There is nothing better than baby hugs and kisses.
When Gwen was first born, Keith and I would trick her into giving us hugs and kisses. Keith discovered that if he held her face up in his hands, and lowered her body really quickly, it would trigger her startle reflex. Her arms would fly out, and if he was fast enough, he could hold her up to his shoulder and it would look like she was hugging him. Similarly, I discovered that if she was hungry I could put my lips against her cheek, triggering her rooting reflex, making her turn towards my mouth and give me a kiss.
Since then, she has become more interactive and gives actual hugs and kisses. Well, sorta. When I pick her up, she wraps her chubby little arms around me. It's kind of a half-hug-half-I'm-5-feet-in-the-air-so-I'm-gonna-hold-on embrace. But she nuzzles in close and it melts my heart every time. Whenever I give her kisses now, she giggles and squeals. The louder the kiss, the funnier she thinks it is. I kiss her little chipmunk cheeks. Then I try to give her a kiss on the lips. Her natural instinct, however, is to open her mouth and to lick whatever is close enough for her tongue to reach. So, more often than not, when I try to give her a kiss, I end up having my face licked.
I even bought her a bib today that says, "I give sloppy kisses."
When Gwen was first born, Keith and I would trick her into giving us hugs and kisses. Keith discovered that if he held her face up in his hands, and lowered her body really quickly, it would trigger her startle reflex. Her arms would fly out, and if he was fast enough, he could hold her up to his shoulder and it would look like she was hugging him. Similarly, I discovered that if she was hungry I could put my lips against her cheek, triggering her rooting reflex, making her turn towards my mouth and give me a kiss.
Since then, she has become more interactive and gives actual hugs and kisses. Well, sorta. When I pick her up, she wraps her chubby little arms around me. It's kind of a half-hug-half-I'm-5-feet-in-the-air-so-I'm-gonna-hold-on embrace. But she nuzzles in close and it melts my heart every time. Whenever I give her kisses now, she giggles and squeals. The louder the kiss, the funnier she thinks it is. I kiss her little chipmunk cheeks. Then I try to give her a kiss on the lips. Her natural instinct, however, is to open her mouth and to lick whatever is close enough for her tongue to reach. So, more often than not, when I try to give her a kiss, I end up having my face licked.
I even bought her a bib today that says, "I give sloppy kisses."
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