Lullaby Setlist

When I'm especially delirious, I imagine I'm not only singing to Marshall, but also to the panel of American Idol judges.

My baby tricked me.

I had woken up in a small panic yesterday morning because three-and-a-half-month-old Marshall decided to sleep through the night for the first time.

"Is he breathing?" I thought. "He must be terribly hungry. Oh, he's going to be miserable." I crept up to his cot beside the bed, placed my hand near his mouth to feel the warmth of his breath and managed to stir him from his sleep. He greeted me with the most heart-melting baby smile.

I was finally getting somewhere! With seven uninterrupted hours of sleep in my system, I felt invincible.

Fast-forward to last night. He was terribly restless during his last feeding. "Baby, I don't know how to help you," I sighed as he wailed in my ear. I could feel my own stomach doing gymnastics, so I could only imagine what his little tummy was doing. I hoped it wasn't due to supper, because--frankly--it was really tasty and I was looking forward to having the leftovers for lunch. I finally managed to rock him off to sleep, place him in his cot, peel off my socks and crawl into bed at midnight.

Marshall's shrill screams woke me up at 2 a.m. Good Lord.

I rocked him. I fed him. I rubbed his tummy. I changed him. And I burped him. Man, did he burp. There's nothing like the sound of a jet of curdled baby burp slapping the parquet floor in the middle of the night. And one burp forced me to change not only his pyjamas, but also my pyjamas--top and bottoms. Thanks, kid.

And through it all, I sang to him. I enjoy singing to my boy. When I'm especially delirious, I imagine I'm not only singing to Marshall, but also to the panel of American Idol judges. Are my lullabies Hollywood worthy? Would I get a golden ticket? In fact, the baby may have drifted off to sleep long ago, but it is imperative for me to fit that final verse in to maintain the integrity of the song.

I admit that I learned most of Marshall's lullabies in Mrs. Thomas's elementary school music class. I may not know the titles of many of today's Top 40 songs, but I remember the full lyrics to A Bicycle Built for Two, which I learned on Valentine's Day in Grade 4.

Here is the lullaby setlist to last night's late late late show:

Can't Help Falling in Love (Elvis Presley)
Father and Son (Cat Stevens)
Annie's Song (John Denver)
You Are My Sunshine (à la Mitch Miller)
Wonderwall (Oasis)
Ice Cream (Sarah McLachlan)
Fireflies (Owl City)

I haven't a clue what tonight might bring. And as I write this, Marshall is sleeping peacefully in his baby swing (of course). I think I'll rest my throat with a steaming cup of hot water and honey in anticipation of tonight's performance, regardless of whether or not my audience is awake.