Snuggle time and why it's so important

Most of you know that little Hope has given up her crib to baby #2 and has gotten her own big girl bed.  Well we are still trying to get all the kinks out of that, but there has been one big pro to this upgrade (other than having to buy another crib for #2).  It's snuggle time.  After she gets her book, which we read to her in bed, she has become a big fan of snuggle time before she goes to sleep.  So I will tuck her in and then she grabs my neck and pulls me in as close as she can and says "I love you."  I give her a kiss and tell her I love her too.  After that, we snuggle from 10 to 45 minutes depending on how cooperative she is.  But since our little toddler has been on the move (at 12 months) she doesn't stop to just snuggle as much as she used to, so I have really enjoyed the snuggle time I am getting right now. 

I always remember snuggling with my mom, but now I appreciating it from a different perspective and how she must have felt with me wanting to snuggle with her.  My sisters and I were all in favor of the mom snuggle, so she got plenty, and it didn't stop when we were teenagers or even adults.  I remember just a few weeks before my wedding.  I was living at home while my mom was recovering from more chemo and surgeries from cancer and I wanted to help out.  My mom's nightly ritual was to take a quick bath, and then watch a little tv in bed.  I remember going up there several nights and slipping in my pajamas and sliding into bed and watching tv with her.  I would usually end up snuggling up close to her and she would give me a big hug.  I was 25 years old and was not ashamed of being snuggled by my mother.  That was probably one of the last times I really got to snuggle with my mom.  I remember it so fondly.  By the time most of you read this, it will be the 4 year anniversary of my mom's passing.  She was not only a special lady, but a wonderful mother, whom I always had a great relationship with (even during my teen years).  I have many regrets in regards to my mother (little things like telling her I love her one last time and having her tell me she loved me too, asking her questions about myself as a child that my dad doesn't remember, etc.), but one thing I don't regret is snuggling with her, even as an adult.  I do know that I am a lot like her, so I can imagine how warm and fuzzy it must have made her feel snuggling with her 25 year old baby.  I hope I will have the same kind of relationship with Hope that my mom had with me.  And I hope Hope snuggles with me for many more years to come.  So as you read this, please think and pray for me on 2/22 that I make it through the day.  It is an extremely difficult day for me, but being 8 months pregnant and EXTREMELY hormonal will not make it any easier.  I loved my mom with all my heart, and it breaks my heart that my daughter never got the chance to meet her.  I love you Mom!