Two videos of Ellen

At three months she rolled from back to front to back, over and over and over (in the Charlotte Airport, of all places). By four months, she was scooching all over the place, Army low-crawl style. We can't decide if we should thank the animals for daily demonstrating to Ellen how to walk on all fours (and giving her a tempting target to track and follow) or chalk her early development up to Kyle's zealous PT sessions in the basement, where he tolerated her cries while she logged her daily five minutes of belly time, followed by many afternoons of observation of Dad crawling around the floor.


Whatever the case, Ellen loves exploring her domain (mainly the basement TV room, thankfully carpeted!) and the pets now know they must always be on High Alert for Baby in Motion. When folks ask how the cat and dog are getting along with Ellen, I think of this video and reply, "They know when to run." We're impressed they haven't retaliated yet. They really are good pets, surprisingly tolerant of Ellen's grabs and pursuits and curiosity. Enjoy!





Over Spring Break last week, we took a trip to West Point, NY. On our return to Virginia, we were able to stop in Philly to visit Kyle's sister, Meredith. Ellen has seen her Aunt Mere at Thanksgiving (nearly 2 months old) and Valentine's Day (4 months old). Somehow, despite the rare visits, Ellen has developed a distinct fondness for Meredith and absolutely loves her Aunt Mere. Since Kyle has taken over bathtime duties, he and Mere slipped off to the kitchen sink while I continued eating at the table with Uncle Steve and Aunt Marybeth.

Within a few minutes, though, he was asking me to record the bathtime. Ellen was laughing hysterically at Mere. Why? Mere was saying "blink, blink". Who knows why this gets Ellen's funny bone, but "blink" has become our ticket to cute photos. Say the word, and Ellen suddenly flashes a beautiful, carefree smile followed by a little chuckle. Thanks, Aunt Mere, for bringing out the best in Ellen! Enjoy the giggles and splashes.