It wasn't long before we started to notice that if Nate was fussy or upset or not feeling well all you had to do was sing "Rock-a-bye-Baby" to him and like magic all was well again. I have seen full blown melt downs come to a screeching halt at the first few bars of that song.
Nate started requesting we sing "Rock-a-bye" before each nap and before going to bed for the night. So I would stand in his dark room, my baby in my arms, rocking back and forth and singing away. We did this every night.
Until he stopped asking.
I didn't notice at first. He was getting so big that "rocking him" was becoming difficult and without me noticing it our nighttime routine had changed. Now, Nate would go around the house and tell everyone {people, dogs, fish} goodnight and then stand at his crib - blanket in hand - waiting for you to pick him up and lay him in. When the thought did occur to me and I asked him if he wanted to sing "Rock-a-bye" before bed he shook his head "No" and a little piece of me died.
He was too big to be rocked and too big to be sung too. Just another indication that this is a little boy I am dealing with - not a baby. So I let it go and I stopped asking.
Tonight, like every night, Nate went around the house giving kisses and saying "goodnight". I met him in his room waiting patiently next to his crib. I picked him up, kissed his cheek and went to lay him down when he looked up and said "I want Rock-a-bye" and my heart smiled.
There in his dark room I held my boy. His legs, too long to be swaddled, dangled freely. His head nestled in the crook of my neck. I could feel him breathing on my cheek. His hair, wet from a bath, is much coarser then it used to be. All those baby hairs are long gone. I sang him the song I have sung so many times and when I got to the end he asked me to sing it again - and I did. Swaying back and forth, holding him tightly, because I know these nights are numbered and I am thankful for this one.
