Cuddle Time

Is there anything sweeter than cuddling with a little one? Our little guy was never a particularly cuddly kid. As a baby he was, I guess. He didn't really have a choice! As soon as he became more mobile he got focused on his independence. We'd get to hold him often, don't get me wrong, but he was often exploring or playing or just generally hanging out.

He has been walking (running) for over 3 months now. I don't know if he has finally realized that we aren't going to stop him from exploring or what, but lately he has wanted to cuddle. Not in that "I'm cranky and you have to hold me, don't put me down, I'll scream and cry like the devil if you even think about putting me down, hold me, hold me, hold me!" way, but in the "I just want to crawl on your lap and hug you for a while." way. Last night he even came over to me while I was sitting on the couch and put his head on my leg. He just stood there and let me stroke his hair and relaxed next to me. Pure bliss!

He has started giving big hugs now and is even making strides towards kissing. It sounds funny, but for the million or so kisses we've given him he's never been a kisser. He will mimic the sound of us kissing him, but he doesn't give us kisses back. Now he makes the face, puckers his lips and leans in. We have to come the rest of the way, but it is awfully cute to see! We really like our new cuddly boy. There is something so great about having our little one want to be so sweet with us and yet not be demanding or whiny about it. I tell him often that someday there will be a lady who he will love to cuddle with more than his Daddy and me, but for now I am awfully glad that he likes cuddling with us!

Sometimes there is just nothing as great as being a parent,
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