Hugs and Kisses

Emily loves to give hugs and kisses. She, of course, gives the best ones to Mommy and Daddy. When she snuggles in, it's the best feeling ever! Even her slobbery open-mouthed kisses are wet and wonderful.

She also likes to spread the joy. She collects her stuffed animals and dolls and hugs each one. Then she gives them to me to hold and hug.

The sweetest though is when Daddy comes home. He'll pick her up to hug and kiss and then give me a kiss, too. She will then firmly turn both of our faces toward each other and urge us to kiss again. Lots of hugging and kissing going on at our house!

Here are two sweet books about love.

I Love You Through and Through by Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak; Illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church. This book in rhyme is about all the things to love:  "your happy side, your sad side, your silly side, your mad side." I am sure I love it more than she does, but it's a great excuse to sit and cuddle. Her favorite parts are putting her bare feet on top of his and hugging herself when he hugs his bear.

How Do I Love You? by Marion Dane Bauer; illustrated by Caroline Jayne Church is a companion book. Her Daddy and I gave this to Emily on her 1st Birthday. It's a beautifully lyrical story in rhyme with delightfully joyful illustrations. It's a more sophisticated book that I can imagine reading to her for years to come. It's pure poetry with lines like "I love you as the waking bear loves the smell of spring." The last verse sums it up: "I love all that you will be and everything you are." Awww. Excuse me while I go find a tissue.