ON MUSIC ~ Meet The Beatles...

Before Sammy arrived, I remember everyone advising that when you have a child, it is so important for the parents to make time for each other together, alone. And while I agree that there should always be room for grown-up time, date nights and kid-free zones, I also think it is equally important for each parent to have their own alone time with their kid.

After Sammy came along, I chose to revamp my career path by finding a completely different full-time job that I could do from home, under flexible hours, that would allow me to be the primary caregiver in our son's life. So, while Sam does go to day care a couple of days a week, he is with me the majority of the time. I love the quality time that we get to spend together, the influence that I am able to have and the opportunity this one-on-one time provides me as a witness to our little guy's discoveries and growth. I am also entirely exhausted.

This is why I am the world's biggest champion of Daddy time. And thankfully, Sammy's Daddy embraces it as well. Andy gets Sammy up every morning; their morning routines just happen to coincide, benefitting my love for extra sleep. On the days that Andy is not bringing Sam off to day care, I roust myself up after they've had their breakfasts so that Andy can head out to work. This window of time in the morning has become a pretty special time for them. Instead of playing games or reading books, Andy has Sammy fully immersed in a Beatles education.

As you may or may not know, Andy (aka Concert Boy) is a huge fan of music. He loves to listen to it, collect it and study its history. He would totally be your phone-a-friend for all sorts of musical trivia. One of his favorite groups is The Beatles and therefore, his sister once gave him a box of coasters depicting each of the Beatles' album covers. Sammy used to love to play with them - stacking them, taking them in and out of the tin box. At some point, this evolved into Andy playing Beatles songs from the corresponding album that Sammy selects from the coaster collection.

As a result, Sammy is now learning the Beatles catalogue. He knows which albums Andy has on his phone and which Andy needs to hurry up and download. He knows which songs are on which album. He can tell you with certainty that the Beatles' names are George, Ringo, John and Paul. And he can identify them as well. He may not yet know the correct names for the songs (he gives them his own names), but he knows what track they are on each album and can press the right number to hear what he's in the mood for. He does not have the album names down yet, which is something Andy wants to emphasize. I'm kind of surprised he has not assigned Sammy any Beatles homework for me to work on with him during the day.

Sammy loves his Daddy. And in addition to Sammy, his Daddy loves the Beatles. It is only natural that Sammy would end up loving the Beatles too. I know Sammy's Daddy would love Sammy even if Sammy preferred Mommy's favorite, Led Zeppelin, but this common bond makes their alone time more special. I may not be a morning person, but it always brings a smile to my face when I come downstairs to find them in the middle of a Beatles lesson; Sammy in Daddy's lap, coaster in one hand and phone in the other, both singing away to Yellow Submarine (track #6 by the way, on Revolver).

Sammy's Beatles Playlist, in no particular order (his favorite album is Revolver and he appears to have an affinity for Ringo):

1. Yellow Submarine - Revolver (aka Submarine Song)
2. Octopus's Garden - Abbey Road (aka Octopus Song)
3. Good Day Sunshine - Revolver (aka Sunshine Song)
4. Doctor Robert - Revolver (aka Christopher Robin Song - Robin/Robert? not really sure why)
5. Drive My Car - Rubber Soul (no aka, he's got this one down)
6. Help! - Help! (no aka, he's got this one down too, with bravado)
7. And Your Bird Can Sing - Revolver (aka Bird Song)
8. Nowhere Man - Rubber Soul (no aka yet, fairly new preference)
9. Here Comes The Sun - Abbey Road (aka Sun Song)
10. Good Night - The Beatles/White Album (no aka, knows it by name and listens to this at night right before bed)