Like many of us, you probably like the melody of Rockabye Baby.

But who wants to sing to their infant about falling from a tree???

I certainly didn’t.

Evenings were hard for my favorite little person, and few things comforted her like my singing. And so I would sing, and sing, and sing, and sing until she finally fell asleep. Sometimes, while laying awake next to her, new verses to old lullabies would drift through my mind. In these new verses, I shared all the things I loved and valued about the world. The lyrics swelled my heart with feelings of peace, joy, and connection. I couldn’t wait to sing them to her the following night.

When she was one year old, I had the new verses for “Rockabye Baby” complete. So, in stolen moments, I began drawing pencil sketches to accompany the verses in a small 4″ x 6″ sketchbook. Gradually, I realized that the small drawings, while enjoyable, were just preliminary sketches.  Did I want to re-draw the illustrations on larger, watercolor paper, so I could paint them?  I decided “yes.”

When it all became real.

At this point, the idea of publishing was remote.  That changed when, in 2017, my daughter needed to be put under anesthesia for a medical procedure.  She was just four years old.  As the anesthesiologist turned up the gas, I sang to her our version of “Rockabye Baby.”  Her eyes closed. She was out.

I leaned forward and kissed her forehead, tears in my eyes.  But, the anesthesiology team erupted with praise and questions.

“Where did you get that?”  a nurse asked.

“I… I wrote it,” I replied.  “I’m… uh… kind of writing a children’s book.”

“Well, we want a copy of it when you’re done!” she said.

“And a copy of you singing it!” another member of the team added.  “To play for the kids.”

It was all a little too much.  So I just nodded and said, “Okay.”

And as the sliding glass doors opened to let me out, while my child was whisked off to her procedure, I knew the project had merit.

When we got home, I went through my pencil sketches.  I took a deep breath, reached out to friends for some support, and began to paint the illustrations for my verses.  My young daughter, a big artist, became very interested in the paintings.  I explained that we would make copies of the illustrations, and turn it into a book to share with the world.

Her response?  She made me a book.  She presented it to me for my birthday.

Today, I still sing “Rockabye Baby” aloud on difficult nights.  It remains our favorite way to step back from stress and find our way into the peaceful night. And when I hear my daughter sing our “Rockabye Baby” to her own doll, I know that we’ve created something truly special and heart-warming.

I hope the new Rockabye Baby brings as much peace and joy to your family as it does to ours!

Thank you so much for your support!