Government 101

Just in case you do not live in a swing state and are not reminded at every commercial break, this is an election year. Mom thought it would be a good opportunity to take a trip to Washington DC. So Drew and Brandon and I took her up on her offer and visited the popular sites of our nation's capital.  I seem to move up the comfort ladder on every flight. First I got my own seat, and this trip I got to look at something other than the back of a seat. Mom was going to make me sit rear facing as usual but I argued that in the event of a plane crash, whiplash wouldn't be as big of a concern as quickly getting out of my seat to make use of the seat cushion flotation device. It worked. I could really get used to this.

After we landed, Drew drove the train to the terminal

The trip was great and very informative. The time change was a little painful but we did it. I have never been so happy to be a non walker because I was carried around for several miles every day. Can you imagine how many steps that would be on 10" legs? Here are a few of the highlights from the trip.

Eternal flame at Arlington Cemetary

Changing of the guard at the tomb of unknown soldier. Can you believe they have been doing this 24 hours a day since 1937

my hotel set up

Too bad Brandon didn't have his top hat on for the picture. Its pretty cool

Getting ready to talk to the media at the Pentagon

Trying to spot the president. I'm sure he was watching me from in his house

I really wanted to swing on Sasha and Malia's playset but mom said uncle Mike's co workers may not like it

Honoring soldiers at the WWII memorial

And no trip to the city is complete without a hot dog from a street cart

We also toured the capitol building. No wonder nothing much gets done there. It is a very boring building. Congress is probably all asleep when they should be discussing legislation.

The air and space museum

Abe Lincoln, wearing an Italy shirt, standing in front of the Chinese lady's food truck...odd

The police line up at the crime museum. Can you tell which one is me?

We flew back to Colorado Monday at 3:15 but our government lesson wasn't over yet. Vice presidential candidate, Paul Ryan, was speaking in Grand Junction at 5 and we had the opportunity to see him up close in the VIP section thanks to a very nice secret service agent. The funny part was that of all the people Mitt Romney would have liked to see there front and center (literally), its a woman (whose name did not appear in a binder), a hispanic baby, and a first time voter. We fit the bill quite well. 

Our seats in front of the podium

Paul Ryan talking to me

Paul Ryan shaking my hand after the speech. Good thing he didn't know about the Ron Paul sign that mom refuses to take down or he may not have been so nice

So that's why I am late getting this post up. Now I need to get to bed and try to shake this jet lag.

Cheers!

alexa

7 Months Old

7 month facts:

Weight- 14.4 lbs. Doesn't sound huge but you've seen my rolls and double+ chin- I am not lacking in the body fat category.

Height- 24.25". height has been my second biggest challenge after feeding so we are counting to the quarter inch.

What I eat-  Neocate only. The great food experiment came to an abrupt end again when I started vomiting terribly. This is really a bummer because I loved solid food. I've read reviews on the web that claim neocate nutra tastes terrible but I thought it was quite delicious. Mom and dad tried to keep going despite my worsening stomach issues to see if I could adapt but dehydration became a concern so I am back to just neocate. After a week back on my liquid only diet, things are much better although the couch and everyone that holds me lately might say otherwise. 

Favorite activities- I continue to have no interest in moving around. I tried it a few months ago and love playing on the floor for hours but I'm not a fan of moving. I have embraced the American way and prefer to be driven around in my stroller or just sit on the floor and play with my toys. I do have mad skills in the bungee jumper. A trampoline could really help motivate me to work on my motor skills...and the holidays are right around the corner...just in case mom and dad are reading and need gift ideas. I am the happiest, most content baby ever- until about midnight.

Teeth- none. And thankfully, not anytime soon. Sounds painful and I have enough trouble with stomach pain at night as it is. I don't think mom could handle waking up more than the usual every 2 hours with my fussy self.  

Upcoming travel plans- We leave for a homeschool trip to Washington DC this Thursday for a long weekend. I can't wait. I hear the east coast in the fall is beautiful. Then next month is another RV trip. This time we are going all the way to Indiana with a couple stops to see cousins along the way. 

Other family members- I am occasionally reminded that I am not the only kid in the family so I will throw them a bone and dedicate one whole paragraph to them. Michael made varsity cross country and is ditching us in Washington DC to run in regionals. He is applying to colleges right now so I will let everyone know when he makes a decision. Hayley dances 6 days a week and would go 7 if someone would open the door for her. Her and Michael went to the homecoming dance last night.

With some superhero friends

Drew is getting ready for ski season. He plans on racing for Telluride again. Brandon is following in Grandpa Steve's footsteps and playing tennis quite a bit. They both still homeschool with me. They don't like pictures but every now and then mom can sneak one

Racing at the tower of Hanoi game

That's all I have for this week. Here are a couple pics 

Who needs teething toys when you have a USB cable

practicing my walk with Hayley

asleep on my chily morning walk

Cheers!

alexa

What $6012 got us

It's not a car
It's not a beach vacation
Did you guess it yet? 

It's lab results from Peyton's hospital. Back in August my metabolic doctor had some concerns and wanted to rule out a few things that could explain some of my health issues. So they took a ton of blood from me to make sure my chromosomes were all normal and that I did not have one type of mitochondrial disease. This week, along with a hefty bill, we got the results we were hoping for. Both tests were normal. Mom and dad say this is a huge relief because it would have meant that vomiting and low carnitine were the least of my worries. So since they put it that way, I will be happy too. Next month we will be back in Indianapolis to see the specialist again and if everything is still going well, I get to stop taking my medicine for a month and we see what my levels do. 

In other medical news, Brandon was back in the spotlight again. For the past several years he has broken an arm during every even year. So mom suggested we bubble wrap him for 2012 just to be on the safe side. Well instead of a broken arm, he went for something more unusual. Dad was driving him back from tennis Tuesday and a rock hit their windshield. Its not unusual living in Colorado which ranks #1 for this type of thing. But this time the glass broke

The glass broke into tiny pieces and went into Brandon's face and eye. Thankfully, after a quick emergency trip to the opthamologist, he only had a corneal abrasion and there were no other pieces of glass in there. Needless to say it was quite scary and we hope this counts as his bad luck for 2012 and the rest of the year will be boring. In our house, health insurance is something that will never be under appreciated.

Fall is definitely here and winter won't be far behind. We were in Denver for a couple days and camped. We were quite comfy in our 65 degree RV while Deb slept in a 32 degree tent. For the record, we invited her into the RV but she doesn't think that's real camping.  I slept so soundly that my hair looked like this in the morning

Here are a few more pictures from my last week of being 6 months

I love my jumper

 still not moving but I have looked close for months now

mom asked me to hold the cap while she took pictures

Until next week

alexa

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