Sing Me To Sleep

In the early days with Molly and Jack, around months 3-9, we had a regular weekday routine.  In the morning I'd feed them, give them a bath, we'd enjoy a walk if the weather was nice enough, go home for some more food and tummy time and then I'd put them into their baby swings in the kitchen and listen to music while I tidied up and they watched.  One of the most frequently used CDs in this morning routine was an indie lullaby album that Chris bought for me after the kids were born called Sing Me to Sleep.  This morning routine was one of the many things that helped keep me somewhat sane during one of the more challenging phases of parenthood I have faced so far.

Fast forward a year and a half.  Chris was attempting to better secure the fish tank pump cord  to an extension cord and decided that it was time to pull the fridge all the way out and give it a good spring clean.  While he worked he discovered a set of Josten's school photo proofs for one of the children who lived in our house before we bought it, a fluorescent orange golf ball that is bedazzled with duct tape and tiny jewels that neither of us recognized, a toy car with Gremlin's Gizmo behind the steering wheel and the Sing Me to Sleep lullaby CD that had been long forgotten.

We chastised ourselves a little for being such poor housekeepers, gave Jack the golf ball to play with* and I cleaned off the CD and put it in the player to see what would happen.  As the soft voice of Amy Millan filled our living room something strange happened.  Our active, always busy toddlers stopped what they were doing, walked over to the table where the CD player was and stood, silently and intently listening to something that was familiar, but they hadn't heard in a long, long time.   They remembered.  I couldn't believe it.

I often wonder what Molly and Jack will remember about their childhood, particularly from when they were very small.  For now one of those memories is the soft music from this album and a routine that has been gone for over half their lives.  I will try to keep better track of this CD and bring it out for moments of quiet with the kids.  I have to wonder how long will they remember this for and what treasures lurk behind other appliances in our house.

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*It was a big hit.