Smiley Panda

Elle has been smiling in her sleep for quite some time. We had been waiting for the day when she would actually smile - consistently, consciously, and in response to us. I, especially, waited for those smiles when I was feeding her in the wee hours of the morning.

This past weekend, Tim's mom and nephew came down to meet Elle and visit, and we started to see the consistent and conscious smiles we'd been waiting for ... sometimes they were smiles, sometimes grins, sometimes smirks, but they were definitely purposeful expressions. I think the first one I would count as a real smile came when Tim was playing with her on Saturday night - he brought his head to her head and then leaned back (like in the first video here). But I didn't feel like *I* had gotten a real smile until yesterday.

Yesterday we had a rough day. Tim is sick and had to work, I'm feeling sick, and Elle is (IhopeIhopeIhope) going through a growth spurt, meaning she's quite fussy and eating constantly. The combination is not a good one. But after hours upon hours of screaming and crying 30 seconds in to any sleep I managed to get her to, she had a window of about 90 minutes where she was extremely pleasant, which helped me maintain my sanity for the rest of the day. I managed to get video of her smiling during this one bright spot. And as always, please excuse my annoying voice: