I love singing to my daughter because (thankfully) it soothes her and it gets her attention. The songs are as varied in genre (broadway songs, pop songs, oldies, nursery rhymes, national anthems, advertisement jingles, Christmas songs) as it varies in language (English, Japanese, Filipino, Visaya). As I sing, she stares into my mouth and would sometimes talk just like how she stares into her father’s guitar and hands when he plays the guitar for her.

Yesterday (and up to now), her particular favourite was the Gershwins’ Someone to Watch Over Me. Yes, it’s one thing to sing a nursery rhyme on endless repeat (for more than a month now her favourite nursery rhyme is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star/Kira Kira Hikaru) and quite another to sing a jazz song over and over again. But anyway, I digress. As I was singing and lulling her to sleep, she was again intently observing my lips. After finishing two rounds of the song and her looking intently, she suddenly lifted and swayed her chin as one would when singing passionately; her mouth an O-shape. Up to now, I still smile and feel a warmth in my chest when I remember it.

Her first try at singing? Possibly, since babies are very good at mimicking. Are we gonna have a singer/musician daughter? Now only time can tell. 🙂