Hugs and Kisses

Well, it looks like these is the week of fluffy feel-goods. And you know what? I'm OK with that.

Yesterday I shared about Cohen's reaction to seeing me after being gone all weekend. And after I typed it up, I sat back and thought, You know, it really just can't get any better than that.

Apparently, the boy took that as a challenge.

Picture the two of us at the grocery store, smack dab in the middle of the produce section. I'm picking out the greenest bananas possible (I swear they turn yellow and spotted by the time we get home), and Cohen's busy eating his free cookie and throwing his sippy cup on the floor.

After about the seventh time picking up the cup, Cohen grabs me by the arms and pulls me towards him. And lays his head against my chest. It took a minute to understand what he was doing, but I promise you as soon as I figured it out, the whole store knew, too. "A HUG! YOU'RE HUGGING ME!" Cue baby giggles and mommy tears.

I mean, I've gotten Cohen hugs before, but this one was deliberate and very meaningful. And it wasn't a lone hug, either. It was the first of a series of hugs that lasted through the produce section, around the meat department, and well into the dairy aisle. Each hug a little tighter and a little longer than the one before it.

And then, just as quickly as they started, they stopped. I focused on which package of toilet paper was cheapest, and the boy turned his attention to squishing up our loaf of bread.

And you know, if the story ended there, I'd be one happy mama. But it doesn't end there. It picked back up in the frozen food aisle.

Again, it was one of those things that I had to think about in order to figure out what he was doing. He grabbed me by the v-neck of my shirt (thankfully we were the only ones in the aisle; otherwise, someone would have gotten a real show out of that one) and pulled me down towards his face. Head lifted up, lips pursed together, eyes closed, he brought me in for a kiss. A KISS, y'all! A baby-initiated  kiss! And like the hug, lots of squeals and tears and laughing followed. And like the hug, there was a long series of kisses. And like the hug, it ended as quickly as it began.

When did he grow up? When did he turn into a sweet little boy who demands hugs and kisses from his mama in the grocery store? How do I get him to do this forever? My heart is so full today, y'all. All because of one boy's hugs and kisses.