad it was almost immediately. You have to, or we’d all be only children.
age 7 1/2 months is AMAZING! i’m loving life with miss poppy right now, alllmost enough to get lazy with the birth control, but not quite! (-; the easy-peasy nighttime routine is so lovely – i give her some oatmeal @ 8pm, play until she starts rubbing her eyes, then change her into pj’s and a fresh dipe. when 9 hits she’s super tired and i rock her with a bottle of milk till she’s asleep and i transfer her into bed with me or her crib when i’m feeling brave! (and no, co-sleeping didn’t ruin anything for us either! she sleeps great no matter where she is!)
i think the dependability of this age makes things more enjoyable. my girl has always been incredibly easygoing, but she was definitely not on any kind of schedule for the longest time. now she even poops on a schedule! it makes life so much easier when i have a grasp on what to predict comes next.
evan is sooo cute. i’m really enjoying your blog! cheers!