Prime example: the hand hug. Who invented this? I suppose it was Fiona, as she is the prime hand hugger. It goes like this: At bedtime, Brian and I alternate putting Fiona to bed. One of us reads three books of her choosing to her, then it's time to turn out the light, lie down, go to sleep. The end. But before we can get out the door, Fiona has a list of demands that typically includes the following:
drink of water
tissue (she weakly wipes her nose. We've had the same tissue next to her bed for weeks.)
hug
kiss
hand hug
another hug
another kiss
pillow flip
A hand hug is like a hand squeeze -- a hug for the hand. I put my hand on Fiona's chest and she wraps her hands around it and squeezes. Why? I don't know! But it's become a McCabe ritual.
I've explained the pillow flip to a few people, and surprisingly it's been received with enthusiastic nodding and affirmations. "Yes!" people agree. "It's better to sleep on the cool, fresh side of the pillow." Mmhmm.
Rowan also spends time on his activity mat. You can see his concentration as he reaches toward the animals dangling in front of him. When he makes contact, he grips them so completely that it's as if he can't figure out how to let go. Or maybe he's just savoring his accomplishment.
Speaking of Rowan, or "Woe-wan," as Fiona calls him, these days he is referred to by his name more than as "baby brother." This is probably a good thing, because how do you explain to your high school friends, "Yeah, my name is Rowan, but you can call me Baby Brudder."