Cuddles

In the last two weeks, Ivan has started to show affection, come over for hugs and want to cuddle. For all of three seconds before he's off again running around, but still.

I guess this happens when babies turn 18 months: They become more affectionate.

I'm taking it in as much as possible, even if it's three seconds at the time.

For example, ever since he started walking some four months ago, Ivan's used the 1/2 hour or so after the bath and before the bed to run around like crazy from one room to the next. He's too busy (still is) even to lay down for a second so I can put diapers on him. Most of the time, I have to catch him in flight and attempt to velcro the diaper as I'm walking behind him.

The whole idea of a quiet-cuddly-bottle-book time has been an utterly unfanthomable foreign concept. And yet I craved it and yearned for it.

Also, since we never conditioned him to sleep with us in our bed--mainly because of Mariposa who sleeps with us--every time I've tried to bring him to bed with me or lay next to him on bed and hug him, he scurries off to run around. We've even tried bringing him to bed when I give him his 5 a.m. milk bottle. When he's in his crib, he falls back asleep for an hour. But if we try to bring him to our bed, he scurries off and starts running around. So for now, we've stopped trying this, considering that no one is really alert at 5 a.m.

Then this week, after some required running around post-bath time, Ivan actually comes to me, sits in my lap and leans against me for a few seconds before taking off again. It doesn't work if I try to grab him and cuddle him; he has to initiate it.

He's also been coming over for random affection hugs and cuddles throughout the day for the last two weeks.

It's been quite a noticable change and I'm taking advantage of every cuddle I can get.

Now I can't wait when he'll cuddle with me while he drinks his milk. Maybe then I can even introduce some quite book time as well.