The Rats' Song

I sing. A lot. But this post isn't about me singing, it's about Belle Filles' new favorite song. Rememember when my little girl was teeny tiny and I sung her a lullaby? Well Muñequita linda isn't her favorite anymore (though we still sing it a lot). Now it's "Una Rata Vieja." This is an old, old song too, mexican lore, and though it doesn't strike as a tune for a child, it's sung to little children.

Una rata vieja
An old rat

Era planchadora
Would iron clothes

Por planchar su falda
For ironing her skirt

Se quemó la cola.
She burnt her tail.

Se puso pomada
She put some balm on

Se amarró un trapito
She tied a cloth on herself

Y a la pobre rata
And the poor rat

Le quedó un rabito.
Was left a little stump.

Just Look: Belle Fille and the Piñata

Piñatas

Belle Fille is singing dae dae dae right now ... She´s still hung over the holidays where she was able to hit piñatas and get the free sweets that´re inside. FYI, piñatas are a mexican tradition (but I think not exclusive to Mexico, I think some latinamerican countries also have them) that involves a flying object filled with sweets that kids hit with a long stick (usually an old broom handle) until they break it. Wanna see?

The song in spanish goes like this:

Dale dale dale

No pierdas el tino

porque si lo pierdes

pierdes el camino.

Ya le diste una

Ya le diste dos

Ya le diste tres

y tu tiempo se acabo.

The translation:

Hit it hit it hit

Don´t lose your aim

Because if you lose it

you wil lose your way.

You already hit it once

You already hit it twice

You already hit it three times

and your time is up.

Belle Filles' Lullaby

So I sing to my baby, right? (By the way, I mentally caress the word, baby, since my daughter seems intent on entering toddledom. Not just now, but she's well on her way) Just like any other momma. But my favorite lullaby isn't exactly rock a bye baby. It's an old mexican song usually sung with mariachi, but I really like the lyrics and so, in a soft song-like coo, I give to you an extract of muñequita linda, my little girls' favorite lullaby:

Muñequita linda de cabellos de oro
Cute little doll with golden hair

de dientes de perla labios de rubí
teeth of pearl, ruby lips

Dime si me quieres como yo te adoro
tell me if you love me as much as I adore you

si de mí te acuerdas como yo de ti.
if you remember me like I do you

A veces escucho un eco divino
sometimes I hear a divine eco

que envuelto en la brisa parece decir...
that enveloped in a breeze seems to say

Sí te quiero mucho, mucho, mucho, mucho
yes I love you very much, very very much

tanto como entonces, siempre hasta morir.
as much as then, always to death.

My Amado

I´ve never talked to you about my Amado before have I? He’s my husband.

He is a pretty normal guy. He’s tall and works out so I can woo him with ease (and I do that a lot) He shaves nearly every day. He likes coffee as much as I do as well as piña colada (yum!) He loves to watch Friends and The Big Bang Theory. He dislikes it when the car is dirty, but is sensible enough to detach himself from that notion when it’s rainy season and you have to wash your car constantly because it gets dirty right away, besides the fact that I don’t mind eating crackers and the like inside it. And Belle Fille is a baby so she isn’t neat either. (Sorry honey, I’ll clean it up later!)

Mmm… what else…

His heart melts in protective love for our daughter. He can’t abide her getting even a teeny bit hurt. He was so disgruntled with me when Belle Fille fell of the bed because of my carelessness. In my defense, however, she’d never rolled in front of me before. I didn’t think she could move at all! Much less cover the entire distance from the middle of the bed to the edge, and right off it. It’s a big bed! Anyway…

He plays with her and talks to her sweetly… the other day I heard him singing her a lullaby that consisted of one word (light bulb. I’ll explain later) but it was in such a tender, caring tone that he had both her and me in rapt attention. That is, until he realized I was behind him and asked me what was wrong, probably wondering why I was looking at him with a goofy smile on my face. But he lets her know who’s boss when she pinches/ bites/ hits me because I don’t let her have her way. Though I have to admit she’ll have him eating from the palm of her hand a few seconds later after she scrunches up her face and pouts. My sweet babe…

Cultural pause/interlude

In Mexico, when kids or people in general do stuff like that, we say that “ya nos tomó la medida.” Literally it means that we’ve been measured. What’s implied, is that the person that “measured” us knows us well enough to know what to do to when they want to get away with something they normally couldn’t. For example, Belle File will pull my hair one second, then give me a (two) toothed grin the next so that I’ll forgive her quickly. Sometimes I can’t help but to laugh out loud when she does that. Can you believe her?! That nifty little bundle of cuteness…

Cultural pause ended. We will now resume and finalize the description of my hubby.

My amado and I would go to the movies two or three times a week when we were dating, now we go about once a week. (Yes, we watch a lot of movies, congrats on noticing). He’ll hold me when I get tense on suspenseful moments, he’ll gently wipe away my tears in the rare case that I cry. And when it’s over, he’ll laugh with me as I sing/holler in the car most of the way home, making comments on the funny faces he says I do.

I love that guy.