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November 14, 2008
4:00 AM Musings
So which is it: inky dinky? itsy bitsy? eensy weensy?
Posted by Cara at November 14, 2008 06:39 PM
Topics: Baby? OH BABY!
Comments
If you're talking spiders, I always say eensy-weensy.
Posted by: Melissa at November 14, 2008 06:44 PM
itsy bitsy
Posted by: Elizabeth at November 14, 2008 06:55 PM
I always said itsy bitsy, but at 4am Goodnight Irene worked best for us. She's 8 now and sleeps like a log.
Posted by: su at November 14, 2008 06:57 PM
It's itsy bitsy for spiders.
Posted by: Nancy at November 14, 2008 06:59 PM
My grandma used to tell me stories about Inky, Schminky and Dinky, who were so poor they had to sleep in a bathtub. So I'm all for Inky Dinky.
Posted by: Eilleen at November 14, 2008 07:05 PM
Eensy-weensy, no question about it.
Posted by: aliceq at November 14, 2008 07:15 PM
Itsy-bitsy. No question.
Posted by: Imbrium at November 14, 2008 07:18 PM
I can't sing songs about spiders... ew.
Posted by: pixie at November 14, 2008 07:27 PM
it's totally itsy-bitsy, but all the midwesterners I hang out with now seem to say eensy-weensy...
Posted by: Pea at November 14, 2008 07:30 PM
I stand by "wee tiny." But if you are talking about that spider song (and everyone else knows versions I don't), itsy-bitsy.
Posted by: Emily at November 14, 2008 07:35 PM
Singing itsy bitsy spider in my part of midwest, I'd have to admit that in speech I'd opt for itty bitty and an occasional eensy weensy in descriptive moments.
Posted by: jpknits at November 14, 2008 07:41 PM
Itsy Bitsy. Without a doubt.
Posted by: Heather at November 14, 2008 07:49 PM
Itsy bitsy.
Posted by: Christie at November 14, 2008 07:54 PM
All of the above!
Posted by: Kathy in San Jose at November 14, 2008 08:14 PM
I'm a Midwesterner and I say itsy-bitsy.
Posted by: Andrea at November 14, 2008 08:15 PM
At 4am I say it's whatever your brain can pull up at the moment...but traditionally I sing it Itsy Bitsy :)
Posted by: Jen at November 14, 2008 08:18 PM
definitely itsy bitsy....and it requires you to use your fingers, too
Posted by: Catherine at November 14, 2008 08:27 PM
In our house, it's always been itsy bitsy,
Posted by: regina at November 14, 2008 08:29 PM
definitely itsy-bitsy!
Posted by: Cheryl the knitting Jungian at November 14, 2008 08:40 PM
It's itsy bitsy in our house, but, we now have a spider lover on our hands since we sang it so much. Beware!
Posted by: Hannah at November 14, 2008 08:46 PM
Itsy bitsy! No contest!
Posted by: Nancy at November 14, 2008 08:51 PM
teenie weenie. or just weenie for short.
Posted by: rebecca at November 14, 2008 09:02 PM
Spider? Itsy bitsy, for sure.
Posted by: Ruth at November 14, 2008 09:25 PM
My 2 yo insists that it is itsy bitsy, but I like to say "icky icky spiders".
At 4AM it probably doesn't matter.
Posted by: Kim at November 14, 2008 09:33 PM
First verse: itsy bitsy spider
Second verse: great big hairy spider
Third verse: well, there is no third verse, because the great big hairy spider squicks me silent.
Posted by: Ruth at November 14, 2008 09:53 PM
itsy bitsy? teeny weeny? yellow polka-dot bikini?
Posted by: Lisa at November 14, 2008 10:06 PM
At 4 am it should be Wynken, Blynken and Nod.
Itsy Bitsy, just ask Carly Simon.
Posted by: Teresa C at November 14, 2008 10:21 PM
I love 4 am musings...I wonder about the composition of concrete, eyeshadow color names, I think of great inventions... 4 am is a magical time ;) (or I'm just delirious)
Anyways, it's itsy-bitsy.
Posted by: Meg McG at November 14, 2008 10:53 PM
I think it's Pinky Dinky Doo if you're watching Noggin...
Gwen
Posted by: Gwen at November 14, 2008 10:56 PM
I'm going to go with either itsy bitsy or Teensy weensy.
Posted by: Courtney at November 14, 2008 10:59 PM
Most definitely itsy-bitsy...
Posted by: janna at November 14, 2008 11:02 PM
Itsy bitsy with my 3 kids, but I do know some who opt for eensy weensy. At Meli's age, I think you get to decide!
Posted by: Susan at November 14, 2008 11:33 PM
It's whatever YOU decide, but eensy weensy seems to be what's imprinted in my brain! When I've heard the song RECORDED, they seem to sing Itsy bitsy. But the folk tradition in my neighborhood is otherwise.
With appropriate hand signals, naturally.
NOW: do you play, Duck, Duck, Goose, or
Duck, Duck, Gray Duck?!
Posted by: Cathy-Cate at November 15, 2008 12:22 AM
it's most assuredly the itsy bitsy spider that went up the water spout ;-)
Posted by: Teyani at November 15, 2008 12:33 AM
itsy bitsy! :)
get some sleep ;)
Posted by: aija at November 15, 2008 04:25 AM
Itsy bitsy if you're singing about the spider who went up the water spout.
Posted by: Jenna S at November 15, 2008 06:52 AM
Itsy bitsy for spiders,
Itsy bitsy teeny weeny for bikinis.
Posted by: Mary de B at November 15, 2008 08:32 AM
itsy-bitsy
Posted by: reve at November 15, 2008 09:02 AM
My girls (10 and 13) said it's itsy-bitsy. They loved that song as babies. Enjoy any version you want though. Meli will always remember it.
Posted by: Miss Amy at November 15, 2008 09:17 AM
Itsy Bitsy!
We used to go through so many rounds of that song that we started substituting other animals. You had to start at A and keep going. You knew you were in for it if you got through the whole alphabet and were still up.
"The itsy bitsy aardvark...."
Posted by: liz at November 15, 2008 12:03 PM
Definitely Itsy Bitsy :)
Posted by: Cynthia A at November 15, 2008 12:44 PM
I'd go with eensy weensy but I think I put a 't' in there...eentsy weentsy. Maybe that's just my NJ 'accent' ;-)
Posted by: Beth at November 15, 2008 01:46 PM
I'm not sure if they still make them, but my mom used to have cassette tapes of Wee Sing Silly songs.
Though, I suppose it wouldn't work to put the cd in and just press play...
To weigh in, I always said "itsy bitsy"
Posted by: Jenn at November 15, 2008 02:12 PM
itsy bitsy - of course!
Posted by: Kirsten at November 15, 2008 02:23 PM
From my childhood? None Of The Above - I learned it as Inky Binky
Posted by: S.Kate at November 15, 2008 02:29 PM
Itsy-bitsy, if referring to spiders going up water spouts. But I imagine it's open for improvisation. :-)
Posted by: Jeanne B. at November 15, 2008 02:42 PM
I'm from the South and always sang "eensy beensy." Some sort of combo of itsy bitsy and eesy weensy, I guess.
Posted by: Lee at November 15, 2008 03:56 PM
Raised in the south, live in the midwest, have only ever heard or sung itsy-bitsy.
For some reason the words "eensy-weensy" - in any context - give me the heeby-jeebies.
Posted by: earthchick at November 15, 2008 04:10 PM
Itsy bitsy.
Posted by: Gina B. at November 15, 2008 06:19 PM
itsy bitsy!!
well... that's until its firmly planted under my shoe, my favorite kind of spider.
Posted by: debs at November 15, 2008 07:38 PM
My daughter preferred: the nipsy nipsy spider.
Posted by: Denise at November 15, 2008 08:05 PM
The orthodox ruling is itsy bitsy.
I have spoken.
Posted by: Kay at November 15, 2008 09:05 PM
I've used all three at different times with different children. It's funny how families all have their own versions.
Posted by: donna lee at November 15, 2008 09:13 PM
itsy bitsy, followed by teeny weeny of course
Posted by: Heather-Domestic Extraordinaire at November 15, 2008 09:20 PM
Itsy bitsy. most definitely. give me a call when you're up at 4. i'm usually up around 3 central time!
Posted by: SallyA at November 15, 2008 09:47 PM
itsy bitsy!
Posted by: megan at November 15, 2008 10:07 PM
One more vote for itsy bitsy!
Posted by: Erin at November 15, 2008 10:41 PM
I thought it was insy-binsy. Isn't it?
Posted by: Krista at November 16, 2008 12:18 AM
I vote for itsy bitsy. We were up around 2! (Very rare for us these days)
Posted by: Sarah at November 16, 2008 12:58 AM
Well, I always said 'incy, wincy'. 'Eensy, weensy' makes so much more sense.
Posted by: Claudia at November 16, 2008 07:22 AM
I think if it's itsy bitsy, it should also be teeny weeny.
Posted by: RachelRo at November 16, 2008 10:07 PM
I grew up with "incy wincy" (I'm from England) but around here (VT) it seems to be "itsy bitsy" all the way so my daughter is hearing both (I'm stubborn).
PS -- I'm glad your blog is here again. I saw a thread on ravelry wondering where it had gone earlier today and it seemed to have expired. I'd miss visiting here so I'm relieved it seems to have been a fleeting absence.
Posted by: commonplaceiris at November 17, 2008 01:46 AM
Eensy Weensy. It is always the important stuff that keeps me awake at that hour, too.
Posted by: Jean E. at November 17, 2008 07:53 AM
I've always been of the "itsy bitsy" school of spiders.
Posted by: Jennifer at November 17, 2008 11:04 AM
Having raised 5 kids, its all "itsy, bitsy"....that's how the grandchild is learning it, too!
Posted by: graygirl at November 17, 2008 12:02 PM
I'm in the Midwest too and I hear "itsy bitsy". But those wacky neighbors to the north play "duck, duck, gray duck" not "duck, duck, goose." What the?
Posted by: Jackie at November 17, 2008 12:13 PM
Incy wincy. But I'm English. At 4am you can sing whatever the heck you want to.
Posted by: woolcat at November 17, 2008 12:55 PM
itsy bitsy all the way!
Posted by: Amanda at November 17, 2008 01:09 PM
The itsy-bitsy spider
Climbed up the water spout
Down came the rain
And washed the spider out
Out came the sun
And dried up all the rain
And the itsy-bitsy spider
Climbed up the spout again
Posted by: Tiny Tyrant at November 17, 2008 01:50 PM
itsy-bitsy
Posted by: Lady in a Smalltown at November 17, 2008 04:57 PM
The spider is eensy weensy, the bikini is itsy bitsy, and the amount of sleep you appear to be getting: inky dinky.
Posted by: catie at November 17, 2008 06:17 PM
It's whatever the hell will get her back to sleep at 4 am!!!! :)
Posted by: Susanne at November 17, 2008 07:51 PM
The spider song is eensie weensie -- but for putting everyone back to sleep, I always loved "All through the Night."
Posted by: pam at November 18, 2008 12:37 AM
Itsy bitsy spider!
Posted by: JulieM at November 18, 2008 08:18 AM
I'm with earthchick. Eensy weensy gives me the heebie jeebies, too. I distinctly remember learning it in 1963 as itsy bitsy, but for 4:00 AM, that song was a little too rowdy for me. I was always fond of "Don't Close Your Eyes, Don't Rest Your Head" from Mary Poppins. Reverse psychology worked like a charm.
Posted by: Gail at November 18, 2008 08:45 AM
The former daycare teacher replies 'eensy-weensy'. And seconds the lullaby "Stay Awake" from Mary Poppins. It was *the* only thing that worked with the girl. Sing it twice, then hum until asleep.
Posted by: rosesmama at November 18, 2008 06:26 PM
The itsy-bitsy spider climbed up the waterspout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out!
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain,
And the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again.
Posted by: knithoundbrooklyn at November 19, 2008 09:28 AM
Hey, I have 3 kids and taught preschool for 13 years. I always assumed it was eensy weensy with no questions asked!
Posted by: Meg at November 19, 2008 12:28 PM
Well, tiny tyrant spelled out the song I had in mind BUT THEN I remembered a song, I think from the seventies? It's german but the translation goes like this "She wore an itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny Honolulu beach-bikini". I just love that song, so you might just as well use that and have two of those things in there!
Posted by: Birgit at November 19, 2008 02:15 PM