A mini TRIBUTE of sorts {Hiccup}

Warning. If you don't want to read about my child or look at way too many pictures of his cute face, this is probably not the post for you. Just don't tell me any of that to my face. Just nod along and smile and pretend like you care. I'll do the same thing with your child ;0)

This is just a mini tribute, seeing as my babe is still mini and not quite six months old. Still, he is mine, and therefore amazing so I thought I'd share.

Hiccup was born on a Thursday bright and early in the am after about 12 hours of labor. He was wide eyed and so alert, taking in everything around him. He met lots of people in the first few moments of his life. I wasn't sure how I'd feel when he was born; if I'd let people hold him or if I'd be so wrapped up in him that I'd want him all to myself. I'm very grateful for the support of our family who came to wait out his arrival. I'm glad that he has had the opportunity to meet so many new people. He is a very friendly baby, even if he doesn't smile at you right away, he will let you hold him and play with him. He'll warm up to you with smiles and giggles in his own time.

He was a content baby from the beginning, he was always pleasant and curious. He was kind of a noisy kid. He was really squeaky and he snored and even purred sometimes. Not a lot has changed. Lately he makes a lot of howling and squealing noises. He loves to hear his voice. He is laughing more and more and I am absolutely in love with that sound. He doesn't jabber a whole lot, where it sounds like he's trying to talk, it's more just random sounds and a whole lot of raspberries going on.

Breastfeeding wasn't a great experience for either of us. Baby had a hard time latching and fought me almost the entire time he nursed and was super impatient. It ended up usually with both of us in tears and it was a giant headache. I got a bad infection and continued to struggle. I pumped for awhile and he transitioned really well to a bottle. In the end I only lasted about three months. Judge all you want, I know I sure did before I tried it. Each mama has to do what is best for both her and the baby. Financially it wasn't ideal, but we have made it work and he has done so much better drinking from a bottle. I like that Casey gets time to bond with him as well and that I get a break once in awhile.

 

Hiccup has been an active kiddo since the day we met him. He never needed much support with his head, his neck was always very strong. He rolled over from belly to back a few days after he was one month old. He rolled from back to belly at 12 weeks old. He has always loved tummy time and was a scooty bug very early. He always tried to army crawl off the blanket and he climbed over his boppy when he was just a tiny guy.

He did well with a binky until he found his thumb and he hasn't looked back from there. I'm glad he likes his thumb. I'm glad he knows that it helps to calm himself down and that he can use it to fall asleep.

And, I like that it's one less thing that I have to keep track of in his bag :0)

 

This little boy has never been a super sleeper. Every once in awhile he'll sleep the whole night but usually he wakes up once to eat. He acts so starving that I feel bad trying to wean him off of his mid-night feedings. He sticks to a pretty good schedule during the day and his naps are pretty predictable. Through teething and his latest colds it has been a very different story. I sure hope one day he learns to love his sleep. Since he was born he has slept best on his tummy. Again, judge me all you want, but he's survived so far. He was such a strong boy that I never worried about him not being able to move his head if he couldn't breathe. He only liked to be swaddled when he was sick or overtired. It didn't usually last too long but would help him to calm down and fall asleep. He loves his blankies and his cozies (soft animals). If you put either by his face when he's sleepy he will immediately put his thumb in his mouth and calm down. He has always been such a happy baby when he wakes up. That must be why I'm alright with him waking me up. He is usually sitting (or standing) up in his bed peeking out at me with a big grin on his face.

He is such a wiggly, active kid. He doesn't sit still very often. At four months he was crawling and sitting up on his own. A couple of weeks later he learned to pull himself up to the furniture. I'm sure that he'll end up needing stitches before his first birthday because he is already such a dare devil.

 

We had such a fun Christmas with him. I thought Christmas was fun as a kid but it's so much more fun as a parent. We tried our best not to go over board but I'm sure that's every parent's struggle. We wrapped four presents under the tree for him. Something he wanted (I guessed and picked him out a jumper that hangs from the door), something he needs (bibs), something to wear (red plaid shirts) and something to read (Goodnight Moon). I got the idea from my sister in law and think we will continue this Christmas tradition. Santa doesn't wrap stuff at our house, instead he sets out our bigger presents and stockings. Hiccup headed straight for his loot and wanted to play with everything. He loved being able to make a mess with the wrapping paper and the sound of the paper ripping. He loved the Christmas tree and did a pretty good job of leaving it alone. We'll see how next year goes. He met Santa a few times and seemed unimpressed by his celebrity status. I'm just glad he didn't have a melt down.

Our little boy has been such an incredible blessing in our lives. I never knew that my heart could be this full and that I could love someone this much. I want the very best for him and will do anything in my power to make that possible. He is my favorite little person. He makes me smile and laugh every single day. He makes me want to be a better person- a better mama to him and a better wife to his daddy. I will be forever grateful to my HF for trusting me with this precious boy. I am so proud to call him my own.

He makes my heart and my life so very happy.

I love you Hiccup, oh so very much.