Makin' loooove ... out of nothing at all (except fig newtons and peanut butter)

How's this for (a) corny and (b) sappy: This morning, I was trying to get dressed and, as usual, both girls felt an immediate need to be in total physical contact with me. It's one of those things that you're supposed to approach with a Zen attitude, like "oh, my children guide me, I take this moment to be grateful to the universe and whatnot." In reality, sometimes I just want to get my shoes on without someone tugging on me or giving me a stealth nipple-twist.

But then, right when it looked like they were about to start yet another petty battle over a small plastic light-up object, they spontaneously hugged. They do this a lot, they're very loving little puppies, but this was such a real and present hug, and it went on and on. Abby just reached her arms around Penny, and Penny relaxed into the hug, returned it, and they tilted their heads in toward each other. Then they just stood quietly for a long moment, the kind of physical quietness you don't even see in toddlers when they're asleep (thrash, thrash, snore, kick).

There was something so timeless about it. I was reminded of when my grandma's sister came to visit her and I saw their legs, crossed ladylike at the ankles and tucked to the side underneath their chairs, perfectly mirroring each other.

And yes, I took that moment to be so, so grateful to the universe and whatnot. And even more sappy, I thought, "I made that. I grew people inside me and now they're hugging and each of them is getting a rush of oxytocin, and the ripples of that are going out into the world, and they're feeling warm and safe without my even touching them, except I am, because each of them is skin of my skin and blood of my blood, and I made that warmth, and that ripple, and I created love."

I did warn you it was sappy. There are bad days and then there are days when I think, eh, I can't be so terrible. This happened.

I'm not posting this on Facebook so "STFU parents" isn't allowed to make fun of me.