I wasn’t entirely nervous when the Doctor With Attitude (who I must say, has lightened up significantly on the attitude since I became a second-time mom without quite so many pesky questions) asked whether Sage was babbling.

“You know – mamamama, dadadada, gagagaga…that sort of thing.”

“Um, no. She really isn’t. She’s not big on consonants.” I forced a nervous laugh. “Just a lot of aiyiyiyiyi.”

He didn’t seem worried. I didn’t act worried.

Then I raced home to to the blog (thank goodness for the blog, for I am not so good with the baby book) and found what I was looking for. Thalia’s first word: Cat. At 8 months and 11 days.

But Sage, closing in on ten months?

Aiyiyiyiyiiiii

Not a ga. Not a da. Not a bababababa.

But you know, we second-time parents aren’t supposed to worry about this kind of thing. So I didn’t. I didn’t worry. Nope, not a bit. Not for a minute. Not at all. Never once. Nope, never.

(Right.)

My mind races back to the toxo. What if it did affect her? What if all the negative tests were wrong? What if it’s the reason she has no words, no teeth, no hair, and can’t yet do long division?

And then two weeks ago, suddenly it seemed like Sage was saying “hi” every time she forced her tiny fingers open and closed. And then there was the thhhhhhh sound and the spray of saliva on my face to show for it.

And then, literally overnight: The babbling. The nonstop, god-loving babbling. Glorious Rs. Miraculous Ds. Sloppy but well-intended Ls. And a whole lot of dadas, because damn those Dadas, they always get theirs first.

We even think she’s trying to say Thalia.

Sage pondering her next word. Maybe mama. Maybe onomatopoeia.