Ma mere chantait toujours...

Today was a sleepy day chez annypurls. In fact, we had barely finished eating supper at around 7:30 and all three of us were falling asleep watching Sesame Street in the living room. I didn't think we were awake enough for Julian's bedtime ritual so suggested that Julian come sleep in our bed tonight as a special treat. Daddy didn't object. Julian was on his way upstairs as soon as I mentioned it. While we all slept together in the same bed for Julian's first 18 months, we haven't since Julian resolved to sleep in his own big boy bed this past new year's eve ;0)

Don't be fooled by the photo, there's no actual knitting content in this rambling post but since I just finished my second baby shedir I thought I might as well share it. I knit this one from Dalegarn Baby Ull on a US1 and think it will be sized just right for a newborn this time ;0) See my last post for pattern links.

We didn't read stories like we usually do all three of us crowded in Julian's twin bed. It's probably the first night since we bought it about a month ago, that we didn't read Julian's favourite and most requested book, "mimin" (aka Eric Carle's Very Mixed Up Chameleon). We used to read it to him, but now dada and I just lay back and let Julian turn the pages and tell us what happens. It's just the sweetest thing and I hope I never forget these little moments. I hope to be able to store these little vignettes of our daily life with him so that I can recall them to centre myself when he is a teenager desperately wanting a tattoo!

We didn't even listen to the "la-bie" (aka, lullabies) in his room tonight while chatting about all the things we did today. And we didn't even share our usual pillow talk while he rubs his baby winnie's ears and stares up at the leaf canopy above his bed. That's when I usually indulge in stroking his still fine baby hair and remind him of the wonderful day we had, how wonderful and special he is and how much he is loved and cared for by everyone. I can tell he is thinking about them too and always falls asleep grinning. It is my favourite part of every day.

But tonight we did things a little differently. We were all too sleepy to read (even mimin!) or chat about our day. And since we don't have a cd player with lullabies in our room, I cradled my growing boy in my arms and just sang to him, the whole time thinking about how our family is about to change and how these are the precious last few moments where it is just the 3 of us.

This beautiful old french song popped in my head and I sang it to him as he doze off. It goes like this...

Ma mère chantait toujours (my mother would always sing)
Une vieille chanson d'amour (this old love song)
Que je te chante à mon tour (that I am now singing to you)
Ma fille tu grandiras (my child you will grow)
Et puis tu t'en iras (and you will go)
Mais un beau jour (but one fine day)
Tu la chanteras à ton tour (you will sing it too)
En souvenir de moi (in memory of me)

It's so simple but so poignant at the same time. This song used to be the theme song for a chicken soup commercial here in Quebec. It was just one of those background songs you never stop to think about too much. But tonight it really tugged at my mommy heartstrings.

One fine day, this growing boy of mine will become a man and, God willing, a dada with a growing child just as precious and wonderful as he is to us. And they'll have their own little loving rituals. And he will feel exactly the same way then as his dada and I do now: that time is fleeting and that you have to revel in every seemingly ordinary moment while you can because that's where all the love and joy is ;0)