Babble.

I've been keeping a secret. Some people knew about it and I'm sure some people certainly noticed but for the most part, I've held this one close to my heart and kept it quiet.

No, not pregnant. Promise!

A few months back, our doctor asked if M was babbling and making lots of sounds at his 9 month appointment. I said yes because he was... right? Well, no. What I thought was babble was really just variations of the same sound. It really wasn't until I spent more time with other babies and heard the repetitive babble & sounds they were making that I wondered why M wasn't doing the same. He was hitting all other milestones so I wasn't too worried and I put it down to a few things. Perhaps we'd been too conversational with him? Not enough flashcard or book time? He was putting all his energy into crawling and standing and basically, moving? He'd always been a quiet kid, the type who stares intently and slowly smiles but never laughs & waves at strangers. He loved being around people but was always happy to play independently.

Fast forward to his 12 month appointment a few weeks back and I had to admit to our doctor that M still hadn't said a word and was only making the same variation of a "ha" sound. He knows what we're talking about and follows instructions but it doesn't matter what you say or how often you repeat it, he'll only answer back with a "ha" or an "enh" noise. She suggested we call to get on the 6-8 month waiting list for a speech pathologist to help us pinpoint the problem. I finally called last night after M's follow-up doctor's visit for his vaccinations and got us on the list. The woman on the other end of the phone suggested we arrange a hearing test for M to make sure his hearing is up to snuff. He's clearly hearing us but maybe not as good as he could be.

I emailed my boss whose wife is an audiologist and she called me immediately. She calmed my fears and without looking at him, she is certain he doesn't have hearing issues based on our chat. That said, she is going to take a look at him next week and make sure he doesn't have any issues like fluid in the ears or hearing loss.

When I came home from my appointment, D was walking M by the hands back and forth through the house. As he came towards me, I heard the most wonderful sound ever!

"Umma, umma, mama!"

Honestly, that was the FIRST time he'd ever made a noise other than the "ha" sound and later that night, he was babbling nonstop. Those were the best sounds I've ever heard. He was trying out his vowels & consonants all night and all morning! I am so happy.

It's been hard to keep this to myself because I've wanted to share and ask for advice but so often, there can be this "he's not WHAT?!" or "my child was doing that at X age!!!" which prevented me from saying anything. I was worried people, even friends, would think there was something wrong or inferior with M and even think that D & I hadn't done enough with him. I know parenting isn't a competition but sometimes it's really hard not to compare your child to others. Last night reminded me of that old adage that slow & steady wins the race and once again, to never pass judgment on another mother or child. You never know what's happening behind closed doors.