The Oscar Meyer Wiener Song - Really ???

So, in the midst of the crazy fog that is the first weeks of mommy-hood, my brain hit a roadblock anytime I attempted to sing sweet lullabies to my precious child. That roadblock song, beginning with the famous lyrics "My bologna has a first name..." could not possibly be the first song my child would be exposed to by his mother. Seriously, I'm a musician... an elementary music teacher for goodness sake. Is that the best I could do?!

At first, I tried to fight it, and just ended up sitting there stumped, staring blankly at my sweet boy. That wouldn't do. The next best song that would occasionally come to mind was a simple early elementary song from my college days in elementary music ed. classes: Hop Old Squirrel. (Hop old squirrel, eidel dum eidel dum - hop old squirrel eidel dum dee...) Not bad, but not great either.

Finally I gave in to good old Oscar Meyer, and decided by changing a few words here and there we could make it "our" own. It's no longer Oscar Meyer, and there is no longer any wiener involved... and it now happens to be one of his favorite songs.

Feel free to sing out loud. ...to the tune of the hot dog song:

My little boy has a first name, it's B-E-N-J-A-M-I-N (you have to spell that REALLY fast)
My little boy has a second name, it's _____ (because this is a public space, we'll leave that part out. :)
I love to hug him every day (sometimes I substitute "kiss" or "tickle" or "play with" for "hug.")
That is why I shout and say
That Benjamin has a way, with his M-O-M-M-A!

BFF

Benjamin and Nathaniel are already enjoying their playdates together. Born only 2 days apart, these two are destined to be BFFs... or at least their parents think so. We call it an "Arranged Friendship." Our two families have a short history of doing big life events together - moving cross-country (packed in the same u-haul), starting jobs in the same area of University life, getting pregnant within 2 months of each other, but then having the boys within 2 days of each other. So from sharing a u-haul to sharing a hospital, our lives are intertwined. And we are so glad to be able to share life with such good friends.

Where is Thumbkin... as well as the pacifiers, burp cloths, and my mind?!

Since the birth of BP, I seem to have lost my mind... even more! Pregnancy brain was a real thing for me, but I have since learned that there is such a thing as "Mommy brain". I am now learning how to use a calendar more regularly, and trying to get organized so things like the pacifiers don't go missing as often. But it is quite a challenge. I don't want to lose moments, though, so I am also learning to prioritize. My mom always had a cross-stitched picture hanging in my room that my Granny had given her. It read: "Cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow for babies grow up we've learned to our sorrow. So quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep. I'm rocking my baby and babies don't sleep." For some reason as a child, I decided to memorize that. And it has become such a real thing for me now. My little one is now 3 months old. He is in the nursery, supposed to be sleeping, but is instead exploring his voice. I am enjoying every moment of this adventure - in spite of the new "mommy brain."

This blog will include anecdotes and stories, pictures and videos, so that my family and friends - especially those far away - can peek into our little nursery rhyme world. Where is Thumbkin... Here I am!