Snuggle Bunny

I had a really rough recovery after Morgan was born. When we were still at the hospital at one point I had the nurses take Morgan to the nursery so I could try to sleep. A few hours later a nurse returned with Morgan and said she might be hungry or just want to snuggle..."she's such a little Snuggle Bunny," the nurse said. From then on from time to time I will call her my Snuggle Bunny. The funny thing is, as she's gotten older, she's not really a "snuggle" girl at all. Up until she was about 6 months old I could sometimes get her to take a nap with me, but mostly she just wants to play or jump around on the bed.

Then as my belly grew bigger, Morgan would put her head on it in the same way she does her teddy bears and doll. Not really a snuggle, but kind of a sweet hug. She does this to other kids and babies too. When she was about 15 months old, occasionally she would wake up in the night and have a meltdown. Either David and I would go in her room and give her a "cuddle." We'll sit down in her glider and sit her on our laps facing us. She'll lay her head on our chests as we sign her a song. That's all she needs, just a song or two and she'll fall back asleep in her bed. That was the extent of the snuggling.

Here's the thing, the last week or so she's suddenly become much more of that Snuggle Bunny again. Sometimes when I give her kisses and hugs before bed she'll cling to me. Also, when I take her upstairs from lunch to her nap she'll often lay her head on my shoulder. Awwww. Now I've taken to snuggling with her a little more when she wakes up from her nap to let her wake up before I change her diaper and let her play.

I think she knows changes are coming and she's getting as much snuggle time in now before her sister arrives. Smart girl. It reminds me though of how I'm going to need to be very aware of her needs when this baby comes home and that we maximize our one on one time together so she knows she's just as loved and cherished.