Cuddle Kids

When my first child was born, a friend of mine came up with a nickname for both our babies -- they were Cuddle Bunnies. The name kinda stuck. I've never been the type for calling people by lovey-names (Honey, Darling, Shnookums... the names never really did it for me). I figure, if you can't call someone by their name, it's a sign that you have a very bad memory and don't want to risk mistakenly using the wrong monaker -- not so good.

But Cuddle Bunny actually stuck. I knew I would never forget my daughter's name. She's named after my grandmother, an amazing and strong woman. No, I would never forget.

Along came monkey #2 and I caught myself referring to him as a Cuddle Bunny too! For shame! That was monkey #1's name. Since #2 was so huggy and delicious, I decided he would be my Cuddle Bear - he gave the greatest little bear hugs!

When #3 came along, I didn't make the same mistake. I watched his personality and it became clear very quickly that the Cuddle Monkey had officially arrived! He even makes monkey noises and will correct me if I ever make the mistake of calling him a different nickname -- Mister Bum, Stinker, Little Z. I think the personalities get stronger with each passing Cuddler.