Sucking Loudly

I love my pacifier. Babies like to suck things. If it’s not a pacifier, then anything else will do. Our feet, our toys, the buttons on your shirt, your nose, our hands, your hands, and anything that comes within grabbing distance. If we can get our hands on it, it’s going in our mouths. Some of those things are not as clean as a pacifier and others don’t hold up well to being covered in drool.

When I smile my pacifier makes a loud sucking sound come out of my mouth. The sound makes mommy and daddy laugh. That makes me smile more, and the sucking sounds get even louder. Mommy and daddy think that’s so funny. They laugh and it makes me laugh too.

Sometimes I forget that my pacifier is in my mouth and I try to get something else in there, like a tissue, or some leaves I found in the yard. It takes me a minute to figure out why I can’t get the new object in there. Then I have to decide if the new thing is worth pulling my pacifier out of my mouth. Sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn’t.

My pacifier doubles as a fun toy too. I pull it out of my mouth, look at it, turn it this way and that way, look at it some more, and then I try to get it back in my mouth. I used to have a lot of trouble with that last part but I’m getting really good at it now.

My mommy likes my pacifier too. She always makes sure that my pacifier is in my mouth at bedtime because she says it helps reduce the risk of SIDS. I don’t know how much it’s helping me. It always falls out of my mouth once I fall asleep. In the morning, while I wait for mommy to come get me, I keep busy by trying to find it in my bed. By the time mommy comes in, it’s usually in my mouth again.