Songs for Spike, Part VI

Here are songs 22-27:

22. Shadows of the Night by Pat Benatar. Spike, Pat Benatar is probably one of the strongest females in rock music. She was a female solo artist at a time when female artists were just pretty girls, not tough rock chicks. Pat Benatar was the first tough rock chick. She didn't compromise herself. A very, very good role model.

I chose this song becasue it reminded me of a trip I took to Florida with your Grandpa Harvey many years ago. We stayed with family friends and the kids put on a "show" for the adults, and I danced around Jody Perris' bedroom to this song. It reminds me of a really happy time.

We're running with the shadows of the night
So baby take my hand, you'll be all right
Surrender all your dreams to me tonight
They'll come true in the end

23. Shining Star by Earth, Wind and Fire. A terrific anthem for you, baby girl.

When you wish upon a star
Dreams will take you very far, yeah
When you wish upon a dream
Life ain't always what it seems, oh yeah

Once you see your light so clear
In the sky so very dear

You're a shining star, no matter who you are
Shining bright to see what you can truly be

24. Sometimes It's A Bitch, by Stevie Nicks. (For the video of this song, click here.)

This song was actually written by Jon Bon Jovi for Stevie Nicks, and is about the ups and downs of her life. More life lessons here, kid.

Well I've run through rainbows and castles of candy
I cried a river of tears from the pain
I try to dance with what life has to hand me
My partner's been pleasure...my partner's been pain

There are days when I swear I could fly like an eagle
And dark desperate hours that nobody sees
My arms stretched triumphant on top of the mountain
My head in my hands...down on my knees

Sometimes it's a bitch...sometimes it's a breeze
Sometimes love's blind...and sometimes it sees
Sometimes it's roses...and, sometimes it's weeds
Sometimes it's a bitch...sometimes it's a breeze

25. Spike by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Click here for an earlier post about the origin of Spike's nickname.

26. Thank God I'm A Country Boy by John Denver. This song is on here for one reason only: it is the song played during the seventh-inning stretch at Camden Yards in Baltimore. (You need to know these things, Spike.) I have no idea why that tradition started, but it's a favorite childhood memory of mine. You should have seen the look on your daddy's face when that song came on the first time I took him to an Orioles' game. (I always think it's a commentary on how Marylanders are rednecks, but I try to block that out. :-))

Click here to see John Denver singing this song.

27. Think About It by Stevie Nicks. There is one verse from this song that I love:

Step into the velvet of the morning
Let yourself lay back within your dreams
Take on the situation but not the torment
Now you know its not as bad as it seems

When I was undergoing fertility treatments, I had to give myself two injections each night. It was really difficult, because the future was all so uncertain--and the shots hurt, too! I played this song most nights while I gave myself the shots and tried to keep my emotions out of it so I wouldn't make myself crazy. "Take on the situation but not the torment." That song gave me great strength. And now we're waiting for you to make your debut!

Oh, Isn't There a Bubble I Can Crawl Into for the Next 14 Weeks?

This week, I've been feeling very vulnerable. I've been feeling teary, weary and cranky. I think the reasons for this are many:

1. I'm pregnant. Those hormones are in a crazy state of flux. Up until now, I've been feeling very calm. Now, the crazy hormones are kicking in!

2. Baseball season is drawing to a close. It's about this time each year that I begin to grow weary of P.C.'s schedule. As much as I love baseball and I love that he has a job that he adores, I get very, very tired of his work schedule by late May.

3. I'm tired. I get up at least six times a night to go to the bathroom. And no matter where I try to sleep--in bed or on the couch--it is hard to get comfortable. And taking the dog out for a 20-minute walk totally exhausts me.

4. I'm nervous. As much as I've always wanted to have a baby, that's about how much childbirth terrifies me. I know it will all be fine, but I am looking forward to our childbirth classes where a professional will tell me that very few people die during childbirth nowadays. And I'm also worried that something will be wrong with the baby--I won't feel satisfied with that until I can see her and hold her in my arms.

5. I'm busy. May is a very hectic time at work, and it is followed by more busyness before I leave at the end of July.

6. I'm loaded with tasks. This whole baby registry thing is important. I know that. It's also another item on my list that is pushing its way to the top--along with doctor's appointments, getting my car serviced, and getting a haircut.

7. Season finale of The Office tonight. I want more episodes, dammit! Thank goodness Project Runway should be starting in a couple of months. :-)

Okay, enough whining. There are many things to be grateful for:

1. So far, my pregnancy is progressing normally and I don't have anything unusual going on.

2. While my husband isn't home a lot, when he is home he is attentive and terrific.

3. I have a wonderful support system--both in L.A. and in Baltimore--that keeps me sane.

4. My dog loves to cuddle.

5. The feeling of my baby kicking (yes, even when she kicks me right in the bladder) is still the most magical thing I've ever felt.

6. This has been such a long journey--so what's a couple of months longer? I still wouldn't trade this time for anything in the whole world. Onward!!!!

Babycenter.com update: Week 26

I realized this week that I’ll only be in the office for 10 more weeks, and I’m due in 14! Time flies…at least, some days it does!

Here's the latest update from www.babycenter.com:

How your baby's growing: Your baby now weighs a little under 2 pounds and measures about 14 inches, from head to heel. The nerve pathways in her ears are developing, which means her response to sounds is growing more consistent. Her lungs are developing now, too, as she continues to take small breaths of amniotic fluid — good practice for when she's born and takes that first breath of air.

Songs for Spike, Part V

Song #21 is an interesting one: Rock and Roll, originally written and performed by Led Zeppelin, arguably one of the greatest bands ever in rock and roll. The version I put on your CD, Spike, is by Heart, possibly one of the most significant bands to be led by women--singer Ann Wilson and her sister, guitarist Nancy Wilson.

I chose the Heart version of this song because it's important for you to remember that women can rock just as well as men. Ann Wilson rips through this song with her incredible voice, while Nancy Wilson plays the guitar with sheer ferociousness.

Don't ever let anyone tell you that you can't do everything that boys can do. Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did--only she did it backwards and in high heels.

Songs for Spike, Part IV

Here are songs 16-20 (for songs 1-15, see earlier posts below).

16. Mockingbird by Carly Simon (with James Taylor). This song was written by Inez and Charlie Foxx, a rhythm and blues duo.

Now, everybody have you heard
He's gonna buy me a mockingbird
And if that mockingbird won't sing
He's gonna buy me a diamond ring

My theory about why this song is on your CD is a little complicated, Spike. Here's the thing--before I met your daddy, I was married to someone else. I got married at 22 and divorced at 27. While I was married to that man, we listened to a lot of James Taylor--he was "our" singer. After my first husband left, I banned James Taylor's music from my home because it brought back so many painful and sad feelings for me.

Since that divorce, I have had a very happy life. If I hadn't had that awful experience, I wouldn't have gotten the courage to move to L.A., start my new life, meet your daddy, and get to be pregnant with you. So that's a very, very good thing.

So what does that have to do with Mockingbird? Well, Carly Simon sings this with James Taylor. A guy I had previously banned from my home. And while I wasn't thinking about it when I chose the song--I thought I chose it because it sounded sweet--I think that I subconsciously chose a song with James Taylor on it to make a statement to myself--that, while I can never let go of the past, I can accept it and even make it a part of my future.

17. Music by Madonna. No deep meaning behind this song. I just want you to love music, to have it in your life everyday, and to always want to dance!

Don’t think of yesterday
And I don’t look at the clock
I like to boogie-woogie
It’s like riding on the wind and it never goes away
Touches everything I’m in
Got to have it everyday
Music makes the people come together

18. Only You by Yaz.

All I needed was the love you gave
All I needed for another day
And all I ever knew
Only you

I suspect this song is really a downer, but I do love that chorus.

19. Our House by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Ok, here's the thing--everyday life is rarely like it is in this song. And if it is, it's probably too good to be true. But I'll tell you something, Spike--if you don't dream it then you'll never live it. And, even if all you get are a few fleeting moments, they are wonderful.

I'll light the fire, you put the flowers in the vase that you bought today
Staring at the fire for hours and hours while I listen to you
Play your love songs all night long for me, only for me
Come to me now and rest your head for just five minutes, everything is good
Such a cozy room, the windows are illuminated by the
Sunshine through them, fiery gems for you, only for you

Our house is a very, very fine house with two cats in the yard, life used to be so hard
Now everything is easy cause of you

Your daddy wouldn't consider himself a romantic, but I must tell you that he does bring me flowers for no reason, which I adore more than getting them on any kind of holiday. And resting my head on his shoulder is like heaven to me. I wish that for you, Spike--in every part of your life. Lots of love and comfort should fill your life.

20. Peg by Steely Dan. Much like I'm Coming Out (#13), I can imagine singing this song on the day you are born.

I've seen your picture
Your name in lights above it
This is your big debut
It's like a dream come true
And when you smile for the camera
I know they're gonna love it

Oh, I cannot wait to meet you, Spike!!!!!!!

Babycenter.com Update: Week 25

As you can see from the picture, I'm definitely growing. All is well this week. I'm going in for my glucose tolerance test next week. Fun!

Here's this week's update from www.babycenter.com:

How your baby's growing: Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. His weight — a pound and a half — doesn't sound like much, but he's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more and more like a newborn. His hair is probably recognizable now (in color and texture), although both may change after he's born.

Songs for Spike, Part III

I've been listening to my compilation CD for Spike a lot over the past week. I really like it, but I'm discovering that many of these songs are on this CD for reasons that have nothing to do with the songs, but rather with the way they have been woven into my own life.

Here are songs 11-15. (For songs 1-10, see posts below.)

11. Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You by Stevie Nicks. First of all, Spike, I put the version of this song that was recorded at a concert in 2001. I bought the bootleg on EBay and discovered that you can actually hear Mommy shout, "We love you Stevie!" at the top of my lungs at one point during this song. (After Mommy yelled that, Stevie looked at her and smiled.) Yes, it's true--Mommy's a little nuts.

Here's the story behind this song, as told by Stevie herself. (This song was inspired by and written for Eagles' guitarist Joe Walsh.)

He seemed to be in a lot of pain, though he hid it well.

But finally, a few days later, (we were in Denver), he rented a jeep and drove me up into the snow covered hills of Colorado... for about two hours... He wouldn't tell me where we were going... but he did tell me a story of a little daughter that he had lost.

I guess I had been complaining about a lot of things going on on the road, and he decided to make me aware of how unimportant my problems were, if they were compared to worse sorrows. So he told me that he had taken his little girl to this magic park whenever he could, and the only thing she EVER complained about was that she was too little to reach up to the drinking fountain.

As we drove up to this beautiful park, (it was snowing a little bit), he came around to open my door and help me down, and when I looked up and saw the park... his baby's park, and I burst into tears saying, 'You built a drinking fountain here for her... didn't you?' I was right, under a huge beautiful hanging tree, was a tiny silver drinking fountain... I left Joe to get to it, and on it, it said, 'dedicated to HER and all others who were too small to get a drink.'

So he wrote a song for her [Emma's Song] and I wrote a song for him... 'This is your song...' I said... to the people... but it was Joe's song. Thank you, Joe, for the most committed song I ever wrote... But more than that, thank you for inspiring me in so many ways. Nothing in my life ever seems as dark anymore since we took that drive.

I guess I put this song on the CD because I hope you'll always be able to find perspective even when times are tough. And I want you to know that I'll ALWAYS help you reach the drinking fountain. Always.

12. Haven't Got Time for the Pain by Carly Simon. These lyrics speak to the difficult and triumphant journey that your daddy and I have been on for more than two years.

All those crazy nights when I cried myself to sleep
Now melodrama never makes me weep anymore
'Cause I haven't got time for the pain
I haven't got room for the pain
I haven't the need for the pain
Not since I've known you

13. I'm Coming Out by Diana Ross. Okay, this makes me laugh, but I have this vision of being in the delivery room, and they plop you on my stomach and say, "Meet your daughter," and we lock eyes and you burst into song:

I'm coming out
I want the world to know
Got to let it show

Maybe it's just funny to me. But hey, it's my CD. :-)

14. Ice Cream by Sarah McLachlan. What a wonderful love song.

Your love is better than ice cream
Better than anything else that I've tried
And your love is better than ice cream
Everyone here know how to fight
And it's a long way down to the place where we started from

There's another verse about your love being better than chocolate. Now that's some SERIOUS love.

15. Lullaby by the Dixie Chicks. I talked about this song in an earlier post. I sing it to Spike most days. What a beautiful lullaby.

How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough, is forever enough
How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough
Cause I'm never, never giving you up