Progress

My little suckaroo, Baby A, is beginning to redeem herself for the first three months of her life.

Where she used to cry or scream every waking, non-nursing moment, she now coos and grins. She even giggles. (She still likes to be held, but so would you if you'd had that luxury for three months straight.)

Where she used to require a precise combination of swaddling, noisemaker, dim lights, proper positioning and vigorous dancing for 15 solid minutes before drifting off into a frustratingly short slumber, she now falls asleep independently after being laid, AWAKE!, in her crib. I have never had a child who could do this without any sleep training. I pinch myself every time.

Where at 8 weeks she wailed her way through three miserable days at Disneyland, this past weekend she rarely fussed and even appeared to enjoy parts of the two days we spent there.

And, her most recent and possibly most celebrated accomplishment--on the drive to Disneyland she decided to take a binky. Well. And consistently. She is Queen of the Binky now, to the delight of both parents. (We've never had a child take a binky. I was beginning to doubt my parenting skills.) And there you have it. Life is a little brighter every day.