How Many Kisses

When I was living in the Dominican Republic on my mission, I often wondered just how many miles of walking I logged. Considering the fact that we rarely rode any alternate transportation, and that we walked every hour between 9 am and 9 pm, and I was there for about 17 months total, I'd say I've walked a fair number of miles.

Recently I've been wondering just how many kisses I've given my three and a half month old son. Holding your baby generally gives you such a feeling of overwhelming love that it's either pepper him/her with kisses or burst. More importantly, is it possible to wear out your baby's skin with kissing?

I've decided it's time to calculate what my son is somewhat patiently enduring. Now, if I calculate that the average number of kisses I give per feeding session is roughly 75 (definitely on the low side), and he feeds every 2-3 hours day and night (with one four hour stretch from 7:30-11:30), then, conservatively speaking, I give my son approximately 525 kisses per day. That's not counting non-feeding kisses. So in the 110 days that he has been alive, he's already received at least 57,750 kisses, just from me. Granted, it's hard to believe that anyone could kiss a baby more than a mother. Just look at this face--it's hard to believe that I voluntarily put my mouth anywhere near the vicinity of this general messiness. No amount of returned slobber slows me in my tracks, no amount of fussing, pooping, swatting can stop me. He is my son, after all.