Sunday, June 8, 2008

A Whole New Language


Recently, I've observed that having a baby apparently enables one to develop a whole new set of language skills.

This morning, I was thinking about this, as I listened to Jude talk to John Patrick while she was changing his diaper in the nursery. Now, my wife is a highly educated, ambitious and articulate woman. She has a college degree from Tulane and a law degree from Vanderbilt. And, yet, when I listen to her talk to our son, she's speaks to him in a language I hadn't known existed. I'm pretty sure it's a form of English. As he smiles up at her, she softens the pitch of her voice and quietly tells him how much she loves him and what a special boy he is.

The thing is, it's no different for me. I never realized I could speak in a voice that's kind of a cross between an alto and a soprano. That's what I do when I'm changing his diaper or talking to him as he lays in his crib. Sometimes I think I speak more gibberish than he does and, right now, he just makes noises.

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