My second pregnancy has felt nothing like the first one. Nothing more so than the first trimester. Anxiety has been at very high levels since the very beginning and bodily sensations were all over the place, resembling more my first third trimester. The world upside down, and then some more. 

All websites on pregnancy, what to expect and week-by-week progress, have these very long lists of possible pregnancy symptoms that one may experience. In my first pregnancy, the first trimester was hardly out of the ordinary, aside from some nausea around noon, for a couple of weeks, that I washed away with some Schweppes. This time around, I felt more like the women those websites seem to be addressing. 

The very first weeks were incredibly uncomfortable. Itchiness and stinginess all around my intimate area, pelvic and anal were annoying, making me feel very irritable and edgy and probably contributed to an increased anxiety. 

Vaginal thrush

I had experienced a very mild episode of vaginal thrush immediately after the birth of my son, but it had all subsided with one or two applications of balm. What I felt now was plainly unbearable. It was itchy to the point it gave me spasms and made me jump up and want to scratch the hell out of it. This happened immediately after implantation, so very early on in pregnancy. My GP prescribed a vaginal cream and it took around a week to completely go away. It came back once more just before the end of the first trimester, but quickly subsided with cream. 

Piles/haemorrhoids

I call them “my friends”. During the third trimester of my first pregnancy, I got myself three “friends”: two rather big ones and a tiny one. All external piles gathered together around my anus. Never painful or stinging, only itchy during pregnancy. They generally kept the same size they had before the birth and never bothered me since. Until now, that is. 

A new, tiny one came out after conception. It stung and hurt for a few days. What a nuisance that was! It has stung ever since. Added to that, from the very beginning, the entire anal area has been itchy. Internal piles have also been constant, as proven by regular traces of blood after stools come out. It did not help that despite my best efforts to manage it from diet, water intake and exercise, I was constipated. However, only the bleeding from the internal piles subsided when I had an easy time passing stool. I gave up putting cream on pretty quickly. Although I feel itchy every day, it is not all the time, but rather some moments, usually in the evening. Sometimes I give in, sometimes I manage to breathe it away. 

Anxiety

In retrospect, my first pregnancy felt like a breeze. It seems to me we were very relaxed, oblivious and maybe a little unconscious, too. Not to say this was a bad thing. It just made the contrast to how we navigated the second pregnancy all the more starker and evident. Understandably, I believe, given the difficult history of this pregnancy and my age (39), I, we have been more anxious, worrying more. 

Anxiety in the first weeks was around the impossibility to get a quick appointment with my gynae, who happened to be away for a few weeks. With my history of ectopic pregnancy, I had been advised to confirm early on the pregnancy was fixed inside the uterus. I had scheduled an appointment with his back-up at seven weeks, so I tried to relax, but could not shake off a feeling of impatience and urgency. 

I could not really be happy and hopeful about the pregnancy without this first confirmation. If it was ectopic, there was a good chance I could lose my remaining tube and with it all chance of conceiving naturally. Could we be that unlucky? 

A week before the appointment I started feeling mild cramps in the lower abdomen, much like my usual pre-menstrual cramps. I thought it was weird, because I felt them more on the right side, the one without a fallopian tube. No idea if there is or should be any connection. I felt them for a couple of days. Suddenly, they were with me constantly all day long. It felt like (autosuggestion, maybe?) they were radiating in my lower back and down my legs at times. I got worried. Then I started noticing some light brownish traces after peeing, once, twice, three times, every time I went to the toilet, and I became more and more worried. 

The following day, six weeks into the pregnancy, I had a first look at my baby. I heard the heartbeat for the first time and confirmed it was in the right place, inside the uterus, on the ER ultrasound machine. All was fine. The urine test came back normal I got this one ultrasound image that I showed my husband who was waiting for me outside. He had not been allowed to accompany me in the ER because of COVID-19 restrictions. What a relief! And what a surprise to hear the baby’s heartbeat so early on! I had not expected that. It was so alert..

The nurses in the ER did not seem impressed, advising me next time to call the ER beforehand. There was nothing particularly worrying in my story. Apparently, if it was not bloody red, there was no reason for concern. The kind, smiling gynae that handled the ultrasound looked equally relaxed about it all. 

Once the ultrasound at six weeks and then the medical check-up at seven weeks confirmed all was in order, I started counting down to week 12-13 and the end of the first trimester. I kept reading about signs of miscarriage and all the things that could go wrong. I would not get rid completely of the anxiety around something potentially going wrong thereafter either. 

Initially, I told only one friend about the pregnancy, immediately after seeing the positive test. Just to have someone to talk about this in case it all went terribly wrong. Around 8 weeks in, I told my mom and dad. It was my mom’s birthday, so it felt like a good moment to share something like this. We told everyone else around week 14, when we got the pre-natal genetic screening results back. 

Nausea

I experienced nausea differently than in my first pregnancy. Still mild; I never actually vomited, nor did it incapacitat me in any way, but a nuisance nonetheless. A nagging sensation that accompanied me between weeks 6 and 12, randomly coming and going at any time of day or night. Plus, I felt hungry all the time; that feeling of having a hole in my stomach that I needed to fill NOW, URGENTLY, or else I could pass through a wall :D. 

Frequent peeing

Very much like in the last trimester of my first pregnancy, I felt the urge to pee frequently. It was particularly annoying at night. I was already having trouble falling asleep to start with. I lay with my eyes wiiide open, impossible to close them, until they did. Once I was up and back from the toilet, I was back to square one and it could take me up to two-three hours to fall back asleep. Luckily, my boys let me sleep as much as possible in the morning.

Tiredness

This only further intensified my chronic tiredness and irritation during the day. I felt tired all the time, up until weeks 12-13. Particularly during late afternoon, after picking up my little gosling from the nursery, I felt exhausted and irritable. It was a tough period for my relationship with the little gosling. The occasional naps I took, privilege of teleworking during a pandemic, helped me cope better. They made for calmer, more serene afternoons and our relationship was gentler and less bumpy. Daddy stepped in quite a lot, at play and bathtime and was, as always, a tremendous help. Generally, throughout the pregnancy, he’s been most supportive, encouraging me to exercise – without overdoing it – and to get some rest. 

I hardly felt up for any kind of exercise. It felt impossible to keep up the running routine I had started the months before getting pregnant. Whilst I continued going out for my morning walks in the park, more often than not, however, I ended up sitting on a bench, breathless and tired for most of the time I was outside. 

Constipation, bloating, reflux

Constipation, bloating and reflux have been an issue throughout. More than in normal times. I tried to eat as healthily as possible, plenty of veggies and fruits. Some days were better than others. Drinking water was always an issue. I made sure I had extra fiber at hand, just in case I needed to supplement my regular diet. 

Breast tenderness

Breast tenderness was more problematic this time around. More often than not, breastfeeding little gosling felt uncomfortable, sometimes downright painful. This also rendered our relationship difficult. He found it hard to understand my reluctance and irritation, as I ended up limiting his time at the breast or suddenly interrupting it. It often led to tantrums on one side, irritation on the other. 

Nevertheless, I was determined to keep our breastfeeding journey going. I did not want him to feel that he was losing out on account of a new baby coming. Furthermore, I have this strong belief (no idea if it is supported by research or not) that breastfeeding my second one would be easier on my breasts if there is continuity. Maybe avoid some of the early issues with sore, cracked nipples or mastitis or such. We pushed through and adjusted. Only some positions have worked for me. I needed him to face the breast front and center, if we were in an upright position and when lying down, I needed him to be similarly at a 90’ angle, at the same height as my nipple. 

Weight gain/pregnancy bump

I gained around 1,5 kg in the first trimester. Sometime around week 12, I woke up one morning and I had a weird looking bump, very high, just under my breasts. It was visible to me when naked, but could easily remain hidden under a loose shirt. At this stage, I still fit into my normal clothes. Breasts seem to grow bigger from early on, but I was anyway still wearing my breastfeeding bras, so no need to adjust on that account either. 

I had a medical check-up roughly once per month. Not counting the ER ultrasound, I saw the doctor at 7 weeks and then at 12 weeks. Blood pressure checked; cervix checked to make sure it was tightly shut; ultrasound to check the embryo/foetus. We heard the heartbeat every time. Luckily, despite the COVID-19 restrictions, pregnant ladies could be accompanied, so my husband came along to all the appointments. We had made it to the end of the first trimester. All was in order. We were happy. 

My gynae called it a “miracle pregnancy”. Might be because of the little odds he had given me for conceiving naturally with one sub-optimal fallopian tube and a history of ectopic pregnancy, at my age. Might also be because the ultrasound showed that my right ovary (the side missing the fallopian tube) produced the lucky ovule, which was subsequently caught by the left fallopian tube. 

The post My (second) Pregnancy Diary: First Trimester Anxiety and Discomforts appeared first on Mommy Goose Chronicles.

I thought “I want to read her books if I ever get pregnant again”… So, once the first 12 weeks of pregnancy were safely behind us), I diligently ordered a copy of her first book, “The positive birth book”.  

This is an informative and empowering reading, particularly for first-time moms-to-be or mummies who are looking for ways to have more control over and improve on their subsequent birthing experiences. With exposure to the medical systems in three different countries on two continents, with different approaches and options offered to women to give birth, I found the book an especially useful read for women who give birth in traditionally highly medicalised or interventionist settings. 

It can help ease a lot of the anxiety and fears first time moms-to-be experience. It challenges some of the common misconceptions and negative perceptions around birth. It is packed with research-based data, medical and birthing experts’ opinions and all kinds of personal birthing stories. Although rooted in the anglo-saxon ways of doing things, there are many important lessons that can be drawn to improve on birthing experiences of women everywhere. 

I have a positive recollection about the birth of my son: a quick, natural birth, in an informal, quiet, cosy, non-medicalised setting, with a midwife who only made her presence known when absolutely necessary, my husband next to me. The book reinforced my belief that I had done the right things the first time around to help me birth my baby as I wanted and the  wish that my second birthing experience resembles the first one. I noted down a few tricks for labour and preparation for labour looking at how I could improve on my first experience. 

I definitely want to practice more and regularly (and starting much earlier) staying into the relaxed zone. I remember how difficult it was to stay relaxed and focused on breathing during the active phase of labour. I felt out of control of what was happening. I thought about making up my own affirmations and practicing one or two visualisations of my own (e.g talking to my baby, imagining moments together with baby and little gosling, cuddling, singing or reading together or just spending time outdoors). I would also like to try and be more present during labour, including active labout, taking mental notes of my sensations, for an accurate picture of my birthing story. 

I will make sure to have the image of different birthing positions at hand and put a note to move more. During my first labour, I was quite static. This worked amazingly well for me during the first stages, being all relaxed, either sleeping or in the bathtub, listening to my relaxation tracks. The later stages were messy and although I tried a few different things, maybe, just maybe, moving around more (maybe dancing? :)))) and trying a richer variety of positions could render it more manageable. 

More importantly, the book inspired me with two intentions (may be common sense to many, but not obvious to me): 

• Be more assertive in my interactions with doctors/caregivers. Ask questions; discuss options and alternatives; ask for pros and cons. Not be afraid to say “no” or “I want to do things differently”, “I want to wait a while longer” if something does not feel right. One thing I would definitely be more inquisitive and assertive about is the idea of a possible induction or a membranes sweep. Little gosling was born at 41 weeks exactly, a few hours before a planned membranes sweep which we had accepted without much questioning, but very anxiously, purely trusting our midwife. 

• Stay open-minded and flexible about the way in which birthing could go. If my plan A cannot happen (a natural, full-term, non-medicalised birth), there are ways to make other courses of action more palatable. I intend to prepare myself as much as possible, so as to have a birthing experience that I can feel good about and remember without angst.

The post My (Second) Pregnancy Diary: The Positive Birth Book appeared first on Mommy Goose Chronicles.

I came across the idea early in the year, in an instagram post of a mummy who had organised one for her two pre-schoolers the year prior. I love the chocolate Advent calendars, but did not want to expose little gosling to sugar, however little (constantly, over more than three weeks) so young. It had never occurred to me to have one with books. I loved the idea and started doing my homework immediately.  

So, what is a book advent calendar? A special counting down the days in December till Christmas by reading one Christmas (or winter-themed) picture book each day. 

I found it exciting to set up and invested quite a lot of time in doing so. Instagram and Pinterest are full of suggestions and inspiration for putting together a Book Advent calendar. There were many factors to consider. Whether to have a 24 days countdown or 12 days of Christmas. Reading synopsis and (virtually) browsing through pages of Christmas and winter-themed books (thanks to many mommies, teachers, book reviewers that post glimpses into many pages of the books on Instagram, offering a first hand experience of the book that allowed me to determine whether I would really enjoy the text and illustrations!!). Drawing up lists upon lists of book titles and ranking them in order of preference. Ensuring a diverse and balanced selection of titles between different winter and Christmas themes and characters. Finding books in all three languages: English, Romanian and French. I loved researching and pondering it all! 

The end result? I opted for a 24 days/books countdown. There were so many books and stories I wanted to share with little gosling (and that even before the Christmas publishing season)! A mix of themes starting off with stories about season changes, weather and animals’ lives, homes and behaviour in winter, continuing with traditions around Saint Nicolas, snow and all snowy things (playing in the snow, the snowflakes’ trip from the sky to the ground, building snowmen) and slowly building up towards Christmas with stories about kindness, decorating the tree, gift offerings, singing carols, baking cookies, Santa Claus’ preparations and travels. I included mostly titles that had been published in previous years, including a few “classics”, but made last minute space for one or two newly published books. 

I wrapped them individually in Christmas themed papers of different colours. I attached to each book a number, written on small cardboard cards, which I cut out in Christmas-themed motifs: Christmas globes, snowmen and Christmas trees. I piled the books in random order, so little gosling had to find each time the number corresponding to the day in December. I also prepared a table with the order of the titles, to follow and track our countdown progress (see below for the different titles selected). 

Many mommies rely on library books for the Book Advent, which is a terrific and economic idea. Due to language preferences and COVID restrictions, I had no possibility to have recourse to the library at the time, so I bought all of the 24 books myself. Another economic idea is books swaps with other mummies. I did not have that possibility either. I followed the advice of the instamummy I had first seen the idea at and started acquiring the books a few months in advance (already in August) to spread out the costs over several months. This worked well for the books in English, but impossible for books in French and Romanian. I found French winter titles in the bookstores as early as November, but the Romanian titles only got published/re-edited in December, when it was too late for the Book Advent. I wanted to have my Book Advent ready and wrapped by the 1st of December. In the end, we had only one book in Romanian, which I had saved from the previous year.  

I set the pile of books on a coffee table in the living room and the evening of 1st December we started our marathon!

Every evening after dinner, we made a nice, hot herbal tea. I put out a platter with clementines, pistachio, cajou, apples and pears (ok, around Saint Nicolas, we also had to include a bit of chocolate, but only because Saint Nicolas visited the creche and left the 2-3 years olds way too much chocolate figurines for their own good). We lighted our Advent candles and put out the lights. We put on selections from Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” in the background. We invited little gosling to find the book of the day. He looked in the pile for the book with the corresponding number for the day on it and unwrapped it impatiently. Handing it to me, he invariably asked “what is this about, mummy?”, before putting it aside and asking to read all the previous’ days books first, before we closed the evening with the book of the day. We snuggled onto the sofa the three of us together, among our cushions showing happily skiing snowmen, under a warm blanket and started reading. 

The first few days, he wanted to unwrap more books :). We gently explained we opened one each day and he would have to wait. What an exercise in patience and delayed gratification this was! 

This was our evening routine for the weeks leading up to Christmas. There were stories he liked better than others and we read them two-three times the first time around. We continued reading many of the Advent books through Christmas and New Year’s. Even now, months later, he is still asking for some of the Advent stories. He knows, however, that they are stored away and regularly asks about Christmas, patiently tracking the passage of the months on our seasons and months’ wheel. 

I was weary that 24 books would be too many for such a young kid to take in; that the game would become uninteresting over so many weeks. Although little gosling loved the game and the reading, towards the end, he was approaching it all with a certain fatigue and a bit less excitement. This did not diminish his enthusiasm at finding even more books under the Christmas tree or at reading during the holiday period. Nevertheless, in retrospective, a 12 days calendar would have been equally exhilarating – and a bit more economical. In any case, now we have a good stash of seasonal books to build on and quite a number of favourites to read in following years. It will be enough to add just a few new titles each year from now on. 

Take a look below at little gosling’s favourites (and mine, too!). All about snow, friendship and a bit of Christmas spirit. 

The first stories, Suzanne Barton’s “Robin’s winter song”, Yuval Zommer’s “A thing called snow”; Ezra Jack Keats’ “The snowy day” are sweet, slow introductions to winter. Beautiful, lyrical transitions from autumn to winter; birds migrating to warmer places; first snowflakes; squirrels digging out their hidden acorns; foxes sipping water from cold stream; bears hibernating; robins snuggling; woods and urban landscapes covered with snow; kids exploring full of curiosity and excitement all the entertainment winter and snow have to offer.

Little gosling loved them all and, as a result, he constantly asked for snow. “Is it winter, mummy? I want it to snow!” “Patience, my little darling, winter is long. Maybe we’re lucky to see snow this year” – little gosling’s first. I was also so much looking forward to making angels in the snow with him, just like little Peter does in Keats’ story. I’ve lived through many snowy winters, but never made snow angels. We ended up having snow in February and April, but it was not enough for snow angels. Next year, hopefully.. 

“Pick a pine tree” by Patricia Toht, illustrated by Jarvis came up right after Saint Nicolas. I wanted to keep some illusion of order and sequencing between the different celebrations and traditions in December. So, I thought, let’s read the book for one or two days before we decorate our own Christmas tree. 

First evening, little gosling asked to read it “encore” four times in a row. He likes rhymes and diligently observed each step: of selecting, transporting, preparing for the tree decorating, decorating and enjoying the Christmas tree. We took the time on each page to read, talk about the illustrations and recall how we had decorated the tree with his grandparents the year before. He may not have remembered much, but it was always useful to keep his grandparents on his mind in those times of distancing. 

He seemed to like the idea of taking a pine tree home on a sleigh.. It made his daddy and I reminisce about our childhoods; those big snows that lingered on for days and days, our dads pulling us around on a sleigh – that was our means of transportation from one place to another. No one bothered in those days to clear the snow from the sidewalks (to our delight). 

Then, of course, the lights – he really insisted on putting candles in the tree and finally accepted that we light several candles around the living room instead We played at identifying the different trinkets and ornaments spread out on the book’s pages; “jolly Santas”, “jingle bells” and “candy canes” were his favourite. “We don’t have a staar” for the tree top, he noticed, and determinedly asked for one. We’ll have to do something about it for next year. We enjoyed the build-up of the poem. Even after many readings, his excitement and happy expectation when turning the page to finally see the decorated Christmas tree remained unfettered: “it’s not a pine tree anymore; it’s a CHRISTMAS TREE!” :))))

In “A home in the snow”, text by Peter Bently, illustrated by Charles Fuge, our old friend, Bramble Badger, pulls his friends in his sleigh to a tea party (on his birthday) to which he has not been invited. It turns out to be a surprise party for him of course. Bramble has the gentlest eyes throughout, quietly reflecting upon his friends seemingly ignoring his birthday. Little gosling’s favourite part is all the animals coming out of the dark shadows to join the party, holding lanterns (he thinks they are candles, which he loves looking at), and, of course, the huge birthday cake :P. My favourite part is when all the animals gather around the fire to listen to Bramble telling stories… I wish I had a storyteller among my friends and family.. 

“Snowflake in my pocket”, written by Rachel Bright and illustrated by Yu Rong is an endearing depiction of friendship between young Squirrel and the gentle, more experienced Bear. Ohh, the playfulness of their days together and the strong bond between them, squirrel’s excited discovery and exploration of snow and the tender innocence with which it brings home “the perfectest” snowflake in his pocket so thai Bear can enjoy snow…. Only to find out with eyes drowning in tears that it had melted… It’s a lovely story, with enchanting illustrations, in a strong, contrasting palette. Little gosling’s favourite bit is squirrel waking up and enthusiastically discovering the first snow all around. My favourite part is Squirrel cuddling on Bear’s lap, to watch the fire burning.. Something I’d like to do someday…

“One snowy night” by Nick Butterworth is a lovely story about kindness and sharing. Percy the park keeper welcomes into his little wam hut all animals that come knocking on his door or digging their way up through the floor looking for refuge from the cold and the snow. Our edition came with a fold out big size illustration of the accommodation animals find for themselves around the hut and we’ve been using it to “talk about what we see” :). That’s little gosling’s favourite part. My favourite bit is Percy sharing his sandwich with the birdies and the squirrels in the park. 

“Little robin red vest” by Jan Fearnley tells the story of how robin got its orange-red breast – a Christmas present, of course, for his kindness and generosity towards its fellow animals. In the seven days before Christmas, Robin gives away, one by one, without a moment of thought, his beautifully colored warm vests, to animals who were suffering from cold. Santa Klaus sees it all and rewards him with a “very, very special” red vest that will keep him warm forever. Little gosling’s favourite moment is when Santa Klaus finds Robin and takes him away from the cold. My favourite part is the depiction of the winter wonderland: snow, pine cones, holly, snowflakes everywhere, in warm, contrasting colours. 

In “The most wonderful gift in the world” by Mark Sperring and Lucy Fleming, brave little Esme drags her reluctant friend Bear across the treacherous path, through the howling gale and the deep, deep snow drifts to Little Bunny Boo-Boo’s house to deliver Santa’s present: themselves, two new friends. Little gosling feels so sorry for Little Bunny having received no present and loves Santa’s short note (it inspired him to run around with “his list” of dear things). My favourite part are the facial expressions, particularly Bear’s fear and Little Bunny’s excitement with his new friends.

“Oliver Elephant” by Lou Peacock and Helen Stephens is an endearing story of the attachment between little Noah and his stuffed blue elephant, Oliver. Little Noah goes Christmas shopping with his mom and baby sister. He and Oliver play together a lot – and get into mischief . After a snack break, Noah can’t find Oliver and they revisit all the shops to search for him, only to find him tucked in Noah’s baby sister’s pram. Little gosling loves the playfulness of Noah and Oliver’s bond, his eyes smiling at watching them together. And the big slice of chocolate cake that Noah orders . My favourite bit is the tranquility and serenity of this mummy’s outing with two small babies.. I’m quite envious at how she’s pulling it off .

The post Little Gosling’s Holidays: Our First Book Advent Calendar 2020 appeared first on Mommy Goose Chronicles.

I’ve been singing to him since he was really tiny. I’ve been singing him melancholic songs  (“romanțe”) to sleep, with some effectiveness :P. It gets him settled down and in the mood for sleep, but nothing can compete with breastfeeding to sleep or, recently, with daddy’s bear hug, depending on the mood. I used to sing “Pe lângă plopii fără soț”,“Numai una”, “Ciobănaș cu trei sute de oi”, “Barca pe valuri”, or “La oglindă”. They are all dear to me for different reasons and bring back memories from different stages in my life. I remember my mum singing “Pe lângă plopii fără soț” to me, but granted, when I was much older. I still sing these songs to him. They are soothing, particularly when sung in a low tone, just perfect for sleeptime. Lately, however, he’d rather have me sing nursery rhymes at bedtime: “Podul de piatră”, “Row, row, row your boat”, “Coccinelle, demoiselle”, “Twinkle, twinkle little star”. 

Nursery rhymes were part of my “weapon arsenal” when he got agitated, particularly during car drives. As a baby, he could not bear being in the baby car seat more than 10 minutes straight. He got very bored and agitated. I used to carry with me lots of different toys and books to distract him. When we were done with those, which was fairly quickly, I started singing nursery rhymes to entertain him. I remember various car rides (3 hours +) when he was between 4 – 12 months of age. He had me singing “Tăranul e pe câmp” (with onomatopoeia added in especially for him) again and again and again for good stretches of time :))). He loved it, he was chuckling and squealing. “În pădurea cu alune”, “Oac oac diri diri dam” or “Vulpe, tu mi-ai furat gasca” were also big hits. The last one still gets requested regularly. 

When he was around 8 months, we flew from Joburg to Durban – in principle, a short flight. For whatever reason, the plane took forever to leave the runway. And this was the middle of the summer, hot hot hot and the air conditioning was off.. So my smiling, happy little baby turned quickly into a desperately crying red ball. He was hot and uncomfortable. The flight attendants kept looking at me funnily and asking whether he was ok (?!). I started singing to him in a very low voice “Podul de piatra s-a daramat”, “Iepuras coconas”, “Melc, melc, codobelc”, all rather soothing. This helped him calm down enough to accept lying down and breastfeed. I remember one traveller in front looking back at me and saying “I feel sleepy as well” :). 

Learning nursery rhymes in three languages

It took him a few weeks after starting going to an English-speaking nursery at 15 months to bring home English nursery rhymes and ask for them. I wrote about our journey with English nursery rhymes here.. We expanded our repertoire in the meantime. The current favourites are “Row, row, row your boat” (with crocodile, polar bear and lion included) – he loves to hear it when tired or upset, “Horsie, horsie” – which he recites/sings on his own whilst riding on his dad’s or my knees, after waking up, and “Hickory, dickory dock”. For the last one, he tells me which animals he wants to have going up the clock (mouse, monkey, giraffe, lion, bee, frog…) and what time the clock should strike – relevant for the times I imitate a church bell chime. We have lots of fun with this one. 

When he’s not asking us to sing to him, he starts singing or reciting the nursery rhymes that he knows on his own. Particularly early morning. He’s an extraordinarily early riser, to his dad’s exasperation – he’s the one who has to entertain him from 5.30 to 7.00 a.m.. Or right before falling asleep, on daddy’s watch.   

With all this in mind, it was hardly surprising that his first words in French, upon starting a French-speaking school, came from “comptines” (nursery rhymes). First came “bateau = boat” (“Bateau sur l’eau, la riviere, la riviere/ Bateau sur l’eau, Touni est tombé dans l’eau.. plouf”). During the first lockdown we used to sing it with the names of his colleagues. One by one, in his order of preference, they would fall into the water :))). Good way to remember their names and talk about them, and keep school on our radar. Next came “crocodile” (“Ah, les crocodiles”). This is a funny one, about a crocodile on the Nile going to fight the elephants and ending up running away, jumping into the river.  There’s a fun clapping of hands that accompanies this song and little gosling loves doing it. I was so amazed the first time he said the word. We had barely spoken about crocodiles and he wasn’t using the English pronunciation.. 

Some months later, some weeks into the resumption of school after the lockdown, little gosling again started coming home with rhymes. “Mummy, sing petit lapin”; “mummy, sing les poissons”; “mummy, sing le moulin”; “mummy, please sing soleil”. At one point, every day he was asking for a new song :)))). What I did was explain I did not know the songs, but that I would do my best to learn them. The next day I took him to school, I asked the teachers what songs he was referring to, then went home, looked them up on youtube, wrote them down and added them to our treasury. And, of course, repeat them several times, on my own, to remember the melody. I find the French nursery rhymes incredibly mellow, with hardly memorable tunes.  

“Soleil” was a difficult one to find. I asked the teacher on the first occasion to sing it to me, so that I can look it up on the internet. But I could not find it. So, I explained the situation to little gosling and asked him if he could, please, learn it in school and then teach it to me. He agreed. Aaand… one evening, at the dinner table, he asked for it: “mommy, sing “le soleil””. I reminded him of our deal and he said: “bebe learned it” and off he went: “le soleil brille brille brille/et moi je dors dors dors/[cute little snores and his little hands together under his leaning head]/je me reveille, veille, veille/et dis fort fort fort/Bonjour soleeeeil!” :)))) He can also sing “Frere Jacques” on his own. 

Special songs

Some weeks ago, little gosling was having a distressful afternoon. He did not want to be hugged or touched and I was out of ideas to soothe him. I suggested I sing him a “special song”. He liked the idea of having something special, so he acquiesced. I ended up singing “What a wonderful world” several times in a row, whilst he leafed through Tim Hopgoed’s boardbook. Ever since, when he feels blue or tired or upset, he asks me to sing a special song, “another special song”. So I had to keep being creative and find new ones. I’ve tried Judy Garland’s “Over the rainbow” from “The wizard of Oz”, but the one that stuck the most and gets requested the most often is Julie Andrews’ “My favourite things” from “The sound of music”: “no no, mummy, sing the one with the dog that bites”. 

Our music treasury

With all this wealth of songs we’re singing together, I’ve been building our own Nursery Rhymes/Song Treasury. I got the idea from little gosling’s French-speaking creche. When we did the insertion days together, I saw the teachers using cards to sing with the little ones. One side, which they were showing the kids, had drawings so that they could guess the song and make word associations; the other side had the lyrics. “What a good idea!”, I thought. I decided to write down all the different songs and rhymes we sing together on individual cards and draw something meaningful next to the lyrics, so that he can choose what he wants us to sing. 

I find this very useful, particularly for the new songs and for the songs in French, until I learn the lyrics by heart and he learns that we can sing the song together. It’s also great to have all our songs together in the same format. We sing songs in three languages; songs that we learn from books or from youtube videos, songs that I remember from my childhood, as well as songs that he brings home from school. I think it’s fun for little gosling as well, browsing through many cards and picking the song he wants to hear/sing. Not to mention that I find it relaxing and take great pleasure in putting together the cards: writing down the lyrics, looking for inspiration and (easy) drawing. 

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