Hiccup Teacup

For my Paw Paw.

Over the past few days I have experienced what I was so looking forward to experiencing... Jack having the hiccups. I read somewhere that it was just the baby saying "hey mom I'm ok in here." This was a reply to mother's complaining about how annoying the hiccups can be (I find them comforting.)

So every time Jack gets the hiccups it reminds me of my Paw Paw, and here is why:

Growing up my Paw Paw always had fix, remedy, or explanation for EVERYTHING and if he did not have one he would never hesitate to make one up, which has actually turned out to be very entertaining. When me or my sisters would get the hiccups he would make us sit in his lap and tell us about this fool proof remedy he had for the hiccups. "It worked every time."

In a very low and slow voice he would repeat the following:

"Hiccup, Teacup, Stand up straight up. Nine sips of water will cure your hiccups. 1....... 2 ...... 3....." all the way to 10 he would count.

He would draw that counting sequence out as long as he could and till this day I don't think we could ever hold our breath all the way to 10. If it looked like we were going to actually make it to 10 then 8 and 9 became even longer. Looking back this may have been the idea, he got a laugh out of us trying to hold our breaths, probably looking like little blueberries bouncing around trying our hardest to hold it in, and him getting a chuckle out the whole show. We were so engrossed in the idea of holding our breath until he got through counting that we forgot about the hiccups altogether.

So every time anyone gets the hiccups that little song always pops in my head. I even catch myself singing it to Jack but then realize I have to wait a little longer so I can explain the rules to him.

Thanks Paw Paw for that wonderful memory... but one thing I have ALWAYS wondered... If 9 sips of water will cure your hiccups, then does that mean standing up straight up and holding our breaths until we were blue was for entertainment purposes only???