Swimwear

These photos are for Aunt Nancy, who bought Elena her first swimsuit. Here she is, Nance!

Elena took her first trip to our nearby kiddie pool last weekend. It lasted 20 minutes. She wasn't too thrilled about dipping her feet in at first, but ultimately seemed to accept it. She also sat down up to her waist in the aqua. And yes, I forgot to take the camera to the pool!

Firsts!

So we've been a little slow to chronicle the following Elena firsts...

First Laugh or Chuckle: May 2, 2008 in Manteo, NC. Elena was fascinated by the big swooshing tail of Margo the Newfoundland (yep, that's a BIG dog) and she did a little rat-a-tat-tat cackle!

We couldn't believe it at first, until she did it a second time! No, we haven't heard it again... yet.


Roll Over: On Saturday, May 17, Elena FINALLY made it all the way over, from her belly to her back. She's been about 75% of the way there for a few weeks. But she made it on Saturday... three times! The next day she did it three MORE times. And just like the laugh, she's now decided she's not buying it.

And one for the behavioral crowd: Elena now, as they say, "follows distal points" with her eyes. For the last few weeks, she will often look at the object I point to... usually the ceiling fan (her fave).

More as they develop!

The Bad 'Do

Here are a couple of photos from Mother's Day, which we spent at Grandma Pam's house. The first one is cute enough...

But wait. That's Elena's hair from the front. The back... well...


Yeah, she's got a serious sand trap there on the back nine. It almost looks like we went at it with the clippers.

Elena & Ducky

Actually, there is a story about the duck. In this case, Grandmama Jackie bought Elena this squeaky duck while were shopping in the town of... Duck (yeah, that's it's name).


But this is really a story about why ducks matter, at least to me. When Elena was born, the hospital placed one of those security bands on my arm that matched me to her... to prove I belonged! And we had (as you can see below) ducks on our bands. Sentimental sap that I am, I instantly began calling Elena my "lucky duck." Which she is. And ever since, my mom has taken to it with gusto... which explains why she bought Elena her very own... lucky duck.

More North Carolina Photos

These photos didn't fit on the other page... but they help tell the story of our big trip!

This is Elena posing at... well... a butterfly thing-a-ma-jig outside of some shops in the little town of Duck.


I also stuck some hats on her in one shop-- the hat in the posting below this one... and, well, this one. Sorry, Elena.

The trip was timed so that we could attend the wedding of Kevin and Jennifer Rawls. Kevin's as close to me as family; we grew up together, and being there and introducing Elena was great. Elena, of course, slept through the entire ceremony, which was held on a beautiful day at the beach.

Here's Kevin at his wedding reception with my very pregnant sister, Nancy (will Elena's cousin be a boy or girl? Stay tuned).



But we think little Elena was the hit of the party, and she even had her first dance... chaperoned, that is!

Carolina Fun!

Hello from North Carolina... where Elena is wrapping up her first trip to see my family. We've had a fantastic week here on the Outer Banks, the barrier islands on the Atlantic coast -- home to my mom and dad, and only a few hours away from my grandparents and my sister, Nancy.

Elena has been incredible on this trip -- happy, easygoing, and a real charmer. Above you can see her trying on a hat in a beach shop (ok, so I put the hat on her).

And she even managed a few firsts... the grabbing of her own feet and even a small laugh!

Much more soon, as we travel back to Sacramento.