Ultrafast time-resolved electronic and infrared absorption measurements have been carried out on a series of Ru(II) polypyridyl complexes in an effort to delineate the dynamics of vibrational relaxation in this class of charge transfer chromophores. Time-dependent density functional theory calculations performed on compounds of the form [Ru(CN-Me-bpy)(x)(bpy)(3-x)](2+) (x = 1-3 for compounds 1-3, respectively, where CN-Me-bpy is 4,4'-dicyano-5,5'-dimethy1-2,2'-bipyridine and bpy is 2,2'-bipyridine) reveal features in their charge-transfer absorption envelopes that allow for selective excitation of the Ru(II) (CN-Me-bpy) moiety, the lowest-energy MLCT state(s) in each compound of the series. Changes in band shape and amplitude of the time-resolved differential electronic absorption data are ascribed to vibrational cooling in the CN-Me-bpy-localized (MLCT)-M-3 state with a time constant of 8 +/- 3 ps in all three compounds. This conclusion was corroborated by picosecond time-resolved infrared absorption measurements; sharpening of the CN stretch in the 3MLCT excited state was observed with a time constant of 3.0 +/- 1.5 ps in all three members of the series. Electronic absorption data acquired at higher temporal resolution revealed spectral modulation over the first 2 ps occurring with a time constant of tau = 170 +/- 50 fs, in compound 1; corresponding effects are significantly attenuated in compound 2 and virtually absent in compound 3. We assign this feature to intramolecular vibrational redistribution (IVR) within the (MLCT)-M-3 state and represents a rare example of this process being identified from time-resolved electronic absorption data for this important class of chromophores.