Johnny Jump-Up

Ivan tried out his new Johnny Jump-Up. He got good traction once his socks were taken off. He still so little, though, that his hands get stuck down in the leg holes. Still, he walked and spun around a bit and liked to be bounced by mom. I think this will take...very soon!

The foxes and the hound

Here are some pics of Tyler and the Doodlebug in his fox attire and dressed for Homecoming (which we lost).

Ivan's Nanny

Here is a picture of Ivan's nanny, Carlie, with the boys Cruz and Ivan. She is so sweet to them. They both light up when she comes in in the morning!

Cord Blood - transplant research

As some of you may know, Ivan donated his umbilical cord blood through the Puget Sound Blood Center after his birth to help with research.

Aunt Ashley told us today that Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center is currently getting all of the cord blood from Swedish Hospitals. That means that Ivan's cord blood is likely there right now. They are working on studying transplants right now in the Delaney lab. Let's hope his blood is helping with their research as I write this!

Very exciting. Anyone interested in donating cord blood, go to: http://www.psbc.org/cordblood/ It just might save a life.

I love to rock and roll...and gameday highlights

Ivan has been getting stronger and stronger (or as we say around our house, "strong like bull,") everyday and he is rocking and rolling a bunch. Here's a video of his latest escapades. And, here he is in his Saturday and Sunday gameday best. He rooted on the Huskies and Hawks this weekend to no avail. He sure looked good doing it, though.

Ivan loves his giraffe Sophie

With Ivan's teething going on, he found a new best friend (besides Gracie, of course). Her name is Sophie the giraffe. He likes to suck on and chew all parts of her. She's with him most of the time now. Pretty darn sweet.

Talking with his mouth full

Ivan's newest thing is that he likes to talk while sucking on his thumb. He puts his thumb in his mouth and cocks it off to one side, like a cigar. Then, he proceeds to chat. Yesterday, his best sentence was goip goip goip. Too funny!

A receding tooth

Well, our little Ivan had quite a rough weekend teething. He was a velcro baby and just wanted to be held the entire day long. Also, he was pretty fussy and wouldn't nap like normal. Poor guy. But, by Sunday, his tooth started going back down again. It looks like it's probably his canine tooth, which shouldn't come in for about a year or so. I guess they can come up and go back down again. Hopefully, this one stays down for a while. 

In other news, it was a great weekend for Seattle sports with the Huskies and the Seahawks both winning!!! Ivan was pretty excited about that and watched the Hawks game with Aunt Ashley and Troy. 

A TOOTH!!!!!!

Ivan has been a bit fussy lately and having trouble sleeping (waking mom up twice a night for the past 3 days). He has also been chomping down on fingers and blankets. Then, last night we peeked in his mouth and voila, there's a tooth coming through on his lower right gum. This is his first. Quite the milestone. Not the normal bottom front tooth we had expected. Talked to the nurse at the pediatrician's office and was told that teeth can come in in any order. So, now we know what the cause is. It's time for some frozen washcloths, teethers and lots of love. And, today is his three month birthday. Can't believe how fast it's flown by. Happy Birthday little doodle!

Everyone loves a naked baby

Love the naked babies!!! Here's the doodlebug, doing his best to be cute before his bath. I think he succeeds.

Best Friends

Our dog, Gracie Allen, has been great with Ivan so far. She gives him kisses and generally wants to be near him (and us when we are near him). Ivan is definitely trying to figure her out too. Here are a couple photos of them together.


The first one was during the big heat wave this summer and I'm calling "Hot dog, Hot baby." Ivan was only about two weeks old in that photo.


The second one I am calling "Is this yours or mine?" Ivan is about 2 1/2 months old.

Meet the great-grandparents...

Pictures from Ivan's meet and greet with the great-grandparents up in Easton two weeks ago.


On the top, the whole family. On the bottom, 4 generations of Allens:
Shirley Jett, Bob Allen, Tyler Allen and Ivan Allen

Ivan's week and his laundry basket bed/swing

Young master Ivan had a great week last week with his new nanny, Carlie. She played with Cruz and him and they went for walks. Ivan is laughing a lot and making lots of new sounds. He is developing right on schedule.


This weekend, he watched the Seahawks lose poorly with Top Gun, Nana, BB, Grandpa Bob, uncle Drew and Rubi and mom and dad when we had a birthday party/brunch for Top Gun. He also watched some videos of his time in Alaska. Here is a video of his laundry basket bed/swing from Alaska. Pretty funny:

Our dog, Gracie, teaches Ivan how to roll over...

Gracie sure knows how to roll over. She thought she'd help Ivan learn how to do it. :D

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