Monaloca

Nalani has always loved music and singing, so when she was a baby I always sang as I nursed her to sleep. When she stopped nursing our bedtime routine continued to include rocking and the nighttime song I created for her over the course of several months, when one verse of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” was no longer enough. Holding my peaceful babe-in-arms, I would periodically look around at the pictures in her room to inspire new lines. Each verse follows the same melody as “Twinkle Twinkle” and took at least a week or two to solidify, and they’ve probably all shifted a little over time.

Now at age 2 1/2 we don’t sing it routinely, but I do pull it out when she needs calming or just wants a song. The best part is she can now sing along, and will ask for a verse by name (“Mama, you forgot the monkey song!”) if I leave it out. I’m sure one day, several years down the road, I’ll look at the swinging monkey picture in her room and realize we haven’t sung it in a while. Maybe not, but I’m including her song here so we don’t forget. The second two verses in particular are direct messages to both my girls.

Twinkle twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are
Up above the world so high
Like a diamond in the sky
Twinkle twinkle little star
How I wonder what you are

Swinging swinging monkey bones
Traveling through the trees when you’re all alone
With your mind so curious and brave
You like exploring all through the days
Swinging swinging monkey bones
Traveling through the trees when you’re all alone

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