24 hours in Denver

Another quick trip out of town this week. Hayley celebrated her 16th birthday early this year because Jason Mraz and Christina Perri were in Denver. So 6 of us girls headed out Tuesday afternoon. 

ready...

Sydni feeding me on the road

set...

Catching dinner in Idaho Springs

go!!!!

Red Rocks Ampitheater before the concert 

Um, do you notice anything wrong with this picture? Like, I'm missing!!! Surely they didn't drag me all the way to Denver for a concert and not invite me in? Well yes, that's exactly what happened. Are you kidding me? They take me to see the Blue Angel celebration last week but the Jason Mraz concert will be too loud? I'm not buying it. Not even for a second. Sure, it was 50 degrees and raining, but I would have looked very cute in a jacket and poncho. But no, not invited in! Anyone who says youngest kids are spoiled has never grown up in this house. No wonder Brandon didn't want that position in the family any more. I was bitter for a couple days but I have decided they can make it up to me the next time one of my favorite bands is in town. 

We got back to Grand Junction on Wednesday just in time to attend my first Fruita fall festival. I wasn't old enough for the hamster balls but Brandon, Drew, and the May boys sure had a good time. Maybe next year I will be in one too.

I am still loving my solid neocate food and mom even bought baby spoons. Much easier when the spoon actually fits in your mouth. I am not interested in moving around like I had been but I am learning how to hold myself up better on my stomach and I am completely content to sit on the floor for 30 minutes and play with toys. I also love the doorway jumper. 

The pic is blurry because I'm jumping so fast

Next weekend we are back in Denver to camp and get the RV serviced for the big Indiana trip at Thanksgiving. 

Cheers!

alexa

Talk about a celebration

I'm sure you noticed in the picture from our court date (see previous post) that the judge looked so happy to make the adoption final. Well I never expected the city to bring in the Blue Angels. But they did!!! Thursday morning was the adoption finalization in court. It was a very quick but very important last step to the whole process. My new birth certificate should be here in a couple weeks and then I can get a passport. I wonder where mom and dad will take me. Winter is coming up and I can think of a few islands that would provide a nice break from the cold weather. Just sayin'. Now, back to those Blue Angels. After we left court Thursday I noticed some very loud planes overhead. Sure enough, the navy sent their best pilots to help us celebrate the big week. Thousands of other people from the area came as well as we watched them do some amazing tricks. I wish I could have actually ridden in the plane but we weren't sure if my car seat was approved in fighter jets. So I put my ear plugs in and watched from the ground. 

They even sent a tank to make sure security was adequate

Besides some big time celebrating just a few new things for the week. The battle of the bed seems over. I protested last week and won. This week mom got the wedge and it appears we have a solution. I am quite happy with the degree of elevation and have not had reflux problems like last week. Here is a picture of me sleeping soundly in my crib. Mom took a risk with the flash going off while I was sleeping but I didn't even move. My angel care (apnea) monitor works fine with the wedge pillow so everyone is happy.

And finally, I have started eating real (sorta) food.  If my neocate formula is liquid gold, my neocate cereal is solid gold. But since I can't tolerate any other solids at this point, mom says its a good short term solution. I really like it. And I had no problem with an adult size spoon. Hopefully I will get some that fit my mouth a bit better but I'm not complaining. It delivers the goods just fine.

So all in all, it was a fantastic week. 

cheers,

alexa

Alexa Ryan Keller

It's Official

...and I got a great new bear from the judge for being so cute

6 months

WINNING! ...the bed battle that is. I am a fierce competitor and I will not give up easily. I wanted my rock n play bed back and I got it. 

The crib remains empty except for playtime while mom showers. Waking up every hour all night long wasn't doing the trick so I resorted to getting sympathy votes. Look how well I've perfected my sad face

Mom and dad couldn't get the crib as elevated as the rocker which keeps my nighttime vomiting at a minimum. So after two weeks of waking up with formula coming out of my nose, they caved. Sorry to get graphic but hey, it worked. Of course they assure me the fight is not over. Mom has a wedge pillow being delivered soon and is positive it will do the trick. I'm happy to give it a try but I won't guarantee I will sleep there. In the meantime, I promised to resist the urge to pull myself up and hop over the side of the bassinet. See, I'm reasonable.

Last Tuesday I turned 6 months old. Besides being a super fun age, it also means mom and dad are able to file the adoption papers in court so their names will be on my birth certificate. It is the last step in the adoption process and while things have been irrevocable since May, it becomes completely official.  This is significant because it means I will be able to get a passport and dad will not be able to leave the country without me like he did in June. Hopefully the court date will be in the next couple weeks. 

Just thought you may want to see how flexible I am

As far as growth goes, I have completely stalled out. I look like an older baby and can sport some pretty great pony tails, but my height and weight are the same as they were at my 4.5 month appointment (13.6 pounds) and 23.5". As you will see from the pictures, I am not thin by any means so we don't think there is any reason for concern.  And my doctors are watching me like a hawk so they will let us know if we need to adjust meds or anything. 

Developmentally I am about the same. I really prefer just sitting and playing with my toys over moving around the room. I have a very laid back personality. I enjoy the daily walks we take and still love being carried in either the "blue thing" or the regular carrier. Mom took tons of pictures on my 6 month birthday so I will sign off with those.

Cheers!

alexa

A New Room

I have mentioned in older posts that I really do not care for my crib. As a matter of fact, I really don't like my whole room. The color is great and my clothes fit nicely in it but it's lonely. I can sleep there for about an hour and then I'm done. Mom has been telling me that I can sleep in her room as long as I have to eat every 4 hours because its easier on her. Since that schedule is not going to change any time soon, I have a new room.

Notice the crib is empty

This bed is the best. 

I will need to move into the crib soon because I'm too old for the Rock n Play but for this week, its still mine. 

Its not too bad with my toys 

My new motor skill of the week is standing up holding things. I cannot do much when I'm up there but if you hand me a toy, I can throw it in the basket.

It was a very quiet week. We are trying to adjust to school being back in session. Today I learned what Sundays are like in our house. I had no idea that NFL games went all day long. The highlight was Peyton Manning's debut as a Bronco. What a great game and hopefully a great season.

My Current Stats- 13.6 pounds

                            23.2"  long

Have a good week.

alexa

Carnitine Uptake Defect

So much for the every Sunday posts. I will blame the holiday and try to do a better job next week.

After the final stage of the bike race in Denver, mommy and I headed to Indianapolis for our "stealth" medical trip. She called it stealth because we only told a few people we were in town since we were so short on time and wouldn't get a chance to do much. We will be back the week of Thanksgiving for a few days with the whole family. This time I got my own seat on the plane and travelled in style.

The purpose of the trip was to meet with the metabolic doctor. Its pretty complicated but I will try to explain a little bit of what has been going on. If medical jargon bores you, feel free to skip to the end of this post and look at pictures instead. 

Every baby born in the US is tested for a variety of genetic diseases before they leave the hospital. Most people have heard of PKU but it tests for about 40 other rare things as well.  I tested positive for Carnitine Uptake Defect or CUD. For everyone else, carnitine helps stabilize blood sugar by converting fatty acids to glucose/energy. Because my levels of carnitine are too low, I cannot do this so my blood sugar can drop to dangerous levels if I don't eat often enough and take a carnitine supplement. Besides my vomiting issue, I shouldn't have any problems now or in the future as long as we follow those rules. I had to go see Dr. Escobar so he could evaluate my development so far and try to figure out why my levels are low. I was excited to go to Peyton Manning Children's Hospital, as I assumed I would get to meet the legend. Instead, they pulled a bait and switch and tortured me to take tons of blood. If this is how they treat kids here, I can see why Peyton had to leave town and join the Broncos. I think #18 should stick to football and leave caring for children to someone else! The bloodwork was done to rule out some scary things with chromosomes and mitochondrial diseases. If they are all negative (which mom assures me they will be because I currently look so good), then I will come off my medicine in November for a month. If my levels are okay off the supplement then we will assume whatever was going on has resolved. If my carnitine level is low again, then it confirms I have CUD and will have to stay on the medicines and food schedule for a long time. Whew. Long explanation.

I got to see my friend Jude again while I was there.

Since we were on the ground, mom and Lisa put gift wrap down for us. Kept our clothes clean but our hands...not so much. "A" for effort mom and Lisa

mom handing over the car key

Jude and I deciding whose carseat will fit better in the driver seat

My favorite thing right now is reading magaizines

...or eating them. Let me know if you want your pages back, Gina

Gina didn't want her magazine back and let me take it to the airport

I am doing a great job sitting up and I roll to get anywhere I want. So the baby gates have come out. Everything is fair game now!

My mom had her usual airline luck and our flight was delayed causing us to miss our connecting flight. So we spent an extra night in Indianapolis and got to wake up at 4am Sunday to get home. Now its back to the school routine around here.

Cheers!

alexa