Okay, I'm just going to tell you up front that I am not reading this topic. Too much cuteness makes me itch. But we all want to tell our cute stories, and no one wants to listen, so here's your chance. Talk about your cute kid, your cute dog, your cute cat, your cute boyfriend, your cute plants, your cute self, your cute bumper sticker, whatever. Let the saccharine flow.

(Did I mention that Mochi sings? I did? Okay. Well, it's cute, that's all.)

-- Anonymous, July 26, 2000

Answers

My four year old niece, Claire, is passionately in love with Tristan. After our first visit she'd sit transfixed in front of our wedding photo at my parents' house. One day my mother's cleaning lady found her lying on her tummy on the living room floor, gazing adoringly into photo-Tristan's eyes. The cleaning lady vacuumed her way to the other end of the house and back again, and when she got back Claire hadn't moved!

She also periodically asks my sister/her mother 'when's Uncle Tristan and ... what's her name visiting again?'. Needless to say, Tristan finds this a great deal more charming than me!

-- Anonymous, July 26, 2000

Let me tell you about my cute boyfriend.

His name is Jason, aka Jay. He's a redhead, and an artist. He's 5'8" and muscular, which is perfect for my 5'2". I do not have to stand on a stair to kiss him. He is so cute sometimes I want to die.

He sleeps on his tummy and curls his fists up under his chin. Not good for the back or the wrists, but he's so cute. When he wakes up, he's really groggy, and he has pillow lines on his face. His hair is sticking up. Awww!

He has cute feet, with really cute toes. His feet are normal sized, but they look small. Because of his cute toes.

His hands and fingers have freckles. He's not all freckle-faced, like most redheads. Just his hands. I counted 34 freckles on his index finger alone. They're cute freckles.

He likes to tickle me. That in itself is not cute, but the way he imitates my laugh is. He goes "hee hee hee" to make fun of me, which just makes me laugh more.

His reaction when I tickle him is priceless. Watching a grown man squirm is very funny.

To make me laugh, he makes the "Puffin Face". He puffs up his cheeks, wiggles his head a little, and sticks out his tongue. I guess you have to see it. But trust me, it's cute.

He's cute when he tries to speak French. His accent is so Anglo, but he tries so hard. It's cute, and it's really amazing of him to want to speak another language for me.

He's really cute when he plays with my cat. 'Cause he's not a cat person. No way.

He has a really cute butt.

-- Anonymous, July 26, 2000

My two-year-old is unbearably cute. He has huge blue eyes and kinky blond hair, and he spends his life running from one end to the other of whatever enclosure he is in (whether house, yard, street or car). When he gets tired he runs to me or my wife, raises his arms as high as he can reach, and stares at us soulfully until we look down. Then he says, "Uppie!" as often as he can until he gets picked up. Once up, he likes to twist around and sit on his parent's arm, looking out at the world. He looks like a giant human bird perched on us. I know, nauseating. But cute.

-- Anonymous, July 26, 2000

I've got the cutest baby in the world. She's recently discovered she has hands which she balls up into themselves and tries to jam simultaneously into her mouth. And she giggles when you blow raspberries on her belly. And she thinks pretending to be Super Baby is the best game in town.

She's cute. Damned cute.

-- Anonymous, July 26, 2000

With seven adorable nieces and nephews (total, not seven of each), I've seen way too much cuteness for one aunt to experience in a lifetime, but I'll tell my most recent bout with cuteness.

I was visiting my parents last night. While saying good-bye, I gave my sister and 11-month old nephew a hug and kiss. Nephew reached his arms out to me, so I took him from my sister's arms. He immediately reached one arm around my neck, one arm around my shoulder, and rested his head on my clavicle. He stayed like that for easily five minutes. Considering that he is one of the world's cutest infants (no, really, he could easily be a baby model), he was impossibly precious.

G-d, I love my nieces and nephews.

-- Anonymous, July 26, 2000

My kids are way past the cute stage. My stepdaughter has already left home to start her own life and my 14-year-old son has entered the stage where he's developing crushes on the likes of Alicia Silverstone, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Michelle Williams and Katie Holmes (I didn't even have to access the IMDB to get the names right!). Come to think of it, that's kinda cute in itself. Anyway, he's on vacation with his grandparents right now, and since he couldn't take his hamster with him, I'm taking care of The Beast right now. And although I've never been a sucker for pets, I have to admit that it's nice to have him around for a few weeks. I never would have thought it, but I almost melt when he crawls out of his little hole in the corner of his cage the moment I come home from work, especially when he stands up on his little hind legs and wiggles his little whiskers. And at night, when he's using all his exercise equipment, he's way more fun to watch than any tv show.

Mushy enough for y'all?

-- Anonymous, July 27, 2000

Stijn, that is WAY too cute.

Another cuteness story from Heather:

I live in a basement apartment, and my living room window is near the back door of the building. It's ground level. My cat sits in it all day long, watching the magpies, or whatever it is that cats look at all day. Anyway, when I come home, if she's in the window, she will meow and run around on the windowsill, and she'll reach for me by stretching up in the frame. She rubs her face against the window frame, and rubs her body against the glass.

Also, if you catch her when she's just waking up from one of her million naps, you can make her stretch out by holding her on her back behind the shoulders and the tail. If you hold her right, she will stretch out to her entire length, including legs and tail. We call this the Eight-Foot Cat. She's really long.

She sleeps way up on top of the kitchen cabinets. She's just this fuzzy lump of brown fur over the fridge.

THAT'S cute.

-- Anonymous, July 27, 2000

My darling 11 month old niece (K2) just clapped. I've been working on her for awhile. She was sitting in my Dad's floor, I told her "Go see Papa" and big as day she smiled and clapped. What a little sweetie pie.

-- Anonymous, July 27, 2000