ok, so i’m only half kidding with that headline. the last four months have been … well, they’ve been hard, but the last month has been nothing short of miraculous. given the way that ellie came into the world and grew into her new role as daughter and crazy baby, bryn and i are extremely pleased with the young lady ellie is becoming.

seemingly by magic, the day she hit three months old, ellie seemed like a different baby. she stopped crying as much, what we had originally interpreted as colic, and started sleeping longer. it was remarkable. granted, we started sticking her in her swing once she was asleep, but she started to sleep independently in her bassinet during mommy and daddy’s sleeptime, too. we figure it’s a fair tradeoff. and no, she doesn’t sleep in the bed like this, only when she needs some coaxing.

the reduction in crying was also a welcomed change. bryn and i were at our wits end and it was taking its toll on our relationship. with that reduction, and the improved sleeping, came happiness! you wouldn’t have believed our surprise. we’re talking about a baby that we thought would never smile, never like anything, and, generally, make being a grump her career of choice. before we knew it she started giving us rye, half-smiles and then big, full, gummy smiles. genuine happiness.

the last month has also brought some fun new experiences for ellie, including but not limited to: the NFL Draft (she watched with daddy, grandpa, and uncle matt), her first easter, meeting another baby human, eating six-ounce bottles, and sleeping through the night for the very first time, which actually just happened yesterday … so she was technically already four months old when that happened, but, hey, the kid needs a pat on the back for that one. huge.

the last week or so has brought with it a nice little routine of sleeping long at night, eating less frequently but more volume, and taking plenty of naps during the day. the only issue with the naps is she often wakes up in a fury, as if she’s just had a nightmare. but we comfort her and she eventually calms. she’s also started to handle tummy time with a little bit more patience and determination, lifting her head almost fully, although she still gets pissed. now she just needs to learn how to push up with her arms and she’ll be set.

the last, but best, improvements and changes are her ability to grab things and to use her voice. it’s been so fun to see her grow in these ways and improve, and quite literally find her voice. plus, it’s super cute. her favorite new foods include her teething ring, mr. duck, and anything cloth, specifically daddy’s (CLEAN) boxers.

the craziest part for us is thinking about this next month. ellie is still so young and has so far to go developmentally that thinking about it is really exciting. hopefully we’ll see some rolling over and head holding this month … she’ll be talking before we know it.