Hugh - 11 months!

I fell a little short of daily blogging since Hugh's last post BUT I did get a lot of posts published that have been sitting in my drafts list for too long! Also, I am back to thinking about the blog and doing a little writing every couple of days rather than letting it pile up, so that is a start. (edited to add: I had this entire post written and the internet went down. I stupidly refreshed the browser and "poof" it was gone. Even 10+ years out of college that feeling of loss made me irrationally irritated!)

We have had a rough couple of weeks. A few days after Memorial Day my Dad called to say that he would not be able to pick Lily up from school because he was feeling sick...and then like dominoes we all fell...one by one. Matt and Ben came down with it first, a nasty cough and fever. A few days later Hugh and Lily were down with the same symptoms. I managed to hang on, playing nurse to everyone, for 8 days...EIGHT DAYS. On the morning of Lily's preschool graduation I woke up in a cold sweat with a fever of 102. No, no, NOOO. I was so miserable, I felt like death, and looked even worse. We actually dropped the boys off with Mimi even though they were both still sick and feverish so that we could even drag ourselves to the graduation. Anyone want to guess who got sick next?!? (Sorry again Mimi!) For all I know we also infected Lily's entire preschool. It actually got worse before it got better when my kids all cycled through the bug a second time. Matt was sick for almost three full weeks. To be honest Hugh still has a runny nose and cough. All in all this was a minor illness and we are so blessed to be healthy overall but man did this knock us on our butts!

So this month passed and we didn't do a whole lot to enjoy it. Not surprisingly Hugh seems to have grown into a man child overnight. Eleven months, how did this happen? There shall be absolutely no mention of what happens next, understood?

My sweet little angel really was such a trooper while being so pathetic. He didn't sleep well at night and naps were frequent and short. Nursing was rough because he was so congested but his appetite for solid foods was also diminished. So for this months' post it is hard to write up where we are now, versus what is "normal".

Likes: First and foremost MOMMY, having paci and blankie at nap, being in the "baby trap" (the hexagon gate thingy), pulling up on everything, giving kisses, being held, riding in the wagon or jogging stroller, baths with the bigs, army crawling, the activity table, nursing, being tickled, the cat, cruising the furniture, any toy that rolls or has wheels, banging things, trying to drink from a sippy cup.

Dislikes: Being told no, having unsafe things taken away, not being permitted to splash in the dog's water bowl, watermelon, being cold, being hungry.

Nicknames: Youkie, Hughtiepie

Milestones: I feel like we are sort of stalled in the mobility and "trick" department. He does not point or blow kisses, he only really says mama when he wants to be picked up, he is getting closer to free standing but isn't there yet, no new teeth...so lame and boring ;) One major milestone to mention, Hugh had his first overnight with Mimi. He lit up like a Christmas tree upon seeing me the next morning which was pretty much the highlight of my whole life.

Feeding: Hugh is a good eater, not a super fantastic eater, but good. He really likes eggs, grilled cheese, chicken, graham crackers, and any fruit that comes out of a pouch. I have mentioned a few hundred times that spoon feeding a baby has never been my favorite bonding activity so I bought Hugh some very cute refillable pouches. I am ecstatic to announce that he is very proficient at feeding himself! Third baby for the win! There are a few foods that he doesn't like, Gerber "garden vegetables" puree (can't say that I blame him) and watermelon...which is just crazy. Not a whole lot has changed with his meal schedule since last month. He does not like to eat solids in the morning and would much rather nurse. I am trying to insist that he eat at least a little something, usually a banana and a handful of Cheerios. Most days lunch and dinner are easy and he happily eats whatever delicacy I whip up and throw in his direction. He does like to eat dinner at exactly 4:50pm and even one minute later causes him to really lose his mind.

Nursing is still great with only one not so minor exception, Hugh is a biter. He definitely does it to "see what will happen". I will say right now that every stupid article on the subject that makes suggestions like "firmly tell the baby no while maintaining your composure" makes me want to poke the author with a sharp stick. It hurts...but moreover it is impossible not to react! It isn't enough of a problem that I am going to stop nursing him but I certainly hope that the novelty of these new teeth wears off very soon.

Sleeping: Again, tough to say if there has been a whole lot of change to the sleep routine because for so many days sleeping was rough in general. I think now that he is feeling better we are pretty much back to our previous routine: Up at 6, back down immediately after nursing. Up at 8, back down for morning nap at 10. Up by noon, back down for afternoon nap at 2. Up at 4, off to bed at 6:45. If he takes two 2 hour naps in a day he is a happy guy, anything less and the cranky post dinner hour can be a bit of a grind.

Odds and Ends: I sort of forgot how much work a partially mobile baby is in the summer. This in between stage means that I have to carry/wear Hugh pretty much everywhere we go that is not stroller friendly (like the beach) and once we are there I have to chase him around and repeatedly stop him from eating handfuls of sand. I will say that while Hugh does not care for the confinement of a blanket he is too suspicious of grass to really make a break for it in the yard. I am coming to realize that the age difference between the kids right now is going to make summer rough. Hugh is too little to keep up with the big kids' activities and the big kids are not quite big enough to be independent or self sufficient (I'm looking at you Ben). Taking all three kids to my aunt's pool without an additional grownup is way more than I can handle by myself these days. And the beach, forget it! So for now we have been making good use of our babysitters...which has the added effect of making the grandmas pretty happy ;)

I went down the rabbit hole and started looking at old blog posts...and then 10 hours and a full box of tissues later I came back to finish this post. One thing that I did realize is that we all treat Youkie like he is a baby...like a baby baby. To remedy this situation I gave him a sip of my beer after dinner. (THAT IS A JOKE) I did however bring up some of the toddler toys from the basement, which were a huge hit with the big kids! Once they had their turn Hugh took the walker for a spin and we were all amazed at how quickly he figured it out. I would say that by the end of the week he will be pushing it like a boss. Sorry it took me so long buddy, does this mean you are done with the circle of neglect?? With three kids I find that I am so much more focused on the routine and the day to day that forget to stop and ask questions. In this case, "Do you think Hugh is ready to walk??" (Two other examples "Why is Lily still using a sippy cup?" and "Does Ben need to wear a diaper to bed??")

I just switched over the clothes, Youkie is officially outfitted for summer. Most of what I put in the drawer is 12m but I did put a few 18m things in there as well so that he doesn't grow right through them. Lily is especially adept at noticing every time her baby bro wears something "new" and is always quick with a compliment.

I can't believe that June is already over. I really need to get my act together and send out the formal invites for Hugh's birthday party/baptism.

Up next: Do not say it.