Songbird

There was a time when I'd read 3 or 4 books to Paige, and then turn off the light and sing "You Are My Sunshine" a few times, and she'd tell me she was ready to sleep. So I'd kiss her goodnight and leave, and she'd happily go to sleep.

These days, we read 4-10 books, depending on how much energy we have. THEN we turn out the lights and cuddle and sing "You Are My Sunshine". We take turns though. I love her turns. She REALLY hits the high note on the last syllable in "you make me happ-yyyyyyyyyy". Then she says "You'll never know, mama, how much I love you, tweez don't taaaaaake my sunshine away."

Well tonight she wanted to mix it up. We sang the usual song, along with a bunch of other ones Jess and I liked when we were little, and her favorites, "Hey Diddle Diddle" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Then I told her we should get quiet and sleepy. She did for a minute, but then she told me she forgot to sing one song. I said "okay." So she sang, and it was a new one she clearly made up as she went. It was awesome. I wish I'd been recording her, because I can't remember all of it. I DO know the first few verses were something like this: "The big giant rock won't fall on my mama. The big giant pearl won't fall on my mama. I will save her because I'm a big kid." She repeated a few variations of this several times, and then sang "The big giant rock fell on me and I was squished. That won't be nice."

Then she sang the final verse: "I will pop your balloon. Don't worry, I will fix you a new one. It will be a purple one. That will be niiiiiiice!" and that was the end.

I wrote a few ditties as a tot, but I think hers trumps all of mine, with ease.