Giggles and eskimo kisses

No matter how rotten my day has been, or how annoyed I am to be working late yet again, there is always something sweet about hearing Emmett giggle. There are the little giggles which are almost a tease. They're the kind which announce that he'd like to giggle more, but needs the motivation. There are the fake giggles which he likes to make when he thinks that something you said should be funny, but isn't really sure he understands what you've said. And then there are the belly-laugh giggles. Which are the best. They're most often heard during a particularly good tickle session, or if we're playing a funny game. So as I hear the giggles from upstairs, it dulls the fact that I have to work late (again).

Sometime early in my relationship with Emmett I taught him Eskimo kisses. All adoption professionals and adoption materials talk a great deal about attachment and how to foster attachment. Many of the techniques which were described in some of the adoption literature we read was very baby-specific. An example was "holding time" - where the adoptive parent spends several minutes (up around 30+) holding the child. This is to help connect with the child, some infants might fuss about being held, but the idea is to foster attachment through touch. Well, an infant can be held, even a fussy one can be held cause they're small! A 3yr old does not want to be held!They're just too active! It's the nature of a 3yr old. So I taught Emmett Eskimo kisses as an attachment activity.

For those not familar with Eskimo kisses wikipedia actually defines it: Eskimo Kisses I'm a little disturbed that it's made fun of as a stereotypically 'white' gesture. But that's another blog for another day. Our form of eskimo kissing also includes the words "uggha-mugga" being said - but wikipedia says nothing of uggha-mugga, and I haven't a clue what it means. =)

Since I became the main 'dropper' for daycare, Emmett and I have been sharing Eskimo kisses when I leave. And it's one of my favorite goodbye traditions.

Folks say it's the little things that make parenting great - and I'd have to agree that giggles and eskimo kisses make everything so very worthwhile.