Thursday, July 17, 2008

The Hugging Bandit



















Fourteen and a half month old Matthew has yet to kiss me.

“Why haven’t you kissed me yet?” I ask him one afternoon while we sit together on the couch watching a movie. It’s high school all over again, except instead of a character in Empire Records saying, “Damn the man! Save the Empire!” Elmo’s shrill voice sings about weather to the off tune of Jingle Bells. Matthew looks straight ahead at the television instead of answering me.

“Soon he will be giving you these lovely big sloppy kisses,” the pediatrician said at his nine month well-baby check up, “Just you wait.”


Hello Pot? It’s Kettle. Something that I have yet to mention is that I find kissing and hugs unbearable in most circumstances, unless it’s with the people who live in my own home. I’ll stroke and whisper sweet nothings to the neighbor’s frou frou giant poodles but with most people I am all awkward elbows and back thumps. I wonder where Matthew gets it from?


When Matthew helps me weed the flower garden by raking his blue plastic rake through the bark mulch I ask him if he is having fun.

“Yeah Mama,’ he walks over to where I am sitting, close enough so that I can smell the cologne of his bug spray and puts a hand on my shoulder. “Mama?”

He blows me a raspberry and then another. It’s close enough
.

4 comments:

  1. Oh yes, I do wonder where he gets it from.....hmmmmmmmm...I remember trying to get you to kiss me but I honestly can't put a time stamp on when you finally did. I do remember trying and trying, and when you finally did, it was non-stop - anytime I wanted one! But you wouldn't kiss anyone else and though I pretended to "feel bad" for those other humans, I really had my tongue in cheek and was quite smug about it.

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  2. This is just a great post. Funny, sweet, and chalked full of the day to day panics-- and the strange choices of said panic buttons-- us moms face. Plus, you take great pics. keep it up:)

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  3. 5e rthtjytj tyjtjkuyjew 356y65y5jum

    Sorry I was trying to leave a comment but Matt kept crawling on my lap to give me kisses!!! Stop typing Matt!

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  4. ha!! your bob is hilarious!! what a funny comment.
    thanks for coming over, virtually of course, to read my blog. i'm loving this little online community. i only started because i was so loving catherine newman's blog, and then i realised this whole group of amazing women writing about their sweet little babes, you included.
    elias' middle name is matthew, named after my brother...and i completely relate to your story. and the binky story, too! my mom-in-law calls them soothers. and my mom calls them foofers!! (what on earth!! i don't know where she got that one!) and we went through the same paci and nuk trials and even tried ninny, which we heard from friends...but binky is what took, and eli finally says it now, too, sadly just as we are preparing to take it away....poor guy.
    nice to meet you!

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