Emily

I started crosswords to get through the nights when my baby was born, and today is her first birthday. I guess she knew I would need extra time on the SW corner, so she was up all night! Thank you to all the constructors, columnists, editors, and commenters for seeing me through the craziest year of my life!

I started doing crossword puzzles a few months ago when my daughter was born, and they have kept me company during many late-night nursing sessions. I really loved this puzzle. I tried to save half of it for later but it was too fun—so here’s hoping my baby sleeps through the night tonight! Thank you, Ms Winters!

I’ve been solving for 7 months and this was my first Thursday with no hints! Okay, well, I technically solved an earlier Thursday with no hints, but then I came to this column and realized it was Pi Day and the puzzle was just way easier than most Thursdays. So today I felt a certain trepidation coming to the column today… but luckily no bumps in the road! Maybe in another 7 months I’ll know enough to know when a puzzle is particularly easy or hard!