Puppy Love

"Wee-yam!!!!", "AbbieAbbieAbbie!!!!"

Before now I never once thought I would soon be witnessing a love life for *any* kid of mine, let alone one still wearing diapers.

That was before William and Abigail fell in puppy love...

Believe me, though William's mom is a good friend and a central staple of our social circle, this was in no way an arranged relationship. It sprang naturally, budding in the tender consciousness of two toddlers. By the time Abigail even knew the names of anyone except her own and Shelby's, before she really knew many words at all, she would ask for 'Wee-yam', complete with an impressionistic accent on the 'yam'. 'Wee-yam' constitutes a high percentage of her babyish utterances.

It's been since before Christmas that Abbie kisses William's picture with the utmost delight. I'm told he does the same. It's been months that Abigail picks up the phone, starts babbling in it and fitting "Wee-yam" here and there in her imaginary conversation.

It's sweet in all its innocence. In fact, though they are both cheery kids, the sunshine gets kicked up way high when they get into one of their fits of calling each other's names, when they run after each other, hold hands while jumping on the couch, or laugh together while one leaps and the other dances at Mainly Music. When I strap Abbie in her car seat and tell her "You are going to see William", her lovely face literally gets illuminated by the happiest of expressions. "Wee-yam!!!!", she chirps.

My daughter already gave her first love kiss away, you guessed it -- planted it on William's soft cheek at Wegman's... She already got hugged by her first little special friend. My heart melted, and I so wish I could have taken a picture of those unique moments... But like most special things, they just sneaked up on us. Oh, sure, there's been the occasional lovers fight, when one of the baby kissers gets confused and plants a bite instead... But that's nothing compared to the radiant joy of being together! They enjoy the company of their other friends, sure, but everyone knows they share a special rapport.

As I write this, I can't help but wonder: what does it means for a toddler to "love" another toddler? Heck if I know. I mean, for all their calling each other and laughing together, they're still at the parallel play stage: they want to play with the same exact thing at the same exact time (monkey see monkey do still applies), but aren't ready to share with one another. It makes it for an interesting love conundrum. Love can be cruel and we don't use rose-colored glasses, here.

All logical assessments aside, when they part, or see each other again after a three-day hiatus, I can only describe their plaintive or effervescent "Wee-yam!!!" , "AbbieAbbieAbbie!" as anything but a distinct recognition reserved for an extraordinary friend, not just any buddy.

Monkey Abbie

A few days ago I had the opportunity to admire the primate in Abigail. I took her to At Play Cafe for one of our play dates, and while there -- after a few minutes of shyness -- she let her wild side shine through.

She climbed, she jumped, she run, she hopped, she grabbed, she explored, she built, she destroyed, she flirted, she talked and laughed, and she just plain wore herself out with so much fun! I got a little winded, too, due to my constant running behind her to ensure she wouldn't crack her skull. It was tough to keep up with the little monkey! Beware: she's is always lively and on-the-go. I've had to practically re-arrange the whole house and get rid of some of our furniture because she was climbing all over it, tipping it, crawling under it, and pushing it around with all her might. The kid is a dynamo, and can effortlessly wear out an entire platoon.

Also, while at At Play, Abigail apparently decided that anyone could hold her and she'd be totally fine with it. At one point, my friend Christine picked her up (no doubt because she was causing a ruckus), and once back down, Abigail kept on going back to her and lifting her arms as if saying: "Here I am! Up, up!" I don't mind my friends holding Abbie, but I noticed that she went up to a couple of strangers (other moms and dads with their kids), and after engaging them in an animated preliminary conversation, hug their legs and raised her arms to them. I'm so proud of my little girl: at least she introduces herself to strangers before soliciting their services.

Abbie looooves William, Christine's gorgeous little boy. Their reciprocal love story is the cutest thing to witness. Wee-yam (as she calls him -- though not to his face) was always a step behind her, she a step behind him. It makes me smile. She also played with her little buddies, Charlotte, Arnav, Camilla, and other random kids.

On our way home, stuck in traffic, I peeked at Abbie, quietly slumped in her car-seat, looking ahead with a worn out stare, mouth slightly parted. I turned to her, and she immediately responded with the sweetest of all weary smiles. One that said: "I'm so happily exhausted". I was too. Happy.