Weeks 40, 41 & 42

I know I have been a horrible blogger: I haven't updated in 3 weeks, besides the Father's Day post! But it's been a busy few weeks, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to blog with Elena around- she's into EVERYTHING, and especially loves the computer. Since I'm with her the majority of the time I'm not at work, it's hard to find time to update. But, I will try really hard to keep updating every week... this time it's just been a couple of weeks! :)

Well, the biggest change in the last few weeks has been Elena's activeness... she is changing everyday, and she is EVERYWHERE now. She has gotten very good at crawling, and covers ground pretty quickly. We had to clear off our coffee table, or she would clear it off for us. Then we had to move it to block off the living room from the kitchen because she went straight for the kitchen every time we set her down, and straight for the cat food once she got there! So our livign room resembles a corral, until I can get a gate ordered!

Elena has also really started talking- instead of just being repeated syllables, she actually sounds like she's saying something- just in some language none of us understand! And, true to both her Price and Looten heritage, she rarely shuts up! :)

We had a doctor's appointment on the 30th for her 9 month check up, even though she was more 9 1/2 months. She weighed 17 pounds 10.5 ounces, was 27 3/8 inches long, and her head was 17 7/8 inches around. So, still petite with a big head, but following her curves, so that's good. They checked her ears, and said that there was fluid on them, but it wasn't infected yet... so now we're basically just waiting for it to get infected again. :( We have a recheck appointment at the end of this month, so maybe she'll make it until then. I'm awful tired of fighting her ears! I can't wait until she outgrows ear infections, though that's going to be awhile, since she started so young with them! The doctor said she looked really good, though, besides the ears, and we didn't have to get any shots, so it was a pretty easy doctor's appointment, all things considered!

The other REALLY exciting news of the last couple weeks is that on July 1, Elena got her first tooth!! I don't have any pictures, because you can't see it yet- only feel it, but it's definitely there! I was giving her a taste of some raspberry pie filling at my parents' house, and scraped my finger on it! Pretty cool!

Anyway... here are some pictures, and a few more stories, from the past couple of weeks...

Elena has discovered the cat toys...

Mom! Did you know there were all these cool toys in this box?! I know I can fit these in my mouth...
"Let me in, let me in, let me in!" "Let me out, let me out, let me out!" Timon & Pumba, The Lion King
Headed out to eat... looking adorable, as usual!
Great-Grandpa Price was driving through town on his way home (to Illinois) from Nebraska, so we went out to dinner with him. Elena thinks he's awful funny!
Can I go play with my puppy? Pleeeease???
Sweet and sleeping before church!
While everyone was out of town on the Mission Trip, Laney and I got to go feed Aunt Ruthie's sheep! Elena LOVED them, like she loves all animals!
And Mommy learned why it's ALWAYS important to strap the baby in the stroller...
Like her friend, Charlotte, Elena has discovered the joy of kleenex! She likes to shred them into tiny pieces, then, obviously, eat them. I've fished several chunks out of her mouth already! So now the kleenex box has to be shoved against the wall, where she can barely reach it. But the look on her face when she turned around this time was so funny, I couldn't resist taking a picture before yanking the kleenex away!

I noticed that Elena was tipping her bottle up when I gave her a bottle of water to drink, so I figured it must be time to start with a sippy cup! She's not great at it, but she definitely gets some water out. What a big girl!!

Daddy, why you do these things to me?
Great-Grandma & Grandpa Price came for a visit for the this week (they're actually still here) so we went to hang out with them and watch Sam's baseball game on Monday night.
And we all went to regular Grandma & Grandpa Price's house for dinner on Tuesday night. Where Grandma Price gave Laney the best present ever! This is a dog that they had in the church nursery, and she absolutely LOVES it. So Grandma Price got her one of her very own! The question is, who is more entertained- Elena, or Ruth & Charlie? :)
Hanging out with Daddy...and the dog!
Great-Grandpa Price is so funny!

Since we were out there, we had to go see the sheep again! And Aunt Ruthie even fed them sassafras leaves so they stood right over by the fence... and even tried to nibble on Laney's toes!
Laney loves sheep... but she does NOT love grass! She tries to balance on her butt so her feet won't touch and she doesn't have to put her hands down... it typically doesn't work, and she falls over and gets cranky about it! If you hold her standing up and put her feet in the grass, she pulls one leg up like a flamingo. It's pretty funny!
Look at me in my big girl chair! This is the little rocking chair Grandma Price got for her last summer, before she was even born! Really, it's for all of the future grandkids, but since she's first, it's all her's for now! :)
Grandpa Price even picked her a daisy out of his flower bed... he must love her an awful lot!

Well, I hope the pictures make up for the long absence of a post! I will try really hard to post again next week, and should have cute pictures from the Cardinals game (round two) and the 4th of July party!