Hiccups in the Night

I awoke with a pressure on my belly.

A small jolting at regular intervals.

I looked down to see my 3 year old's head laying comfortably on my stomach.  Not an uncommon position for him.

I reached down to gently pull him up and laid his head down on the the pillow beside me.

He was sleepy but awake.

And he had the hiccups.

I turned to my side, lifted the book that always covers the green shining numbers of my bed side alarm clock.

3:24 am.

Who gets hiccups at 3:30 am??!!  

At once, full of nostalgia, as I turned back to stare at his sweet face in the dark of the night, I remembered how often he had the hiccups when he was growing in this belly of mine that he loves to rest his head on.  He usually got them in the middle of the night...keeping me awake.

Not unlike tonight.

I laid there beside him.  Quiet.  So quiet.  I purposefully hid my head behind the puffiness of the pillows that divided our faces.

And then I popped up.

"Boo!"

This is what we do to hiccups.

We scare them away.

He smiled.  Serenely.

And then.

*hiccup*

It didn't work.

Bah!

I laid back down in the same position.

Not undefeated.

I became silent once more, holding my breath, hoping unrealistically, to take away the hiccups for him.

I mean, really...how annoying are hiccups to begin with?  And how much more distracting at 3:30 am when you're trying to sleep?

I sat up suddenly, figuring maybe if I gently grabbed his arm and exclaimed, "BOO!" a little louder it would make his disturbance of the diaphragm take a hike.

I waited.  He still hadn't said a word, but laid there, eyes now wide open.

*hiccup*

Darn it!

"Do you want some water honey?"

"Mm-hm."

I retrieve a cup of water for him from all
                                                                 the
                                                                       way
                                                                                down
                                                                                           in
                                                                                                  the
                                                                                                          kitchen....

He takes the teeniest of sips and hands it back to me.

I place it on the nightstand.

Lay back down beside him.

And.

I wait...

*hiccup*

Then my husband speaks up.

I was wondering when he would.

"Honey, just take him back to his room.  I have to get up at 5:30."

Now why didn't I think of that?

I carried my boy into his bed, pulling up his covers around him, surrounding him with his favourite blankets and stuffed animals.

Knowing well what was coming next.

"You lay beside me Mumma?" he asks in his adorably sleepy voice.

I get under the covers and curl up beside him, rubbing his back.

*hiccup*

I decided to go for it one more time.

But a little louder.

I sat up abruptly looking down at him and whisper-shout,

"BOO!"

He giggles quietly.

I wait.

And wait.

And...wait.

Gone.

My work there was done.

But still I remained...continuing to rub his back the scent of his freshly shampooed curls in my nose.

I was just where I wanted to be.