Lunchtime lullabies

Day 24 of 31 at TWT!

"Can I snuggle you?" Little Sweetie twists sideways in her booster seat and puts her little hands on my arms as I get ready to lift her out after lunch. Crinkling her bright blue eyes, she leans forward and beams at me.

"Of course! I love your snuggles!" I lift her warm, wriggly body on top of me, wrap her in a hug, and lean back. Letting my chair rock a little, I nuzzle her soft blonde hair, breathing in watermelon shampoo and pure sweetness.

"Rockabye, don't you cry, Daddy's gone a-hunting..." Her pure, gentle voice starts murmuring a lullaby that my mom passed to me from deep in Appalachian Ohio. "... Upon the mill [it's supposed to be "hill"], beside the mill, to get his baby's bunting."

"Aw, thank you, Sweetie! I love that song!" I cuddle her closer, remembering how that was sometimes the only song that would settle her down when she was a baby.

Those bright eyes fly open. "'Member the rainbow song?"

"Yeah, I love that one too! Will you sing that one to me, too?" I pat her fuzzy Hello Kitty robe.

"Um, I don't 'member how it starts..."

"You're the end..." I only get out a few words before she jumps in.

"...of the rainbow, the star on the tree, the Easter Bunny to your Mommy and me. You're sugar and spice, and everything nice. You're your Meemaw's..." she stumbles, realizing that how my mom sings it to her doesn't make sense right now, then forges ahead "... Mommy's...Daddy's biiiiiiig girlllllllllllll!"

I cover her delicate, silky face in kisses. "Thank you! Meemaw and Granddaddy used to sing that to me when I was a little girl!" There's so much love in our family! Squeezing her tighter, I wish I could freeze this moment in time. Then, I realize I almost can. "If Daddy takes a video, will you sing that to me again?"

"Yeah!" She sits up, switching immediately from snuggly to perky, with a dash of imperial. "Daddy! Get your phone out of your pocket!"

He does, and she settles back in to me for round 2. Alternately gazing at me and grinning at Daddy and his phone, she croons the whole song again, sweetly patting my back with those tender hands. "You're the end of the rainbow..."