Older Daughter speaks... and speaks...

Long Suffering Spouse and I went to a 25th anniversary party a couple of weeks back. Older Daughter was already born by the time this couple wed. Long Suffering Spouse was reluctant to leave a three-month old child with a sitter for the Mass and the reception both, so we brought Older Daughter to church with us.

At three months of age, babies are fully portable. Young parents who groan under the weight of diaper bags and bottles and changes of clothes may wonder at this statement, but it's true: At three months the child does not know, or care, where he or she is. A few months later and the child will recognize its usual surroundings... and loudly insist upon them, especially at naptime.

Complete portability thus ends.

Anyway, at three months, Older Daughter had not yet begun to vocalize. Long Suffering Spouse, then as now, reads up on all things related to development and health and she was becoming... not yet concerned... but increasingly aware that Older Daughter was still silent.

Until, as it happens, our friends' wedding Mass. The bride's uncle was the celebrant and, as any doting uncle might, he gave a long sermon filled with family reminiscences as well as advice. Suddenly, the tumblers clicked into place for Older Daughter: She found her voice.

Blah! blah! blah! she said, pretty distinctly and, as I recollect, quite loudly.

I'm sure it didn't happen this way, but I seem to recall all eyes in the church swiveling in our direction. Surely some heads must have turned because Older Daughter, clearly pleased with her new accomplishment, continued: Blah! blah! blah!

The thing is, she hasn't stopped.

A quarter century later, and soon to be a bride herself, Older Daughter is as chatty as ever.

She's at home with us now, and will be increasingly with us in the weeks leading up to the wedding in July. She had a bachelorette party Saturday night and the house was blissfully silent while she was away.

But yesterday, though, Older Daughter was at home, and though she claimed to have gotten only a couple hours sleep, she did not nap. She talked, and talked and talked. She gave us a play-by-play account of who said what to whom at her party. She narrated a slide show on her computer, showing picture after picture to no one in particular.

Our other children aren't nearly as loquacious. By comparison, they're all Calvin Coolidges to her Bill Clinton. Middle Son, who hasn't had a great deal of contact with his sister in recent years, between his own collegiate stint and his baseball games, finally interrupted her yesterday afternoon. "You know," he said, "you talk a lot."

It didn't slow her down.

This morning Long Suffering Spouse and I had to wake her up before we left the house; Older Daughter had an early appointment somewhere. She came down the stairs talking... about the electrical storm last night... about brushing her teeth... about who was driving who where today....

Long Suffering Spouse tells me its Older Daughter's way of coping with wedding nerves. But we have six weeks to go!