Kissy Face!

The adoption process brings along with it a lot of uncertainty and anxiety, especially when it comes to all of the millions of little things that are completely out of your control. Little things like personality traits.

Adoptions are a completely different deal when it comes to personalities because it's a little bit like flying blind. It's not like biological families where you can sort of recognize little traits that may pop up here and there in a toddler and say that he has Grandpa's laugh or she's such a serious baby like her father was. With adoptions it's a complete crap shoot. Mommy and Daddy have no idea if I'll grow up to be shy or out-going or if I'll be easy-going or moody. I come complete with my own set of unique personality traits. No assembly required and batteries are already included.

A little tick in my personality that they noticed was my very obvious aversion to kisses. Didn't like 'em... Didn't understand 'em. I didn't know how to give them, but more importantly, I didn't know how to receive them. I used to jerk my head back or turn my head whenever an attempt was made to kiss me. It wasn't something that scared me or anything like that... I just wasn't into it. Not at all.

It was like I had a little wall around me and I wasn't letting anybody into my personal space. Mommy and Daddy worried that my refusal to kiss them meant that I simply wasn't an affectionate kid and that it was just something in my personality that they wouldn't be able to change.
That was when Mommy took over the project and launched Operation Kissy Face. Her plan of attack was simple... shower me with slobbering kisses every moment possible until I either learned to love them or at least got used to them enough to where I could at least fake it. Everytime she picked me up... Kissy Face. Everytime she changed my diaper... Kissy Face. Everytime she gave me my bottle... Kissy Face, Kissy Face, Kissy Face!

After a while... I wasn't hating the Kissy Face thing quite so much as before. To be completely honest with you... I started liking it. Mommy does a funny thing where she kisses my face and then blows into my cheek until it makes little fart noises. Daddy can't do it. He says it's because it's too childish for him... Mommy says it's because he doesn't have an upper lip.

Daddy and I agree on one thing... There's nothing like a kiss from Mommy. I accept kisses all the time now. I even surprise them every now and again and toss them a surprise smooch when they're changing me or when they lay down with me for my afternoon nap.

It's a little thing, I know, but it seems to mean the world to them. Very strange, the new adopted parents of mine. The most insignificant little things are the ones that make them all giggly and dopey. Maybe we should start worrying about their personalties and stop all this fussing over mine.

Oh yeah... another thing that I learned. The world-famous high five. Daddy says that now we can go bowling.
What? Oh my goodness! Yes officer, I'll freeze. I'll be happy to keep my hands where you can see them. No I don't know where I got these containers. I was just crawling by and... wait. That's not a cop, that's Mommy. Wait... that's not a gun... that's a cup of coffee.

Ladies and Gentlemen... Let me introduce you to a couple of friends of mine... my teeth.

What's bigger... my belly or Titi Grizi's sunglasses?

Hello Father... No I do not know where my helmet is... You don't either? Does Mommy know about this? You don't think telling her that you lost my helmet would be a good idea? Well, I do... what do you think about that, Mr. Eat Your Vegetables?

There's hat hair... and then there's helmet hair.

Let's see... soon as I'm able to run... I'll jump off the coffee table, onto the couch, over the chair and through the open window out onto the front porch. It's gonna be great.