Gabbi's Favorite Song

It was a sick weekend in the Haddock house. I woke up Friday morning to a crib full of vomit. (Nice, huh, Bub?) Gabbi had never been sick like this before, so it was a new experience all the way around- for her and I both. Saturday she wasn't completely back to normal. She was feeling great by her actions, playing hard, but still wasn't eating good and a tad bit clingy. Just this evening for dinner was actually the first time she's eaten a good meal since Thursday. I feel aweful for her though b/c of the allergy and tummy problems she's had she's always been small and scrawny. Just in the past 2 months has she started to gain weight. A stomach bug would've been the last thing I would have asked for for her as far as illnesses go. But, the Lord is sovereign and it truly has kept us looking to Him. All weekend long I've just asked Him to sustain me and He has... a stomach bug is never the illness I want to clean up after, but being pregnant just adds to it. But I was okay, and I never got it. Praise the Lord!

In Gabbi's little baby book there's a section about her "growing" and place to list her "favorite things". One of which is a favorite song. I've thought about this a few times and have wondered if she's actually to the point yet where she can understand different songs and have a "favorite". Over the past several months, maybe the past year, "Amazing Grace- My Chains are Gone" has been a favorite of mine, and one that I often sing to her. There are a couple that I sing to her, but I think My Chains are Gone is definitely the most frequent. So, Saturday night we went to some friends' house which we often do- we lay her down and wake her up whenever we go home and put her right back to bed. Truly, never have had a problem. Saturday I guess with her still not being completely normal we laid her back down and she cried and cried. She'd stop and start again. So Dustin and I decided I'd go in there- we usually let her cry, but with the circumstances we thought I could go comfort her. I picked her up and we laid down on the futon that's in her room. I sang several songs to her and she just laid on my chest, not crying, but not going back to sleep. After maybe 3 or 4 songs I sang "My Chains are Gone"... when I finished the song a I started another one, but immediately Gabbi sat up and said "NightNight" and looked toward her bed. Almost as if "Thanks Mommy, that's what I was waiting for; I'll go to bed now." I went to bed with a little smile on my face, but didn't know what to think of it. Coincidence?

Tonight was a similar story. She asked me to go to bed at about 6:30. She does this periodically, a blessing completely. It was a little earlier than normal, and with it still being light outside I didn't know how she'd do. I heard her off and on talking/ fussing for a while. Then at about 8:00 we came upstairs. Dustin went in her room to check on her, he picked her up for just a moment and when he laid her back down she screamed for "mommy! mommy!" You have to know, this is a rare occasion. She is totally a Daddy's girl and even when Daddy's not around she cries for him. Dustin had picked her up again and when I walked into the room she reached for me immediately. She snuggled up to me and I asked her (as if she knows what it means) "do you want to sing?" and she said "yeah" (default answer). So I sang "My Chains are Gone", and right at the last couple lines she sat up and reached for her bed. She got cozied in with 'Blankie' and 'Puppy' without another peep the rest of the night.

Coincidence? I don't think so anymore. I believe Gabbi now has a favorite song. Too sweet!!!