Ella Gaines Has Dad Chip In His Feels After Emotional Fixer Upper Colorado Finale

Longtime "Fixer Upper" watchers know just how much Chip Gaines and Joanna Gaines' daughter Ella Gaines has changed since she was an HGTV kid. Ella has grown up to follow in her parents' footsteps. She showed off her personality and her design skills in Chip and Joanna's new show, "Fixer Upper: Colorado Mountain House." And, it seems that "Fixer Upper" fans aren't the only ones who can't believe how grown-up 19-year-old Ella is these days. Chip's recent Instagram comment shows he's proud of his "baby girl" and maybe a little taken aback that she's definitely not a baby anymore. 

In "Fixer Upper: Colorado Mountain House," Chip and Joanna walked viewers through the process of renovating a Colorado property. Aspiring designer Ella had free rein of her own part of the project: renovating a small cottage on the property. Ahead of the series' December 23 finale episode, Joanna shared a video of what's to come on Instagram. Based on the comment section, it's clear that seeing Ella getting involved in the family business was an emotional moment for a lot of people — especially her dad. "My baby girl... all grown up," Chip wrote with a sad emoji followed by a happy one. 

Chip Gaines' emoji use made it clear that he has mixed emotions about his daughter's first big project as a designer — and it's easy to see why. This episode will reveal the first space Ella Gaines has been able to design all by herself. For a family of home renovation experts, that's got to be one of the biggest milestones someone can reach. This also comes at a particularly emotional moment for the family. Joanna posted the clip just a few days after she shared an emotional video of Ella returning to the Texas family home for the holidays after her first semester of college.

Ella is the second oldest of her four siblings. So, it's easy to see why having her away at school would be particularly difficult for her parents. Joanna has been open about how challenging it has been to say goodbye to her daughter for her college years. "With Ella, we love to go to antiques shops, plant shops and go get coffee — that's our rhythm. I kind of feel like I'm losing a friend in my everyday life," she told People. So, Ella's first return home from school is surely an exciting and sentimental moment for the whole family, and how it's aligned with this special episode of their show is surely the cherry on top.