Unbridled love in a small bundle

Fuurr - rarr- reeee c'mon it cannot be THAT difficult as I slowly enunciate each syllable ...... Fuuuu - fuuuu - fuu comes back. I look down, way down to that body clinging to one leg, dove eyes staring right at me with a look bordering on breaking into tears because it is sooo difficult to please me... sorrreeee Jojo, and then we turn back to the proud prancing horse emblem of the Scudiera Ferrari team and try once more.
Kids............ eeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhhhh. Well once upon a time not too long ago, that pretty much would have been my response when asked, invited or cajoled to interact with a, for lack of a better word - species who I thought capable of nothing much more than endless lost sleep, constant restroom engagements, and pretty much nothing in common - not even a language, for the very youngest of them at least. On the seldom occasions when I was forced to carry a baby, as one person put it - it was more like carrying a laptop, your dead sure that it ain't gonna fall down anytime soon; comfort of the baby.... that would be persona non grata.
Looking back I think the first time I sorta got my hands dirty with kids was with the Brown boys. I sincerely do not remember writing in my list of preferences 'likes kids' when enrolling into the American host program at Virginia Tech .... not at least the first time you see - there are FIVE of them - all boys. And if you know the tiny terror I was in my formative years, I knew that I was going to be in for a roller coaster bit of a time. And what a time it would be. Two years with them pretty much changed me from an anti-kid to a pro-kid person. Sure, you would always have the 'no, NOT AGAIN' times but hey, what the heck - they sure were a lot of fun... but at least they were guys........

So coming back to where I started, what I am up against is my niece Nicole who is female, just under 2, speaks Swahili for all that I care, and I suspect that we just aren't quite operating on the same wavelength. But still what a time it is. In return of endless hair pulling, finger pulling (her hand isn't quite big yet :-)) and yelling - what I get is being smothered with kisses (its always the same - left cheek, right cheek, nose and forehead... very carefully planted each time, gauging my reaction before proceeding), and a big hug of my leg...... ah.... who doesn't mind getting some pampering from time to time..