Birthday

Hugo was born two years ago today. I found myself in a very reflective mood since waking with Hugo beside me this morning. We are not a "family bed" family but his two year molars are threatening to appear and our night was rough. I was so sleepy myself that I ended up bringing him into our bedroom to be near me. I'm not sure if he really wanted to be near me. Hugo isn't a big snuggler, never has been.

While he was the bump which formed the shape of my belly, I worked hard to prepare our house for him. Cesar and I had spread out far and wide throughout the house. We had to condense, pull back, toss out, and push many boxes up into the attic. Finally, a room was cleared. I had a plan. I needed help. Cesar wasn't so sure about the plan. He kinda fought me in executing the plan, but in the end he loved the space it became. Declared Hugo's room to be the best in the house, and we had done it together!

Certain elements in the room plagued my mind and kept me up into the wee hours of the night. Namely, the crib. I had no idea prepregnancy how difficult this decision would be for me. My pregnant brain froze and fixated on my choice of this dumb crib. I drove poor Cesar nuts. Finally I chose a crib in a natural finish. The other furniture items in the room were easy. They included a fancy dresser we found on the street in front of our apartment in Chelsea, a bookcase, a child's armoir, a nightstand, and a rocker - which were all pieces we had elsewhere in the house. I assigned Cesar the job of painting them all a pretty cream color. He went out and purchased a spray paint gun to speed his job along. Gotta have his tools. Our friend Ruth Ann lent me her beautiful, blue bassinet to keep in our bedroom. At the time, I assumed we would use the bassinet once the baby came home and for who knows how long.

On April 9th, 2006 Hugo popped out and was "the bump" no longer. A few days later we drove home to our house. Once inside, I fed him, burped him, changed him and I placed him lovingly in Ruth Ann's beautiful, blue bassinet. Baby Hugo started to cry and cry. Cesar scooped him up and held him. Time went by and again we laid him down in the bassinet and he wailed. My Mom then scooped Hugo up and held him and calmed him. She laid the baby down in the bassinet again and this time he screamed! I scooped him up and asked little Hugo what could possibly be wrong? He didn't say, but he had a certain look in those Elizabeth Taylor, violet colored eyes of his. You see, he had been with me all those long, agonizing, pregnant nights as I lay awake in bed or stared deep into the computer screen searching web site after web site for just the right crib. And then I knew what to do. I walked him into his room, Hugo's room. I gave him the quick tour pointing this and that out to him. Then we sat in our rocker and hummed a little tune. This was exactly what we had both been waiting for. I stood up, turned on his music and placed him in his crib. And Hugo slept.

Hugo has been a perfect sleeper ever since that first day at home. He wasn't much of a napper during the day but he slept through the night at six weeks. He just isn't much of a snuggler. He stiff arms and stiff legs me all the time. I can't remember exactly how old he was when he started to do this but, as I would try to hold and cuddle with him in our rocker he would stretch out his little had and point to his crib and grunt. And even earlier in his young life, he would simply make his body stiff as a board and this I learned was my clue that snuggle time was over. He wanted to be in his crib. The crib has now been converted into its daybed form and that means night time freedom for our little boy. A few times I have woken during the night to find Hugo asleep next to me. I'm pretty sure I've figured out that it isn't me he wants to be near. I think he is in love with our down comforter. I too love it for its warmth, its bulk, and that lovely crinklly sound it makes as my body wrestles underneath. I say this also because he will sleep in and sleep late while under its comfort. Can you guess Hugo's birthday gift from Mom & Dad?! Yes, you are right, his very own down comforter.

P.S. Now at the end of this tale of mine . . . have you wondered what became of Ruth Ann's beautiful, blue bassinet? It remained in our bedroom for the longest time. One day, I finally dialed up Ruth Ann and said we were driving it over in the truck and would be upon her doorstep soon. Her husband Eric met us in the driveway. He asked Cesar to help move something in the back of the truck up the mountain to his father's place. Cesar said no problem. I carried Hugo inside to visit with Ruth Ann and her kids. When the two men returned they said we would never believe what happened. They had left the bassinet in the bed of the truck traveling up the mountain. All was fine when they arrived. On their return trip home, down the mountain they quickly drove. The poor beautiful, blue bassinet pick up some air, flew up and somehow or other, under the truck . It was smashed to smithereens and was no more.