Song for a Fifth Child

Song for a Fifth Child by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

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.

I just adore that poem. Especially when I am so tired from multiple night awakenings that nothing seems to get done around here! Austin is getting a little better with his sleep and has learned to soothe himself to sleep once again. Had to let him cry a bit in order for this to happen, but he eventually gave up, let go of the crib rails and fell asleep on his own.

Bathtime fun:

I've decided that he is too skinny now and to do something about it. You can't tell as much from these pics, but in person I have to safefy pin his pants to stay up and he is looking quite thin. I haven't met a baby his age that is his size, in fact he is smaller or the same size as most 6-7 month olds we know. We are increasing the calories he takes in his formula, so hopefully we will have some weight gain soon. He eats a yobaby yogurt each day as well as some other solid foods. Tonight he tried a mixture of squash, corn and chicken and loved it. :)