Going to See the Uncles

On the way to C's parents' house to see uncle J and his J again and to meet uncle D for the very first time. Ivan brought his truck.



But he also fell asleep.

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Waking Up With Mom

All smiles.









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Twenty-nine Weeks: Lunch with Gramps

My parents go to the same restaurant almost every Saturday afternoon. Today they took Ivan with them so that Sister B and I could get some shopping done. He was the belle of the ball, metaphorically writing. All the patrons loved him and he ate an entire thing of bananas & had some water. So cute & independent!



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Yay! Sister B is Back!

We missed TWO Tuesdays with Sister B, so we finally saw her last night and she loved on Ivan. He totally knows her.


And loves her long hair & nose ring.

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Bath time: Sitting & Splashing Like a Big Boy

We finally used the bathtub in the way that it is intended:



Ivan sat up and splashed and splashed and splashed. And of course, his nether regions were then sparkly clean.

His look below makes him look far older than he really is, but seriously adorable anyway.



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Helping Nana out with Laundry

Ivan is always such a good helper!





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Playtime in the Crib

Ivan loves all his toys that make noises and allow him to figure things out. While my mom & I were organizing some things around the house, she set Ivan up in his crib* with one of his toys! He had such a fun time!



He really enjoyed sitting up like a big boy!




*Sister B said this was the first photo she's seen of Ivan in his crib, so it's worth noting that he's now sleeping (when he decides to sleep) in our (Sister B's & my) old crib from the '80s.

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Twenty-eight Weeks: Carrots

Now I know why moms strip their kids down to diapers at feeding time. This kid has a pair of orangey sock after the first time I fed him carrots, so the second time I made sure it was warm enough in the house and took his clothes.




He's actually not a huge fan of carrots, but mixed with a little applesauce, they get in there.







And it's super funny when mom takes pictures.



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Moose Day

Chillin' with Sophie on a moose day.











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Best Star at the Top of the Tree

Ivan & C helped decorate the Christmas tree!



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Twenty-seven Weeks: Moving Day

I have no photo of Ivan from today. Today we packed up our entire house and moved home to M town. C has a good job (funny enough, for the same company he worked for before we left M town) and we'll be staying with my parents for a few months.

Our house in KC is empty and for sale and I've officially resigned from my job (I will miss the people so much!). Our lives in M town are set to begin. We always planned to end up here and are now here a little sooner than we thought we'd be. We have plans to rent for awhile and then to build on some family land out in the country. I will be sure to keep you all updated.

That said, we are (very) close to family here and are going to renew tons of relationships from before our move. Such an exciting time for the R family!

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Ivan's Friend B

Ivan's got a serious fan club going because little man can sure throw out a smile here & there and for the time being, he'll let you hold him.

B used to live with us, so she's like family. And she adores some Ivan!













It's pretty late here, but Ivan quite likes her too.

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Raccoons & Superman

On the day before moving day, Ivan and I were packing up his stuff. Including the raccoon hat & Superman Converses. Shoes were yummy apparently.












Oh, I caught him!



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Twenty-six Weeks: Exhausting & THEN Dog Climbing!

Saturday morning, after Thanksgiving & after a nap on C, we headed out to C's parents' house. Ivan was still sleepy (rough night before), but wanted to climb.



Whoa, sleepy dude.




He's not crawling yet, but he wants to. Propped up on my knee here, trying to throw himself off.




Bella behind. She has such a sweet temperament. Ivan was really interested in running his fingers through her coat.












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Black Friday Shopping is Exhausting

Mostly kidding. Mom, Ivan and I ventured out around noon to look at a couple of stores for a vanity for the bathroom they're putting in downstairs at their house.

Ivan was awake at the first store & napped through the second and third.



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First Food: Sweet Potatoes

It's been a little hard on me to make the decision to start Ivan on solids. Kind of a protective thing because I know where my milk has been/is coming from. I have the same suspicion of formula. So Ivan hasn't had anything but my milk and two or three feedings of formula in the NICU before I was producing. He has been taking a real interest in watching/grabbing at us while we're eating and drinking and he was right at the cusp of six months old, so we figured it was about time. I've read up on different foods and ways to start this process and basically decided that we'll make him the healthiest food we can.

We began on Thanksgiving with cooked organic sweet potato mixed with milk to make a yummy orange slurry. And huge surprise (perhaps only to me), Ivan was super ready for food. Open mouth, grabbing at the spoon, that's our little guy.






















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Thankful for

Baby Ivan.







A family that plays together.



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Twenty-five Weeks: Okay, He Can Read

I just don't like keeping you all in the dark, so I'll come right out and say it.

My baby can read.




Wait, yours can't?




It's okay, Ivan's just really really smart. You know, like his mom & dad.

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