Lullaby

At bedtime I generally rock Jesse and sing to him. Sometimes the older boys turn off their fan and sit in the heat to listen to me sing too. Sometimes they shout out requests, but not usually. Simon will more often request a song, but he's usually content to just listen.

I sit in the rocker and Jesse climbs in my lap. Around his "bite" he'll say, "Sing a song?" I say, "What song?" He almost always answers, "Birdie song."

My great-grandma used to sing it to me, and I want my boys to know it so I sing it to them. Someday I'll sing it to their babies so they know it too. Just in case my boys don't sing it to them, but I'm hoping they do.

Sing a song of six pence
pocket full of rye.

Four and twenty blackbirds
baked in a pie.

When the pie was opened
the birds began to sing.

Now wasn't that a dainty dish
to set before the King?

The king was in his counting house
counting out his money.

The queen was in the parlor
eating bread and honey.

The maid was in the garden
hanging out the clothes.

Along came a blackbird
and snatched off her nose!

This particular day Simon had a request after the "Birdie" song. He said, "Sing another song. Sing a Love-a-by."

I asked, "Like what?" I love that he said 'love-a-by' it melted my heart! But really, it is a love-a-by. I only sing to those I love.

"Sing 'Twinkle Twinkle', and say Simon!" And thus I sing this for Simon. When he was littler he misunderstood the words and Tim reinforced it the way Simon heard it and now I sing it this way for Simon. He listens very closely to see if I remember to sing it "his" way or not "his" way depending on his request for the day.

Twinkle twinkle little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a Simon in the sky.

My Simon is like a diamond in the sky!