Song Birds

My mom told me once that one of the sweetest things about babies becoming toddlers is when they start singing. It was hard for me to imagine my babies being toddlers.

Before they were talking, songs were the main thing that really got their attention. So, I sang pretty much everything I said to them. I loved the look on their faces and having their full attention.  One song I sang a lot was "Row, Row, Row Your Boat." They loved it, especially Ethan. He learned those first three words fairly quickly and I loved hearing him sing! He really bobbed his head with it, too. He started singing it all the time.  When we were in line at the grocery store, a cashier heard him and knew right what he was singing. "Row, row, row," he sang, and she smiled very big and completed the lyric for him which he loved.
One time, he even tried to sing the high pitched part: "meh, meh, meh, meh!"
"Good job, Brother! Life is but a dream!"

I think the first time I heard Emma sing was during a commercial that featured a part of a song by a very cute child prodigy opera singer named Jackie Evancho. Emma and Ethan were both immediately captivated by her song. They both stopped what they were doing and stared at the little angelic girl on the screen. When the singing stopped, Ethan went back to his playing, but Emma turned to me and did her very best impression of what she had heard: "Ahhhhhhhhh...." It was the absolute sweetest thing ever.

Now that they understand what I'm saying, I talk more and sing less.  But they do love when I sing songs with motions, like "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes."  Emma especially likes "The Itsy Bitsy Spider." I just love her little singing voice. She raises her eyebrows and tilts her head back just a little. She is very good at remembering long speech patterns, but hasn't got all of the words down. She hits enough of the right rhythm and sounds for me to recognize where she is in the song. I hear, "Itsy bitsy spi'er...mamama...spout." And her little spider motion is such a cute little finger jumble.


They both love when I draw pictures on their Magna-doodle. It's like toddler flash cards. They love learning right now. I hope it stays that way. They are great at naming whatever simple shape, letter, or object I draw. The other day when I drew a star, Emma smiled and surprised me with a new song: "Twinkle, twinkle nee nee star, o-wa wona uhh are/ upa buh...high...." That little Emma is such a little sweetie. Mimi must have taught that to her because I have never sung it for her. It was the most beautiful rendition I've ever heard. She almost has the entire song memorized. It made me so proud. My little songbird.


 Emma is more of a singer than Ethan is. He loves music, but he's more of a dancer. He talks more than Emma does. He talks and talks all day. He'd make a better rapper than singer, I bet. There is one Sesame Street song he and Emma sing all the time that sounds like more of a rap: "I  Wanna Rock!" It's about a rock band made out of rocks. Emma loves singing. She sings all day, song after song that she knows from Sesame Street: "Preschool, preschool, preschool..." (Preschool Musical) and then she goes right into her favorite commercial: "Nigh-nigh-nigh-sah-sah-sah-seh-fee!" (National American University). She and Ethan both loved the song from "Signing Time" that says, "Try, try, try...to tell me what you're feelin' inside, side, side," and they would sing it randomly from time to time.  It was so sweet. I haven't heard that one in a while. In the mornings through the monitor, I have often heard, "Ee-I-Ee-I-Oh... and a moo-moo-moo, and a moo-moo-moo." It puts a smile on my face before I even get out of bed.

I have always loved singing too. When I was little, I would make up my own songs when I was by myself about my dog or whatever I was doing at the moment. I don't have much of a talent for singing, but it has always been something I do. I have a song in my heart, and Emma does too.