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ethan

Parenthood, Young Married Mom

February 15, 2011

Dear Jacob IV

Dear Jacob,

There are many, many things I love about you.  One of the greatest of these is the sounds you make.  Whether you’re crying, laughing, or just plain chatting, your voice melts my heart.

About two weeks before you were due, I started to wonder what your voice would sound like.  I was amazed to think that you’d been growing in me for the better part of a year, and yet there was no way to know what the sound of your cry would be.  We had some idea of what you looked like from the ultrasounds (and I think they were pretty accurate as to your facial features), but there was simply no telling what you’d sound like.

When you were born, you didn’t cry much.  You didn’t even cry very much for that first month.  You were a few weeks old the first time my mom heard you cry over the phone, and she was wowed—she’d never heard you make noise like that before.  Your dad’s parents had a similar experience.

Maybe in part because you didn’t cry very much when you were really little (again, relatively speaking), but I very quickly fell in love with your voice.  My favorite moments are when you’re falling asleep.  When you slept in our room, I would hear you make a series of little sighs just as you were nodding off.  Not one or two, like I often do, but five or six, and they were the most contented, peaceful, wonderful sounds I’d ever heard.  Now I love the sound you make just as you finish a yawn.  It’s something like “aa-hmmm” and it’s like the sound of a happy snuggle, if there were such a thing.

When you learned to smile, your giggle came quickly thereafter.  Your laugh really is the most wonderful thing on this planet.  If your whole face goes into your smile, your whole body goes into your laugh.  I tickle your belly with my nose and you crack up, which makes me feel like a million bucks.

You’ve started to make more noises over the past few months, and now when you make a sound over the phone it’s more like you’re part of the conversation than anything else.  This gets rave reviews from our callers!  Although you’ve been a little raspy the past few days, as if you’ve lost your voice, I think your voice will get stronger the more you use it (and you use it more every day!).

Just last week, you started to make raspberries.  Something about the U.F.O/exersaucer seemed to inspire you.  Your tongue is the newest best thing ever in your world, and you’re taking every opportunity to get to know how it works.  As you start to reach for things more, I’m sure you’ll want to communicate more as well, and we’ll start to hear even more new sounds from you.

Oh, Jacob, it is such a joy and a delight to get to know you.  If I may quote from my favorite line from Paper Towns by John Green, “‘I really like being your mom.’”

All my heart,
Mom

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