July Bonus Photos

Some never-before seen photos that didn't make the first cut.

DHV "helping" by raking Joe and Alice's pond.
He also "helped" DKV by whacking him in the shin with the rake.

LiLi getting a sink bath.Danny and Neen.DHV and LRV.In the lake with aquaman.Leigh Rutledge and Dan Rutledge.
An instant classic.

Leigh's Big Weekend!

MomHV and DaDKV have gotten a little stir-crazy over the past 14 months since the arrival of the Leigh, so we took off the first chance we got.

First, to SHV's ancestral Brooklyn to see Lindy, Matt and Stacey.
DHV banging out some tunes on the piano. He woke up at 0520 Saturday morning, "I want to play the piano!"Saturday morning we set off for Matt and Stacey's new 3-5 bedroom apartment. Danny tested out their stroller all around both floors. (note full use of cup-holders)Stacey is 39 weeks, 1 day pregnant in these photos. Her gravid belly was so big it looked fake, like a Hollywood prosthesis. So big, that it jiggled when she laughed. Here she is, super-pregnant, cooking up some bacon for our clan. Or, as she pointed out to Matt, "I'm barefoot and pregnant, in the kitchen!"The workout must have done some good, because they had their baby, Katherine, today (Sunday!) We just missed it!

Anyway, this post was supposed to be about Leigh. Here's a better moment.Here she is after someone made her cry! We won't go into detail, but he's a very best friend to all of us and a new father; he must have been under tremendous stress.Then we packed up for DKV's ancestral Haddonfield. Sunday's soft morning light:Leigh playing a giving a game of give-and-take wth Grandpa.And, lastly, to Philadelphia to see Eric and Courtney and their one-year son, Evan.Eric told his wife, "Court, I need to eat," multiple times until food was procured. Then he did a magic trick with that massive foot-long sub and made it disappear. Courtney's response: "Don't you just love how some things never change?" We love it all, baby.

See you all again soon.

Father's Day Weekend

HusbandKV's first Father's Day as a father! We started it off with the last shift at HUP, ever. Now only six (hooray) 12 hour (boo) shifts at the CHOPer until residency is over. The last overnight took a toll on the new father. Here he lures DHV into bed with some Snoopies for a family nap. DHV obliged for 30 seconds and then went downstairs to work on backwards crawling.
Saturday morning we met our Pediatron Sarah and her husband Brendan, super fellow and flagship member of the never-ending postgraduate medical training support group, for brunch. No photographic documentation of this event exists, primarily because DKV was distracted by the threat of sanctions being handed out for an incident report he filed at the hospital last week.

That night we ate some calzones and pizza (hooray for dairy) with Eric and Courtney. DHV laid the charm on and showed CR his nesting boxes.
Sunday we took off for H-field. We met up with fellow HMHS alum and intrepid corporate litigator Danielle Rose. Photo documentation of this event does exist, but somehow corrupts the blog when uploaded (as absolute power is wont to do). Don't worry, we'll get some real digital proof at the Pilot Pen tournament in August.

After completing some menial tasks in preparation for Cousin Ida's trip east (with Uncle "I'm a neat-freak" Pete and Aunt Ella), the DVs settled in for some backyard grillin' and relaxin'. DHV splashed his heart out, DKV worked on getting some swarth onto the upper arms, and DRV Jr. admired his progeny.
Check out that lawn!
DHV got so tired from all that splashing that he cuddled up to his father - a miracle!
Then he recharged on some watermelon, a feat made possible by those 8 monstrous teeth. Go DHV!

DHV's First Week

Aunt Molly and Grandma Stef stopped by. Aunt Molly flew all the way from Nashville and thus began her tradition of spoiling him rotten.
Grandpa Lee looked like he never saw a baby before.

Grandma V and Aunt MAV stopped by with food. MAV was incubating cousin Elsie at the time.

DHV faked us out with lots of sleeping, the perfect angelic baby.

Friends Courtney and Eric stopped by. Eric helped me eat an enormous fruit bouquet. Our med school friend Anu was shocked that we let Eric handle the baby.

Grandparent Lindy helped us out with food and baby holding.

DHV made a funny face and didn't do it again for months.

Eagles Gameday! Everybody got in their gear, and DHV slept the whole time.

DHV was still in his fake-out angel phase.

After his first bath DHV was none-too-happy.


But he settled down enough to pose for a trophy shot in Great-Uncle Joe and Aunt Alice's chair.
Matt and Stacey came down on a weekend. Since Stacey Jo has a job, she can't just up and visit like some other people. There was a loud "tick tick" the whole time they were here.

He may practice diaper changes, but his dad is the one siring more offspring!

Finally DHV learned how to cry. Thus began one to two months of insanity.

At least DHV would quiet down in the bjorn. Here we are in the Wissahickon.