When I took over as Head Mouse of the early childhood music class, Church Mice, I was a music therapy intern in St. Louis and commuting to Springfield on the weekends. I was not married, and I was what seemed like a million years away from thinking about children of my own.
Fast forward 7 years: I’m still the Head Mouse, and there’s a new little mouse in the circle. MY BABY! I cannot fully explain how surreal it is to see Parker sitting amongst the rest of the kiddos, playing instruments and smiling and having fun.
What’s even more surreal is watching Zach (my husband) and Parker play together, just like the rest of the families in the group. When we started thinking about having a baby, and even moreso when I was pregnant, I tried to imagine this scenario — but the reality is so much sweeter than anything I envisioned! The fact that they are bonding through my music just makes my heart swell.
At one point, Zach sat Parker right next to me. He had the biggest grin on his face, watching and listening as I sang. I couldn’t help but grin right back at him. I try not to play favorites in any of my groups or classes, but it’s a little hard not to in this case ;)
Church Mice has always been one of the highlights of my week, but having my family there brings a whole new level of enjoyment. I know there will come a time (hopefully in the distant, distant future) when Parker is embarrassed by my singing and playing, so until then I am going to soak up these moments, being his musical idol.
From the time he was just one month old, Parker has been a huge fan of his kick ‘n play piano. He’s spent countless hours on that mat, kicking away at the keys to the point where I have every single tune completely memorized. It’s where he first learned to grab at toys, and he perfected his rolls on that mat as well.
Add another skill to that list: he’s working on sitting up on his own with the help of his little piano. He hasn’t mastered it yet, but when I place his boppy pillow behind him, he does a pretty great job staying upright and tickling those ivories at the same time.
It’s so exciting to watch Parker discover all the things he’s capable of, especially when they are musically related! Everyone always comments on his long “piano-playing” fingers; this is just the beginning step on his journey to becoming a little pianist. Hopefully he’ll be a more diligent piano student than I was as a child ;)
Since the day we brought him home from the hospital, Parker has been exposed to lots of music. (Shocker, right!?) I’ve sung him all the traditional children’s songs — it took me a month to be able to get through “You Are My Sunshine” without crying, thanks to those lovely postpartum hormones — but I definitely didn’t stop there.
Broadway, Jason Mraz, Frank Sinatra, The Civil Wars…he’s heard it all. And while Parker seems to enjoy just about any song I sing to him, his clear favorite is this one.
A Bushel and a Peck has become my go-to song for Parker, especially when he’s upset. It instantly cheers him up and makes him giggle, which is pretty much my favorite sound in the whole world :)
So I’ll keep singing this song a million times a day, but I’ll also keep trying out lots of others. I wonder what his next favorite will be?
Welcome! I’m Rachel Rambach, board-certified music therapist and creator of Listen & Learn Music — educational songs and musical materials for children. I love sharing my work with you, along with my behind-the-scenes creative process, adventures in business ownership, and life as a mom of two little ones.
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