from A Child's Garden of Verses

Robert Louis Stevenson

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.

The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow--
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;
For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball,
And he sometimes goes so little that there's none of him at all.

One of my favorite poems from childhood, and last night I read it to AJ because on our way to bed, we watched our shadows follow us up the stairs. As if him noticing his shadow isn't cool enough (!), I am also thrilled that he is finding his rhythm. I think it's interesting that he (all babies, I guess) really took to the singsong verse of nursery rhymes early on. He's always loved Mother Goose - The Three Little Kittens, especially. :) And now I see that those rhythmic verses were his stepping stone to real music, which he is finally enjoying. He bops his little bootie and sings along with the tunes in "Charlotte's Web," he giggles and claps when I sing him nursery rhymes, and sometimes he even hums to himself! Those behaviors might not be unusual for some kids, but for him, they are new. And so, so precious. (I might be overenthusiastic about love of music. A little.)

Anyway, Poetry is so good for kids; I hope to share more of it with him. Any good suggestions are welcome from you experienced moms.