Singing and drooling/Cantando y Salivando

Continuan las aventuras de Emilio.

Emilio went to his second Wiggleworms class yesterday and came back home with a green rattle and some new moves. In case you don't know, Wiggleworms is a music class for children where the teacher (Lisa, in the picture, showing her guitar to Emilio) sings songs such as "The Istsy Bitsy Spider" and "The Wheels on the Bus" with her guitar and the children, well, do various things. Some laugh constantly, other cry occasionally, others try to sit up and others, like Emilio a couple of times, try to scoot around and touch other children. All have fun, scream, move their little bodies and just love the music and everything around them. One thing is for sure: there’s a lot of drooling. Yes, babies drool a lot, especially if, like Emilio, they are teething , but most of the drooling, to my surprise, came from the parents. And most of all, from the grandparents who came to the class. It’s true: grandparents drool a lot when they are around their grandchildren.

I had a great time, watching Emilio moving at the sound of the music in a rocking motion, shaking the rattle without hitting his head (he is definitely getting better at it and decided to practice at home later that day with the rattle Santa brought him last Christmas). My favorite song is a medley of tunes by K. C. and the Sunshine Band that includes a kiddy version of the song "Shake your Booty" and concludes with an alternate version of "Get Down Tonight," with these words: "Take a little nap, drink a little milk, get down tonight." He may not be a future Mozart, but I hope he’ll always enjoy music.

Emilio y yo asistimos a su segunda clase de música Wiggleworms. Es un clase de 45 minutes con unos 5 bebés, sus madres y la maestro que toca la guitarra. Las canciones son canciones típicas para niños (La araña chiquitita entre otras). Mientras la maestra toca los niños aparte de escuchar y reirse hacen otras cosas: algunos lloran, otros toman el biberón de vez en cuando, otros intentan ponerse de pié o arrastrase por el suelo, como hizo Emilio. Todos disfrutan de la música y como no, todos babean. Pero no solo los niños: no saben como babean las madres también y sobre todo los abuelos. Lo he comprobado: los abuelos son los campeones de babear cuando están con los nietos de lo orgullosos que están de ellos.

Yo disfruté mucho viendo a Emilio moverse al ritmo de la música, con su maraca y una sonrisa de oreja a oreja, haciendo todo tipo de ruiditos con la boca. Este niño no será un futuro Mozart pero creo que siempre disfrutará de la música como tantos en su familia.

For the past two days, Steve has discovered Karaoke on our TV and he sings along to the music with Emilio on his lap. I sing to him too and even though I don’t do it well, he loves my songs, even the one by the Spanish singer Joaquin Sabina about the woman who is a drug-addict. I also know songs about turtles and dogs and traditional lullabies, but the one about the drug addict has a special melody he seems to like. Let’s say that’s his “falling-asleep-when-my-gums-hurt song." You can’t be shocked, though.
What about those lullabies in English about the baby’s cradle rocking in the tree? That seems pretty twisted to me.

Steve y yo siempre le estamos cantando canciones. Steve con su voz dulce y melodiosa y yo con mi voz dulce y desafinando. Cuando le cuesta dormirse, siempre le canto la canción Princesa, de Joaquin Sabina. Ya sé que es un poco morbosa la letra, pero la melodía siempre lo ayuda a dormir.