It's In Her Kiss...

That's where it is.

Reagan is a kisser. She started out with mostly open mouth lunges. We'd ask for a kiss and she came at us full throttle, mouth wide open. She was very reminiscent of a whale feeding or a hyena when it laughs. She often missed our mouths and ended up sort of noshing our noses.

Then her kissing evolved.

She realized kisses were a desirable bargaining tool. She started kissing us and then pointing at what she wanted. She refused kisses when she wasn't in the mood. She kissed her doll and tried to kiss the cats. She learned to blow kisses. She knows when we say bye bye that a kiss or ten is appropriate.

She puckers up now. Sticks her puffy, fish lips up at us and really smacks us.

And lately her kisses have been extra juicy. Reagan has basically been teething since the moment we got her and so it's not like we're strangers to drool. Reagan is a drool machine. However, she hasn't always felt the need to kiss us while in fact, eating something mushy. And that's what she did all week long.

Animal crackers are among the most quickly dissolved snack in the world. This is fact. Reagan crams at least 62 animals in her mouth (it's so full she can't close it and yes I know this is a choking hazard, we're working on it) and then she toddles over. She stands right beside me, often with a soggy elephant in hand. She's grinning a wild, out of control grin. Then she touches me. Perhaps she pats me on the shoulder. I now have ick on my shoulder. All the while the menagerie in her mouth is soaking up moisture and turning to goo...which then starts to dribble out, down her chin in one long, unending line.

And then she kisses me. Full on the mouth.

Repeat with the snack that smiles back goldfish. And Cheerios. And grapes.

Now, I'm not by nature a rude person (most of the time) and I don't want to hurt my little angel's feelings but it is hard not to run in terror when this creature lurches toward me, oozing slime and love all over the place. I know I'm a real mom now. I take it. I kiss her back, reminding myself that soon she'll be a teenager and hate me and I should enjoy ooey gooey kisses while they last.

Then when she toddles off to kiss some other hapless victim...I run to the bathroom to brush my teeth and gargle and wash my face and...