Kisses

There is a whole lotta kissin' goin' on around here.

For a long time Haley didn't really know what a kiss was.  She confused hugging and kissing.  I would ask her for a kiss and she would lean into me for one of her famous side or back hugs.  She never kissed me of her own accord.

She received a lot of kisses and she never complained, but she didn't give them.

A little while back she started giving our cat Shadow kisses.  She would say "Kiss" and then put her face into the fur on his side.  It still resembled a hug.  Then one day I heard the smack.  She had actually put her lips together and made a kissing sound.

Now Shadow gets kisses all the time.  She visits him in his room (the laundry room) I hear the smack and then as she walks out of the room and closes the doors she says "Kiss.  Awwww."

I have to kiss Haley's little animals.  She will hold them up to my face.  If they are facing me it means I need to give them a kiss.  I usually don't touch the animal, I just make a smacking sound and she is happy. 

Her Dad doesn't participate.  If she holds an animal up to him he gives the animal a fist bump, which means he holds his fist up to the animal's face.  The fist bump thing is something that goes on between Haley and her Dad.  I give Haley high fives when she does something well, her Dad gives her fist bumps.

Haley loves her newest acquisition, a lioness that she got at the Zoo gift shop.  We call her Nala.  Nala gets kisses.  Haley will actually kiss Nala over and over again.  Smooch, smooch, smooch.  Smack, smack, smack. It is the cutest thing.

I will hear the smooching going on from another room.

I heard it a little earlier and I looked in.  Shadow was on the receiving end of those kisses.  I asked her if I could have one. 

She leaned in with lips pursed. 

I kissed her.

It's a start.