Cuddle Time Comeback

Yeah!  I get my cuddle time back with Gabby!

Last month there was some bedroom shuffling.  Gabby no longer wanted to be in her own room so she gave up her very own dark pink room that was painted just for her to share a room with Joie.  (Note:  The verdict is still out on this choice.)

Megan hates pink, but was willing to have a dark pink room if it meant she could have a room to herself.  (She managed to craftily cover all the vinyl butterflies on the wall with posters and signs.)

Gabby no longer cares about room color, and was thrilled to have the top bunk.

I had some mixed feelings.  Every night since Gabby came into our family we've had some cuddle and talk time at bedtime.  I have to admit there was a little part of me that was pleased to see Gabby being independent about bedtime, but I was also sad to see it go.  I feel like I missed out on 9 years of cuddling with her before she came here, and wanted to see it last.  I've missed our time together at night, and I sometimes look at her up there on that top bunk and can barely reach her to hug her.  Cuddling at bedtime became a thing of the past.

Lately I've started noticing things are different between us.  I couldn't help thinking that one-on-one time needed to make a comeback, but I was fighting the part of me that knew she also had to spread her wings, and still didn't say anything.

But last week she started hanging out on the couch with me when scripture reading was finished.  It happened a couple of times.

Then tonight she was stressed so I suggested some cuddle time.  In the stress of the moment she said, "no," but a few minutes later she appeared in the kitchen and hugged me, so we sat on the couch to cuddle.

(Ahhhhhh.  My cuddle fix.)

This time I spoke up.  "I've kind of missed our cuddle time and talk time since you moved up to that top bunk," I told her.

"Me too," she said.  Then she asked if we could say prayers together also.  That's something else I've missed.  Apparently I wasn't alone.

So our new plan is to have some cuddle time on the couch before bedtime.

Yeah!  I'm so glad she hasn't outgrown it yet.