Hush Little Baby -- Traditional

Hush Little Baby

Hush little baby; mama's near,
To brush your hair and calm your fears.
To kiss your cheek and hold your hand,
'Til you drift off to sleepyland.
To help you count those little white sheeps,
And sing you songs 'til you're asleep.
To tell you tales of kings and queens,
of Jack and Jill and wonderful things.
So snuggle up and hold me tight,
And dream sweet dreams all through the night.
And every night when the sun goes down,
You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town.

Hush, little baby, don't say a word
Mama's gonna buy you a mocking bird
And if that mocking bird won't sing
Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring
And if that diamond ring is brass
Mama's gonna buy you a looking glass
And if that looking glass gets broke
Mama's gonna buy you a nanny goat
And if that goat won't give no milk
Mama's gonna buy you a robe of silk
And if that robe of silk gets worn
Mama's gonna buy you a big French horn
And if that big French horn won't play
Mama's gonna buy you a candy cane
And if that cane should lose its stripes
Mama's gonna buy you a set of pipes
And if that set of pipes ain't clean
Mama's gonna buy you a jumping bean
And if that jumping bean won't roll
Mama's gonna buy you a lump of coal
And if that lump of coal won't burn
Mama's gonna buy you a butter churn
And if that butter turns out sour
Mama's gonna buy you an orchid flower
And if that flower don't smell sweet
Mama's gonna buy you some salted meat
And if that salted meat won't fry
Mama's gonna buy you an apple pie
And when that pie's all gone
Mama's gonna buy you another one
And when that pie's all eaten up
Mama's gonna buy you a greyhound pup
And if that pup won't run the course
Mama's gonna buy you a rocking horse
And if that rocking horse won't rock
Mama's gonna buy you a cuckoo clock
And when that cuckoo clock winds down
You'll still be the cutest little baby in town.
--Traditional

Here's what Daddy had to say about this poem/song, "I like this long version because it reminds me of the many hours I spent at night trying to get whichever fussy baby to sleep by singing this and other "Don't cry" songs and making up mindless verses to them." I think my favorite/most abhorred song was the "Don't Cry Little Fishy" one. The trouble was that Daddy sang it so horribly that you couldn't help but laugh at him, and when you had worked yourself up for a really good screaming tantrum, there's nothing more annoying than Daddy making you laugh and ruining the whole thing.

I have a purple plush elephant that has this song on a music box inside. It plays the whole tune, then repeats until the the string winds up again, so you can sing along and just let it keep going as long as you have verses -- which aren't that hard to make up as you go along.

OK, so I haven't written in about a week. I really kept expecting to be in labor any minute, and didn't have much more on my mind to communicate other than that. Also, Mom came on Tuesday, and she's been keeping me occupied doing all the mending and alterations that I've been putting off since it got too uncomfortable to sit in front of the sewing machine.

Anyway, I figured that since Daddy sent me this poem, I might as well post something and tell you all what's up (people keep calling and asking for news). I had an appointment with my OB on Friday. He did an ultrasound to see how the amniotic fluid level was -- he said it was great and there was plenty. He checked for dilation and said I was up to 3 cm. We went over to the hospital for a Nonstress Test (they hook me up to a fetal heart rate monitor and have me push a button when the baby moves -- if the heart rate goes up when the baby moves, they know there's enough oxygen and the baby isn't in distress). The Nurse doing the test said that the baby seemed active and her heart rate was accelerating all over the place -- all good things that indicate a healthy baby. Essentially, the baby is just too comfortable and happy in there, so we'll have to kick her out. We're going to go in to the hospital on Sunday night and induce -- though it may take till Monday morning to get things really going. Anyway, you probably won't hear from me until after that. I'll send out notices (or get Mom or Peter to do it probably) to all three family lists, and also selected church friends. If you're a regular reader of the blog, you'll probably get an email or phone call.