Saying goodbye to month 4

My bathtub in the RV. Look at the rolls on my arms

That's right, another month is in the record books. I am getting big at 13 pounds and 23.5 inches. As of now, I do not look destined to be an NCAA basketball star but that could change. Here is a look at my accomplishments as a 4 month old.

We tried changing my diet a bit this month...FAIL! I do not tolerate much more than my current special formula. My cousin Pier was nice enough to share some of her formula with me when mom left mine behind and I promptly gave it back in more ways than one. Thankfully Kristi Lee was with us in the Nordstrom bathroom to help mom get my clothes into the trash. They could not be saved. Together they have 8 kids and both claim they have never seen anything like it. A few days later mom was thought it would be a good idea to try some rice cereal in my bottle. She obviously is not a fast learner...So we will wait a little while to try anything new. I suggested steak but dad caught me. I didn't think anyone would notice me at the table.

I have started to take an interest in my toys and my feet. They are both equally entertaining. 

I tried to shake my giraffe's head off but its on there pretty good

Here we are watching food network while mom showered

This month I started moving around a bit. I am not fast but I get there eventually. It took me so long that mom had to break it up into 2 movies. Wait until next month, I will be faster. 

I am sleeping much better at night. My big growth spurt was because mom thought I was waking up every 2 hours to eat. The truth was that my stomach hurt from the last feeding. So when she stopped feeding me so often, I was able to sleep for 4-6 hours at a time again. Told you...slow learner.  However, that means my food intake has gone from 40-50 ounces a day to a normal baby amount of 25-30 oz. Hopefully my weight won't be affected too much. I have Dr. appointments in 2 weeks to learn more about my carnitine deficiency and my vomiting problem. That means I get to travel to Indianpolis and see my friends there again.

Sunday we are camping for a couple days to watch Andy Schleck and his pro cycling friends as they ride through Colorado. We will also watch the final stage in Denver before dad takes us to the airport.

Cheers!

Alexa

The California RV trip

Whew, what a trip. It was a lot of driving but couldn't have gone smoother and it was great to get to meet my cousins for the first time. Day 1 was the longest drive of the trip. We drove 14 hours from Grand Junction to Boca Resevoir in the Lake Tahoe forest. I did great sitting in my carseat for 13 hours and then I was DONE. The last 45 minutes was because we missed the turn for the campground and had to drive an extra 15 miles to find a place to turn the beast around. Mom was not a fan of the iPhone navigation before and had she been able to figure out a way to get the RV windows open, the phone would be at the bottom of the Boca Resevoir right now. Needless to say she will not forget the android charger again. 

Here we are pulling away from the house

Its a good idea to keep one hand on the call button at all times

The messy RV from trying to stay entertained all day

The view from our camp spot at the resevoir

 helping Brandon in the Phase 10 game

Our original plan for day 2 was to see the giant redwoods in Northern Ca.  But after so much driving already, we decided the extra 6 hour detour to San Francisco was not a good idea and we would all just pretend we could drive through the redwood tree in Grandma's backyard. So we stayed in Sonoma instead. The Hendersons met us there and stayed with us all week as we inched our way down the California coast. 

The pond at Cline Winery

Meeting Uncle Loyd and Pier for the first time. She was born 2 wks after me

Tai, Sydney, little D, and Brandon

Day 3-5 were our San Francisco and Santa Cruz beach days. Mom was right, there is just nothing like the ocean. Our RV spot was facing the Pacific Ocean.

Yes, that's me in the drivers seat

No doubt I will make a good wingman for dad

my version of playing in the cold water

Hayley is going to teach me how to do this on the next trip

Our first family beach photo

The Santa Cruz boardwalk

Roller coasters and a beach= kid heaven

Hanging with Aunt Angie

The rest of the trip was spent in Southern California where I met the Klines, Lees and Goldstines. I also visited mom's favorite beach, Zuma. I slept in my blue wrap the whole time but rumor has it the waves were huge that day. I will add body surfing to my bucket list for next trip.

At Grandma and Grandpa's house

And finally the 13 hour drive home

Stay tuned for the next post where you can see how much I grew during our trip (think adults on a 2 week cruise). 

Summer Fun

Just a quick post before I head out on my first long RV trip. Friday we leave for a 10 day California trip starting at the redwood forest and ending in Westlake with several stops in between. As long as I can sleep okay, it should be a very fun trip for everyone. If I don't like sleeping in the rv...well what were they thinking taking a 4 month old wildcard on a trip like this???


The last couple weeks have been very relaxing actually staying at home for a change. Dad was away on biking trips both weekends but we managed to have fun without him. The weather has been much more tolerable with high's in the 90's instead of mid 100's. Because of that we have been able to leave the air conditioning and enjoy being outside.


I only have a couple firsts to report this week. I am finally big enough to ride in the stroller the right way instead of in the bassinet when we take walks. While it is harder to sleep, it is so much better to be able to actually see what's up ahead.

Notice in this picture that my hair is getting so long it actually fits in two pony tails. I love showing off to my blonde friends who have no hair at all. 

Of course I can't leave home without my blankie. It's also convenient when I need a little snack.

This is actually my second time in the pool but my first time in a boat all by myself. It was alright, but not as good as ...

...being thrown in the air

  

or splashing everyone around me

And finally the cute pictures of the post

My other "first" is that I am now sleeping in my room, in my crib. Mom said she really misses my bassinet laying next to her and the ability to feed me and stay in her bed half  asleep. 

Have a great week. We will see our Calif friends and family very soon!

Alexa

4 Months Old

4 months

That's right everyone, I am now 4 months old (+ 2 days). This is our last weekend at home and then we will be traveling in the RV until August 5. Next weekend dad is riding a 27 mile bike race that is all up hill at Mt. Evans. It ends at almost 14k feet elevation. I would really like to hike the last couple hundred feet so I can say I did my first 14er. But mom says after my last adventure in high altitude that led to a cardiologist and oxygen for 2 weeks she is not promising anything. I think she is using me as an excuse because the last time she was here, she was so altitude sick she couldn't get out of the car. I may just bring my oximeter to prove I'm fine and have dad take me to the top if she can't hang. 


Here are a few more pictures. Mom is trying to get better at using the SLR camera she got 8 years ago. 

Mostly Pictures

This week we actually stayed at home and just relaxed. The temperatures have eased up some and we had the first rain since I have been born. Every morning I wake up and watch the Tour de France. Mom explains the tactics, jersey competitions and introduces me to words like peloton and drafting. I may be new to biking but I think they ride way too close to each other and don't understand why people are surprised when they fall like dominoes. In any case, the mountain stages start this week so things are about to get good. Besides biking, I also played tennis for the first time. Mom had me in the carrier and played Brandon. I got bored and went to sleep. Well enjoy the pictures. Heading into another boring week of helping mom clean closets.

Nevermind the baby seat on the kitchen table. This is more fun

Alexa

Camping and Rolling (me, not the jeep)

Last weekend we took another trip in the RV. This time we stayed at Ridgway State Park so we could jeep in Ouray.  I was a little bummed we couldn't have a campfire due to the statewide fire ban (don't even get me started on the fact that my first July 4th will have no fireworks show) but as always, we found ways to have fun. Hayley is teaching herself the guitar and we spent the evenings listening to her play. Saturday we went jeeping and visited  the town of Ouray. 

Its hard to see in the picture but my hands are up too

Getting ready to leave the paved road

The start of the ride was bumpy but I had lots of pillows so my head could enjoy a smooth ride

Why its called Red Mountain Pass- so beautiful

And this is us leaving the service garage after we broke the jeep 

Another good hair pic from Ouray

And last but not least, I am rolling over! Mom decided it was time to start having me play on my stomach and my first time on the floor, I turned over. I've been able to do it for a while but no one asked me to show it to them so its their loss. Mom says I learned 3 months earlier than my brothers and sister. Not too much longer and I will be able to move. Watch me go

Click the play button in the bottom left corner

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

Alexa