Growing up in New York City, I never had an issue with noise. In fact, an oft cited story about me while growing up was the fact that I fell asleep in a bowling alley as a child. I don’t need quiet or darkness to sleep, although obviously it is preferable, and in general I’m used to having sounds around me without getting distracted. As a result, I never really appreciated the sound of silence until I procreated.
Harley makes noise. Not a little bit, a lot of noise. Pretty much if she’s awake, there’s a sound. It’s not just cries and screams, sometimes it’s gurgles and moans, although those can become screams if she doesn’t get the attention she needs fast enough. It means that I adore the times when she’s asleep – I can gain use of both my hands, I can go to the bathroom or grab food, or I can just enjoy a quiet moment in my own thoughts (like right now).
Her sounds have already started to drive Dean pretty crazy. It doesn’t help that most of her noisy time is in the evening, when he’s freshly home from work and just wants to chill. At least last night she stayed quiet for a couple hours in the evening while we had a couple glasses of wine together. It also helps that I’ve found a wonderful new way to calm her – I bounce and dance with her to a variety of music. One of my favorite songs to dance to with her is this cover from Disturbed:
The irony isn’t lost on me – the thing that gets my baby quiet is dancing to a song titled the Sound of Silence.
Oh silence, how I will miss you. I suppose my house will be quiet again in what, 14 years or so? Perhaps when she’s a moody teenager I’ll be able to enjoy some quiet time again. Or sooner provided she grows up like me and isn’t one for running around screaming. Definitely need to raise her to be a book worm. Or a gamer – I don’t mind those sounds. Then again, with the fact that motion calms her as a baby, she will probably like to be in motion as she grows older. Plenty of running and screaming in my future…
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