As Promised...
I said I would share about Z's first smooch on me. He had had an especially rough evening--where everything that could go wrong did go wrong. He fell and scraped his elbow pretty badly, he did not get a cupcake because there were only enough for the baseball players, he lost a toy, and he was pretty tired. He melted down in sobs. I mean sobs!!! He is usually pretty stoic (old orphanage behaviour, I suspect) so I was taken aback by his distress. I sat down on the couch and said, "Zinabu, honey, come sit in my lap."

That's all it took.

He climbed in my lap and immediately calmed down. I wiped his tears and hugged him, and he responded by wrapping his arms around me and kissing my cheek. It was a remarkable breakthrough, because he usually does not like hugs and kisses, and flat-out refuses to give them unless dessert is involved. He's not cold with me or unattached to me--he's just not so "touchy feely." I usually have to wait until his defenses are down and then he's more cuddly, but that unexpected kiss made my whole year.

I love him so dearly.