Explanation

I was gently informed last night by my Adam that not everyone "gets" why I've been referring to the baby as Wee Willie. While I of all people should have recognized the potential for dirty jokes at the kid's (or my) expense, I was happily absorbed in memories of one of my favorite childhood nursery rhymes. Wee Willie Winkie is a classic English nursery rhyme about the guy who runs around town (kind of like the town crier) making sure to let parents know that it's bedtime for their kids. I always loved that rhyme, especially because the book that I read it in was published by Disney, so the illustration next to the rhyme was Goofy running around an old English town in his bedclothes (complete with a nightcap!). For anyone who is not familiar with this rhyme, I thought I'd post it here so maybe you, too, can appreciate why I like it. Now imagine a very exasperated Goofy running up and down long flights of stairs and knocking on doors.

Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town,
Up stairs and down stairs in his night-gown,
Tapping at the window, crying at the lock,
"Are the children in their bed, for it's past eight o'clock?"

"Hey, Willie Winkie, are you coming in?
The cat is singing purring sounds to the sleeping hen,
The dog's spread out on the floor, and doesn't give a cheep,
But here's a wakeful little boy who will not fall asleep!"

Anything but sleep, you rogue! glowering like the moon,
Rattling in an iron jug with an iron spoon,
Rumbling, tumbling round about, crowing like a cock,
Shrieking like I don't know what, waking sleeping folk.

"Hey, Willie Winkie - the child's in a creel!
Wriggling from everyone's knee like an eel,
Tugging at the cat's ear, and confusing all her thrums
Hey, Willie Winkie - see, there he comes!"

Weary is the mother who has a dusty child,
A small short little child, who can't run on his own,
Who always has a battle with sleep before he'll close an eye
But a kiss from his rosy lips gives strength anew to me.