Evolution of a Hug

I am a hugger.

My friends that are huggers know that about me.  They know to give me a hug when I see them.  I am not obnoxious about it (I hope.)  If I know someone isn't a hugger or if I feel some hesitation from them I don't force it.

I need at least ten hugs a day.

My kids aren't huggers.  I expect hugs though, they don't get a free pass. 

Getting Haley to give a good hug has been a process.  Haley's Hugs are pretty famous.  Especially the side hug, the back and bump and the run-by. 

There was some confusion for a while what a hug even was.  Haley thought that when I said hugs I meant Kisses.  Sometimes when I ask for a kiss, I get a hug. 

Haley's Big Sis discovered that if you hold your arms up like a touchdown signal Haley will do the same and then you can give her a hug and it feels like she is hugging you back.

Lately that hasn't been enough for me.  I need the squeeze for it to be real. 

So I asked for it.

I put my arms up, Haley put her arms up.  I went in for the hug.  Her arms stayed up. 

I said "Haley, I need a squeeze."

She did it.  She put her arms around me and she gave me a squeeze.

"Haley!  That's it!  You gave me a hug!"

"Good job."

"Yes, you did a good job.  Mom likes those kind of hugs."

Her hugs have been getting better.  We have been practicing. 

I hug her a lot. 

I love that girl! 

I am getting real hugs now.  Every once in a while I have to remind her to squeeze.  It kind of feels like cheating, but not enough for me to stop.

I am a hugger.

A Little Sticky

Haley had a dentist appointment on Friday morning.  It was the best one yet. 

Well, kind of. 

She sat right down and let the hygienist put the seat back down.  She was very still and very calm.  She opened her mouth wider every time she was asked. 

I kept resisting the urge to get my camera out and take pictures, or perhaps video.  I knew that if I did I would break the spell.  Every little thing the the hygienist did I was sure was going to set her off, but it never happened.  She was able to polish all of her teeth.  Floss them.  She even scraped the tartar from her teeth. 

I was floored. 

Never did I think that the day would come when Haley would lay back and allow someone to pick at her teeth with a sharp instrument.  When she was done the hygienist sat her up and Haley reached out to me. 

She wanted a high five. 

She knew that she had done well.  I was so proud.  I told her how good she was.  I said "It was so much easier that way wasn't it?   You didn't have to hold your head up the whole time."

She said "Yeah.  Good job."

The dentist wasn't quite ready to see her yet so she was able to get up and get her prize.  She is so used to that routine that she didn't even need me.  The hygienist gave her a plastic bag and she went in to the prize room.  She chose a little car and a bouncy ball that lights up.  Then she got herself a new toothbrush, some flossers and a new timer. 

She sat back down and we waited for the dentist.

Soon the dentist came in and laid her back in the chair again.  There was a slight hesitation, but she let her.  The dentist asked her to open her mouth and she used the instruments to examine her teeth.  She poked and poked and then said "This one is a little sticky." 

She has a cavity. 

The dentist wants to put sealants on several of her teeth too, but she doesn't want to do it all at once.  She also thinks that we should have an orthodontist consultation.  I had a feeling that would happen some day.  At this point I don't see Haley getting braces, but we will see.

So I made an appointment for Haley to get a filling.

That should be interesting.

Beautiful

Haley stepped off the bus yesterday afternoon with a great big smile on her face.  She didn’t hesitate a moment.  Her foot hit the pavement and she was practically skipping up the drive way.  I loved watching her – especially with the sun shining like it was. 

It was beautiful.

I was watching her from our front porch.  As she stepped on to the porch I smiled and said “You seem happy.”

She said “yeah.”

“Did you have a good day today?” I asked.

“Yeah.  Fun day.  Walk.  Ucky.  Wak. Wak. Wak.”

“You went for a walk today?”

“Yeah...  Ucky. Wak. Wak. Wak.”

“You saw ducks?”

“Yeah.”

“They were quacking?”

“Yeah.  Fun day.”

That was officially the first time that she volunteered to tell me what happened in school.  That was the first time that she told me something that happened to her during school that I didn’t already know.

It was beautiful.