All the noise

I always joke that Ruth started talking about 10 minutes after she was born. But, seriously, little Ruth was quite a talker. It seemed like she was telling me something, or asking me something, every waking moment from the time she could talk until she started reading books on her own, for her own enjoyment, which is when I noticed a drop off in the constant chatter. Somedays, it seemed rather incessant, but it was always conversational. She'd talk about horses, friends, books, clothes, whatever came into her cute little head, and, of course, all things pink. I didn't always want to talk about those things, but I did almost always understand what the sounds were coming out of her mouth. My boys are different. Sound emanates from them constantly, but it is mostly just noise, as far as I can tell--an obnoxious outpouring of onomatopoeia. It is loud. And, It. Never. Stops. Even when they are reading or eating or sleeping, there are noises popping out of their mouths that they seem utterly unaware of or able to control. And, I'm not going to lie, sometimes it absolutely drives me crazy. I'm not talking about the stuff that is conversational here, because we do have lots of great conversations. I'm just talking about the stuff that seems to serve no purpose, at least to my way of thinking. What on earth are all these noises for, and why, for the love, can they not be silenced even for brief periods of time? Boy moms, do you know what I'm talking about? Does it drive you crazy, too, or is my introverted, silence-coveting self just being overly sensitive? If you have any tips to help me keep my sanity in the midst of all the noise, I would really love to hear them. And, if not, just send some quiet thoughts my way.