X's and O's

Patrick has taken his nickname "Snugglebug" to a new level in the last few days. I'm not sure where he's learned this, as neither Matt nor I has tried to teach him, but he now gives hugs and kisses. He'll reach his arms up around our necks as we hold him, then lean his head into our shoulder, and squeeze, holding on as tightly as possible. Sometimes he'll also turn his head up so that his mouth is even with our neck, cheek, or sometimes even mouth, and open wide to give the biggest open-mouth kiss I've ever seen. Last night before we put him to bed, Matt was holding him. Patrick gave him a hug and a kiss then reached out his arms for me. He didn't want me to hold him, though; instead, he just hugged my head and gave me a huge kiss on the cheek while still in Daddy's arms. He must remember it's routine for both Matt and me to give him a good-night kiss and decided to reciprocate last night even before we could lay him down in bed. I love having such a sweetheart baby. It's so much more amazing to realize that he learned the hugging and kissing on his own, just by watching Matt and me. He's smart to find ways to show his affection by mimicking what Matt and I do. I love that kid so much!

As endearing as he can be, though, Patrick can be just as exasperating sometimes. Lunch today was an ordeal because Patrick insisted on smearing chicken noodle everywhere. When he couldn't get enough off his bib and the drips on the tray, he would shove his hand out at the perfect moment to intercept the spoon before I could get it to his mouth, consequently spilling more mostly into his hand. It was so frustrating trying to continue feeding him despite his efforts to spill the food and to try not to let him make any bigger of a mess. It didn't work too well. He had food literally up to his elbows, all over his belly, and down one leg and onto the foot (his first reaction after I cleaned the tray and lifted it off the chair was to grab his foot with a still-dirty hand). I'm really wondering where he came from. He can't possibly be my child. I was the kind of child who would beg my mom to clean me if I had even a speck of dirt on me. "Dooty, Mama! Dooty!" Yet I think Patrick would roll in the dirt like a dog if I gave him the chance.

Something else funny that Patrick has started doing is greeting the world with hands out. Almost any time I carry him somewhere now, he has his hands reached out like he wants something. Usually I don't think even he knows what he is reaching for--just whatever happens to cross his path (unless there's a water bottle within sight; then that's without a doubt what he's reaching for). He is developing an intense curiosity about everything, which is cute for now but may become a problem once he figures out how to crawl.

Speaking of crawling, he is one step closer now. Yesterday afternoon during the much-hated tummy time, he managed to pull his legs up under him and pushed off like he wanted to crawl. He hasn't coordinated pulling with his hands at the same time or pushing his belly off the ground yet, but once he figures that out, he'll be all over the house. Something tells me then I'll turn into more of a baby-chaser than a baby-feeder.