Snuggle Bug

Well, she may be causing us sleepless mornings and might just have a tiny flair for the dramatic (can you say "already doing the whole face on the floor, feet kicking fit thing?" Yikes!), BUT there is no denying that Raegan is also a total Love.

Yesterday was a totally gorgeous 70 degree day in March. The kids and I went on a long Dragon Hunt walk (you'll have to ask HD for more on that!) and then we played outside until Ben got home from school. Raegan was playing on the play constructure with the boys until she noticed that I had laid down on the blanket where we'd previously been having snack. (Let's face it - at almost six months pregnant, the Dragon Hunt wore me out and the sunshine felt so cozy. How could I not take advantage and rest my eyes in it for a bit?) So before long I heard, "Mama! Mama! Awwwwww. Mama! Mama!" getting closer and closer. And that, my friends, would be the epitome of Raegan these days.

She saw me all sprawled out on the ground and decided she needed to join me. After toddling right over, she flopped down next to/on top of me and snuggled her head into my shoulder, all while "Awwwwww"ing all over the place.

See, lately, Little Miss has taken to making this ridiculously sweet and overdone coo when she snuggles and cuddles. It is infectious and she's learning to use it to her advantage. This means that before naps, when I'm singing to her, she uses it to drag out the process because she totally knows I can't pass up saying, "Awwwwww" back to her, even when I'm mid-verse of "You Are My Sunshine" or "Sleep, Baby, Sleep." But even with stalling, we all can't help but love it.

Harrison's a fan of overly big hugs, so he'll get in on the action, too, sometimes and give great big squeezes while his sister "Awwwww"s. Ben too gets squeezes and coos when he's making his lunch in the mornings (RL grabs his legs and snuggles her head into his shins) or when he's playing on the floor with the kids. And of course there is the constant plopping she does when she tosses a book in my face and then flings her whole body into in my lap so I can read to her (her brother did the exact same thing at this age!), so we get lots of cuddles in during those times, too.

Perhaps the best part is knowing that if I smile at her, she will smile right back at me and then she'll usually follow it up with a head tilt and coo. No wonder I don't mind saying, "Awwwwww" 100 times a day.