G’s voice is distinctive, at least to me.   Kids voices have thus far sounded very similar to me, but I have never really paid attention before.   Now i can pick G out of a crowd, or hear her call me over the din when my back is turned and I am signing her out of daycare.   Today at the gym I walked by the door to get her shoes and heard “DADDY!” behind me and knew she was ready for me.   Its pretty cool.

I’ve discovered the nuances in her voice, her intonation, the speed with which she responds and how her   tone indicates her mood.   Sometimes she is figuring things out as she speaks them and I have to let her go slow, sometimes the best thing to do is cut her off and make a suggestion while its at the top of her mental geyser.   I don’t think any of this is much different than the signals she’s always given out, but its nice to have a more nuanced dialog, and not have to face her to figure out my next move.

It does highlight the meaning of listening to someone.

The flip side is her complaining – i know exactly what it means, how its going to make my ears bleed, and how long its going to last.   Sometimes she gets cranky and you can offer her something and its diametrical opposite and still get the same nails-on-chalkboard screech from her, which really just means its time to ignore her or hug her or make her sleep, depending on how many reps she can do.   I cringe sometimes before a peep escapes her, anticipating the unpleasantness.

Its just like Jo.