As I Lay Me Down To Sleep

A perfect song provided by Sophie B. Hawkins...

It has been a long 5 months since last posting a blog and I am embarrassed that time has escaped my grasp. There is so much to tell about the transformation of the Rogerson family (Tennessee Chapter), but not enough time to thoroughly put it into words. I have made a decision to write more often, however briefly it may be. On to today's topic...

Gabriel is of the Rogerson mold- he loves music. He received an iPod from us on his 4th birthday and has loved listening to the Beatles as I drive him home on Tuesday and Thursday nights since he was in a infant carseat. About 3 years ago, he decided that he wanted to listen to music as he went to bed. With the breadth of my musical catalog, I created several playlists entitled, "Sleep Time 1-6" for variety. Each having about 8 songs, he enjoys them as he drifts into his dream world. A night does not go by when he doesn't hear a song from Mat Kearney and Jason Mraz.

As for Jacob, he is starting his own bedtime traditions. Initially, he would only want to go to sleep in his crib- he did not want someone to rock him to sleep. Because I only got a couple of hours with him before he went to bed, I began to rock him in his chair a few minutes and sing my favorite songs as lullabies. I wanted to be sure he had a solid foundation of music, so I began to sing a litany of Beatles songs as I rocked him to sleep. At first, his "playlist" only consisted of "Blackbird." After a few days, I added an additional song such as "Across The Universe," "Let It Be," and "The Long And Winding Road." After a couple of weeks, it became apparent that this was no longer a phase. Jennifer had attempted to lay him in bed like we always had before and he would start whining after 5 minutes in bed. I would pick him up and sing a couple of songs and he would sleep all night.

Jake tells me the songs he likes by resting quietly without tossing and turning. We have added "Octopus' Garden," "Yesterday," and "Good Night" into our Beatle repertoire. With his approval, I have added other artists such as Sting, Peter Gabriel, and Brett Dennen, but we always end on a Beatles tune as I lay him in his crib. I am not sure who enjoys this ritual more: him or me, but its the bond we share together at the end of his day. It seems to be a necessity for him, and a pleasure for me.