Babies Don't Keep

My mom had a framed cross-stitched snippet of the following poem always hanging in our bathroom. (Why our bathroom, I don't know- ha!) I never understood it completely until I had kids. It's so true! I came across it in the comments section of Kellys Korner blog and I had to post on my blog, mainly to remind myself of what's truly important in these fleeting, yet precious moments.

Song for a Fifth Child
by Ruth Hurlburt Hamilton (1958)

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.


Me scooping up my liv on the beach in galveston

my angel girls

How is it possible that that baby you see turns one this coming Sunday!?