Free Hugs

Good day, Lovelies! You know those moments in life where everything just seems to be crumbling and the only thing that you know you need to make it all better is a hug? It's the simplest form of human contact and comfort. We crave that closeness, that comfort to the point where the second we get it, all troubles seem to melt away. The Princess has these moments too, they just seem fewer and further between.

We recently went to the King's company picnic. As you know, this requires a lot of planning and preparation. For myself, this also requires sleep. So when 4:30am came around and the Princess was crying and needed to be taken care of, I knew that all I wanted to do was get her settled and get back to bed. Things were going as planned. She had a very wet diaper, so I changed her and got her a new movie. When I went to change her outfit to a dry, warm outfit, I had the most unexpectedly beautiful moment.

As I stood the Princess up to finish zipping up her outfit, suddenly she wrapped her arms and legs around me in the biggest, tightest hug. In that moment, my mind released any inkling of going back to sleep. Instead, I embraced this moment as I hugged her back. I so rarely get these moments to be 'Mom' that I couldn't let go. We sat there for what seemed like 30 minutes-- Really, it could have been an instant, and it would have felt like an eternity.-- until I felt her muscles relax and she slowly let go. From there, I got her a cup of milk and she fell back to sleep. It was too late for me, so I sat on the couch dozing.

Later that day, as we were about to leave, I was working towards getting the Princess into the car, when she did it again. I felt her latch on so tight that a crowbar wouldn't pry her off. She wasn't ready to get into the car yet, she needed her comfort. Again, I lost myself into the moment and hugged her back as tightly as I dared until I felt her release and we got into the car without further incident. The car ride to the picnic, I was in my own little bubble of a utopia from all the hugs I was giving and receiving from my Princess that it didn't fully matter that she was having a fit in the back seat.

When we got to the picnic, things went pretty smoothly. The Princess set to running back and forth at her usual pace. At one point, she really wanted to be held and if she wasn't being held by one of us, she had decided she would get someone to hold her. So she set out, running up to complete strangers to her throwing up her arms in a way that the King and I know means "Hey, they're not carrying me, pick me up!" Instead of picking her up, she received hugs. Many hugs, from just about everyone she encountered. Only once was she successful in getting a random person to pick her up.-- Don't worry, we were with her the entire way.

As we were leaving, and I was about to put her in the car again, she latched on. This time, it didn't last as long before she was ready. On our way home, I reflected on the events in the day thus far. I was wrapped in the warmth of my bubble of hugs and love that I got from the Princess that day. Watching her socialize and get hugs from others was just icing on the cake! Even as she was throwing a bit of a tantrum in the back seat-- She must not like car rides today.-- I was in my own little happy world.

I think she's realized that she can get me to stop pretty much whatever I'm doing by hugging me. She now gives me big hugs whenever I'm trying to lay her down, or put her in her room. While it doesn't change the end result of what I am doing, I am more than happy to stop for a time and welcome her into our own little bubble of free hugs.