Hugh - 7 Months!

How can it be?

I know that I am not supposed to have a favorite...I KNOW! It really isn't my fault. Hugh you are the best baby in the entire world. And, well, let's be honest here...your siblings spend a good portion of the day in time out have a lot of feelings. One day I will wake up and you too will have a temper and the ability to stomp and/or yell...and I will be forced to choose a new favorite, ha! But for now, heaven help me because you OWN me. You are (said like Chris Traeger because we are binge watching Parks & Rec) LITERALLY the sweetest, most adorable, ridiculously delicious little boy on the planet. So rarely are you even slightly unhappy that the other night when you cried for all of 3 minutes "for no reason" both Daddy and I were worried that you were sick. I am sure that when I come back and read this post two years from now I will be certain that I was exaggerating...future self, I am not exaggerating! Of course he is not perfectly content all of the time. In fact as I type he is fighting nap and actually screaming quite loudly. BUT if I went in and got him, BOOM crying over and he would charm us all with giggles. (Sorry buddy you still need a nap, I am not coming to get you!)

Likes: Mommy, being held, nursing, being tickled, having a fresh diaper, paci, rolling, trying to stand, FEET!, drooling all over everything, being naked, tomato crunchies, riding in the car, the circle of neglect, tummy time, snuggles, the play mat, scooting off the play mat, jingly sounds, the TV, attention from Ben and Lily, pulling hair, baths (finally), chewing everything within reach.

Dislikes: Being told no, solid foods, having unsafe things taken away

Nicknames: Youkie, Youkie-pie, Hoo, Hughtiepie



Milestones: Sleeping through the night (dropping a mid-night feeding), sitting, solid foods, baby's first 5K!

Feeding: Hugh still loves to nurse above all else. In fact I might argue that in protest of solid foods he actually cues to nurse more frequently than he was a few weeks ago. Of course he is also getting bigger/older and he may be nursing more because he is hungrier. Whatever the reason Hugh is still nursing 6-7 times per day in addition to taking a 6-7oz bottle just before bed. First time me would probably be doing some finger wagging as third time me sits on the couch to nurse Hugh purely for his comfort at least once a day. Lily was an efficiency queen who only nursed when she was hungry and Ben was all about solids once we started. While I breastfed each of them until their first birthday neither nursed just because they liked it.

It has been several weeks since Matt or I have tried to give Hugh milk that has been previously frozen. To follow up from last month however Hugh did drink the milk that was only in the freezer for about 24 hours without any fuss. I suspect that he really is just that sensitive to variations in the taste of the milk. That is not to say that the milk in the freezer tastes different than the milk he had been happily drinking that day/week, but it does taste different than the milk he was drinking a few hours before...if that makes sense. I am hoping that as we introduce more and more solids that he becomes desensitized to variations in taste. The likelihood that he will drink even a quarter of the freezer stash is slim, but it makes me feel better knowing it is there if we need it. I will admit that I could probably start pumping less and let my supply decrease a little without the universe spinning wildly out of control. I will also admit that sometimes I pump for my own comfort and while I fully realize that this encourages my supply I do not like to run when I am lugging around 8-10 ounces of milk, call me crazy.

Solids are going...fine. I don't really worry about much these days, but again, first time me would not approve of my lackadaisical approach to Hugh's meals. Some days he eats, some days he doesn't. Some days he gags a few times and then seems to remember how to swallow. Other days all he does is gag. I don't think he likes bananas, haha. He likes to sit in the high chair with the family. He LOVES gerber tomato cruchies. I should probably worry that he is going to be my kid that lives on granola bars and crackers for 3 years. Eh, too soon to tell. For now we will just keep trying with cereal and squash and throw some other purees at him every few days. I bought some refillable pouches to try since I am already so over spoon feeding. Sorry Hughtie, we can bond in other ways buddy!

Sleeping: Two words: SLEEP TRAINED. Boom.

Ok, so maybe there are more than two words I can say on the subject of sleep. Hallelujah comes to mind!

Hugh was a textbook sleep trainer. It literally (there I go again Chris Traeger) took me three nights of gradually extending the amount of time I let him CIO to completely eliminate our middle of the night feeding. I do not go to him when he is crying during a nap (see above) but even my cold black heart has its limits. If I feel like a little paci assistance will salvage a nap or if I can just tell that he is getting too worked up...I totally fold. With Hugh I can do that. He is not an all or nothing baby. Talk about freaking liberating!!

In the last few weeks a schedule, of Hugh's design, has emerged. We start our day between 6 and 7. I nurse Hugh on one side in the toasty baby suite (I moved the glider in there, because I am a doer people). He only nurses on one side and then I put him back to bed. He wakes up again between 8:30 and 9 and I nurse him again. He hangs out for about an hour. Seriously, by 10am he is ready to go back down for a nap. Lily did the exact same thing (I just looked it up and so did Ben!). He gets up a little before noon and goes back down around 2:30. His afternoon nap is variable but we try and get 2 hours...that did not happen today. He is all nightgowned up for bed by 7:30. Kiss kiss, goodnight little prince.

Sigh, Hugh. SIGH! You are so wonderful.

Odds and Ends: I really can't explain all of the gushing this month other than to say that I just feel so lucky to have an easy baby. The big kids are sort of crushing us right now so our laid back dude is just...ah there are no words. If you have had a really difficult baby then you know what I am saying. If you have only had happy amazing babies that sleep all night then you have no clue just how amazing you have it, but we can still be friends.

Matt pushed Hugh in the jogger on a very cold Valentine's Day for our "year of races" February event. Clearly making Dingle the coolest, most badass husband/dad ever and Hugh a total boss for already completing his first 5K. The big kids really need to step up their game.

I realized that aside from the race Hugh has spent about 15 minutes outside since November. Sorry buddy...it's cold.

Hugh is getting a little too mobile for my liking. He isn't crawling but he is scooting and can drag himself surprisingly far across the rug on his belly. It is only a matter of time until he realizes that he is definitely strong enough to lift that big ol' belly up off the floor. Rolls for days. Like our very own Pillsbury dough boy!

Up next: Finger foods and warmer temps (because it can't stay this cold forever)