Meet Miss.SingSong

 Little Miss.SingSong came into the world rather unexpectedly at 34weeks.  She then spent two weeks in the NICU.  I look back at that time and know that I was so stressed and worried and in love and tired and happy, but I only remember the love and that happiness with any real clarity.  The rest of it just fades away because those things that were so stressful get resolved, and then don't matter anymore.

It is terrifying to see your baby in the NICU.

Once we brought her home, I had to be responsible for waking her up every three hours to eat.  She was so little that she wouldn't wake up on her own to eat.  In fact, she didn't cry at all for the first month except for when she was cold at bath time.  After about a month, though, I got permission from her doctor to let her go four hours at night.  And then five.  At that point she started waking herself up and announcing that she was hungry.  Our baby girl had a voice!

Miss.SingSong Loves to Read!

Miss.SingSong loves to hear her mom and dad (and anyone, really) sing.  She loves to sing along.  She will eat her food better if I'm singing to her while I feed her.  She calms down and is soothed by singing.  She loves to sing to herself in her crib.  She loves to sing to herself in her bath.  She loves to sing to herself while she plays with her toys.  Baby singing isn't quite like singing songs the way we do, but it's so cute and perfect.

She will look right at me and watch me carefully if I start singing a new song that isn't familiar to her.  And she thinks it's the funniest thing if I change a familiar song in an unexpected way.  But she does have her favorite songs.  Right now she loves Skinnamarink, and I am a child of God.

Miss.SingSong is observant, and I'm already terrified that all of my bad habits are being learned by her.  I pray that she sees more of the good than the bad in her imperfect parents.  I feel the great responsibility of teaching her who she is, and helping her discover her life's mission.  I can see in her a valiant Spirit-daughter of God, and I want to help her realize her potential.  I know that there can be no work more important than raising her in the right ways.  And I know that God will help me in this work, because it is His work, and she is His daughter first.  And so am I.