You see, when I was pregnant with Emerald, I sang and read to her to ward off loneliness, mostly. Of course, I had Jabba and Oscar there to keep me company as well, but I felt at loose ends during most of the day, and I had read in all my baby books that the baby could hear my voice and would be soothed by it. So I decided to start a tradition where each kid had a song--an idea I actually stole from my mother.
When we were growing up, Mom had a song for each of us (except Royce because she didn't get him as a baby). Jarrod was "You Are My Sunshine"; Amber was "Funny Face"; and I was "Country Bumpkin".
I sang dozens of songs to Emerald, including "High Above Me", "So I Need You", and "Goodnight Sweetheart", but I chose the songs that had a message I liked for her and that she responded to as fetus. I say songs because I was never able to quite narrow it down to one.
The first is "Crash and Burn" by Savage Garden. Fetus Emerald loved Savage Garden songs (as well as Elton John, but I wasn't about to make "That's Why They Call It the Blues" the song for my little girl). This one had lyrics that I could see being meaningful to my little girl one day when she was growing up, going through things like break-ups and losing friendships. It goes:
Let me be the one you call
If you jump, I'll break your fall
Pick you up and fly away with you into the night.
And if you need to fall apart,
Well I can mend a broken heart.
If you need to crash, then crash and burn, you're not alone.
I really love that song--it's corny, but corny seemed to fit. To this day, Emerald still loves this song and will request me singing it to her; and as promised by the baby name book, it still soothes her.
She actually has two more songs--"Crazy for this Girl" by Evan and Jaron is the second one. It is pretty straight forward as to why I sing it to her:
Would you look at her, she looks at me
She's got me thinking about her constantly,
But she don't know how I feel.
She carries on without a doubt,
I wonder if she's figured out,
I'm crazy for this girl;
Yeah I'm crazy for this girl.
That's one she just likes a whole lot. It's peppier than the other two songs and it makes her smile when she is being cranky, so it somehow made it into "her" song.
The final one is "When You Come Back Down" by Nicklecreek. It's a sweet song that is along the same vein as Crash and Burn, but it was the song Emerald found the most soothing as an infant and would most frequently fall asleep to:
When you're soaring through the air,
I'll be your solid ground
Take every chance you dare,
I'll still be there,
When you come back down.
It's a song that encourages her to go out and don't be afraid because I am behind her, Daddy and I will support her and be there for her. It was such a relaxing song and I sang it every time as I snuggled her close to me while I rocked her or nursed her in that glider chair in our old apartment.
When I got pregnant with Gabriel, I knew immediately that it was a boy and I knew what his song was going to be--"You Are My Sunshine". For some reason, just like the family name Lynn, it didn't seem right for Emerald. And we were right--Lynn is better suited for Gabriel, and "You Are My Sunshine" is his song.
You are my sunshine
My only sunshine
You make me happy
When skies are gray.
You'll never know, dear
How much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away.
I used this song so much that Emerald now sings her own version to Gabriel when he is fussing and crying, in an attempt to soothe him: "You are sunshine, you are my sunshine. I make you happy when you is gray. You neber know, Gabe, how much I lub you. You are my sunshine, now please go away".
His other song is "The Sausage Man Song", which is just a Wagner family tradition at this point. Gabriel has been hearing it since he was a fetus, and indeed Amber and Jarrod fought over which one of them would get to sing it to my belly first. I think Amber won, but I can't be certain. I won't post lyrics, but if you don't know it, go look it up. Great but disturbing song, and it makes Gaby-Baby giggle up a storm.
His final song is "You'll Be in My Heart" from Tarzan. I just liked it and he liked it, so it kind of stuck around.
All of this is to say: finding a song for Benjamin has been much harder.
I sing to him constantly. The kids seem to enjoy it, and I love to sing, so I belt out a tune whenever I get the chance. Any song that seems to make him particularly happy, he gets a claim to.
So far, he only has two songs.
One is "The River" by Garth Brooks. He really loved it, and I like the message and imagery of it.
I will sail my vessel
Till the river runs dry
Like a bird upon the wind
These waters are my sky,
I'll never reach my destination
If I never try,
So I will sail my vessel
Till the river runs dry.
Beautiful song, and Ben wiggles and snuggles every time I sing it so I do think he likes it.
The other is "Still On Your Side" by BBMak. Okay, so I am starting to sound a little dated, but it is a fun upbeat song which each of the other kids have, and he dances when I sing it. Plus, once again, it has a message I would relay to him that I like:
I will stand up for you
No matter what you're going through
I'm still on your side (still on your side)
Any time, day or night
Don't care if it's wrong or right
I'm still on your side.
The problem I am having is the main song. The one song that I can definitively say is "his" song and use for lullabies and soothing and bonding like I had with the other two. I love both the songs I am singing to him, but are they right? Are they "his" song? Or do I need to keep looking?? I know I need at least one more song--by default, the other two had three so I can't just offer Benjamin two.
That is my current quest: To obtain the perfect song for my little boy. Any and all suggestions are welcome, but try and remember that I will have to sing them and my voice is not the most awesomest thing that has ever happened to the world.
~Andie~
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