Lily's Lullaby

When Lily was in the womb, I would hum a tune that I planned to use in labor. Anytime I got Braxton Hicks contractions, anytime I was sick, and especially during the four days of false labor I hummed the tune and rubbed my watermelon of a belly. I wanted to know if she was a boy or girl sometimes so I could personalize a song for her. Every now and then I would play The Smashing Pumpkins' Lily [My One and Only] in hopes that she was in fact a girl and sway to the tune as I sang.

A few weeks before I left on maternity leave a woman who was setting up her next appointment with me had an unbelievable urge to tell me something about my growing little baby. She said "She is going to be a very musical baby" I kind of shrugged her off because I was almost certain she was a he. Eamon and I are both very musical people, but this woman knew nothing about me or him. She went on to tell me the unexplainable joy that she was going to bring us and proceeded to pray over my belly as she laid hands on me- despite the man behind her scowling and whispering profanities. I didn't really know what to think of it all...but it definitely stuck with me.

When Lily was just a few weeks old, she started to kick to the beat of almost any song. It was adorable. The first time I felt her kick inside me was when I was watching House when I was 12 weeks pregnant. She fluttered away as the theme song played. It was awesome. When she was just a few weeks old we started ordering all of the House episodes starting in season one from Netflix. Every time that Massive Attack song came on, a kicking she would go. Now Lily dances to everything from Lady Gaga [gag me] to Metallica, to George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic. She shows no bias when it comes to what she will and won't get down to.

But this also means that her favorite time of day is when we go to sleep. Most nights she won't go to sleep unless I spend a measly five minutes rocking and singing to her. "You're just too good to be true" "You are my sunshine" and "Goodnight Sweatheart" are her favorites but I've always wished that I had a song especially for her. Something very simple, something she could remember, something that on the stormiest of stormy nights would calm her and put her to sleep.

Last night the perfect tune and the perfect words came to me, and she was out like a light in no time.

LILY'S LULLABY

I love you, my girl

The day's through, my girl

It's time to

Say goodnight, girl

I love you, my girl

My honey, my girl

Sleep darlin', my girl

I love you, my girl

'Night darlin', my girl

Have a wonderful day friends!

Mae

Ps

Last night Baby #2 kicked so hard that I could feel it on the outside, it was great.