mama's little baby

i was the baby of my family growing up. 
The song that i remember most distinctly my mama crooning into my ears during my growing years was, "mama's little baby". 
i probably took advantage of my 'littlest girl' status & climbed into her arms when i was too big to be doing so - big enough that i can still remember doing it now that i'm a mama myself.  i still remember my favourite of her dresses - it was red and plaid and had three quarter length sleeves.  It was made of shimery, slippery fabric and she wore it with red heels.  i thought she looked pretty in it, but mostly it felt like the softest dress ever when i'd snuggle up beside her in church.  My mom has a low voice - kind of like mine - and at night, her lips would fairly brush my earlobes as she sang so softly and slowly and lowly that inevitably i'd find my sleepy eyes weighted and my body limp and sagging. 
i loved that song. 
The way she always sang it like a lullaby...
And then one day, i remember climbing into her arms. 
"Sing me, 'mama's little baby'..."
And maybe my mom was in a goofy mood, but she wrapped her arms around me and sang a raucous upbeat version of my lullaby.  She swung me back and forth in her arms, and growled on the line about the coffee too. 
It was all wrong. 
"No.  Sing it slowly..."
And she laughed at me, "Don't you like it that way?"
"No.  i like it slow. Sing it slow."
And so she did.