For those of you unaware of what a “Bubbins” is, that’s a nickname that my husband and I often use for our son James. And as of today he is a whole 7 months old!
It’s honestly unbelievable. I remember when he was just one week old and in that postpartum haze the thought of him ever being 7 months old felt so far away and impossible.
Having a newborn was hard. Really hard.
Don’t get me wrong – I loved it. There’s something about snuggling your little tiny human that brings a warmth and joy of it’s own kind. I can’t even compare it to anything, but for any of you parents out there you know what I’m talking about.
Their clothes are so tiny and cute, and you get to see them learn so many things. There’s the first smile, the first laugh, learning to roll, and learning to sit up on their own.
But with all that comes a big adjustment to this tiny creature who is so dependent on you. James wouldn’t sleep unless he was being held for the first 6 weeks of his life. He hated swaddles, the car seat, the bassinet, and the pacifier so my arms were the only tools we had to get the kiddo to sleep.
I absolutely loved getting to hold him while he napped, and actually miss it at times now, but at the time it was very draining.
And breastfeeding totally kicked my butt at first. The little man wouldn’t nurse without a nipple shield for the first 3 months of his life, adding another thing to worry about every 2-3 hours. I was also incredibly sore for the first 4-6 weeks and nursing was incredibly painful because James had a hard time latching.
But then as he got older we figured out how to help him sleep on his own with a specific swaddling technique. My body became less sore. Bubbins figured out how to nurse without a nipple shield.
With each thing he learned, or we learned, we found our lives became a little bit simpler.
He’s learned to sleep better. He can sit up on his own without falling over now. He’s starting to crawl around and lunge for everything in sight. He can sit and entertain himself with a toy for 10-15 minutes now. He loves trying new food – no matter how sour or sweet.
He has the best smile and laugh, two whole teeth, and he loves to be silly and “dance” in our arms. Our wiggly little 7 months old is so much fun to hang out with and be around. Sure he has his cranky moments, but honestly who doesn’t?
We’ve all learned a lot together in these last 7 months, and I’m so grateful for all of it. 7 months of living a “life with bubbins” has been an awesome rollercoaster and I wouldn’t change anything about it.
