Theodore's First Halloween : The Strongman

This was Theo's first ever Halloween, and as you could have guessed, Amanda went for it on his costume. In Theo's first few weeks we loved to admire the baby rolls on his arms and legs, joking they looked like giant muscles.

It was then that we realized a circus strongman would be a great costume for the youngster. This image became our inspiration:

[Our Inspiration]

Amanda found the right material for the suit and broke out the needle and thread. For the dumbbell I took a baby rattle and covered in black electrical tape (natch). And here, ladies and gentlemen, we present to you Theodore the Strongman:

[Theo the Strongman]

We couldn't have been more pleased!

One side note though, after seeing the following photo which shows Amanda's handywork with Theo's moustache, we couldn't help but see the resemblance to a certain eccentric painter. What do you think?

Pre-crawl

Theo is about four and a half months old now, but apparently he can't wait to start getting on the move! It looks like it's going to be any day now.

First Lover's Spat

Theodore and Oona O'Driscoll got into fisticuffs while Daddy Trevor refereed. Nice parenting, Trevor!

Somebody Needs A Shave!

We knew he was growing up quickly, but this is ridiculous!

Santa Chibs is coming to town!

Time to Get Bundled Up!

It's getting cooler, and little Teddy needs to keep cozy. Check it out!

And a little bonus one that's just plain cute.

Theo's room on Project Nursery!

Amanda & I really enjoyed the process of designing Theodore's nursery. It was a challenge to make such a small space comfortably hold all the items we'd need while also being aesthetically pleasing and in keeping with the design sense of the rest of our apartment.

Through planning his room Amanda found all these great baby design blogs that helped direct us in our decision making. So once we were done we decided to submit photos of Theo's room, and it was picked up by Project Nursery!

Check their profile of Theo's nursery, featuring some of these choice photos below.



And here are a few extra detail shots of some of our favorite features of the room that were not included, including the wild Jonathan Adler light fixture.

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Thanks to Molly for the beautiful mobile and to Melissa for the lovely and unique Japanese kokeshi. And of course, our thanks to Moomer again for creating the incredible crib bedding that is such a focal point of the room.

Forever in Blue Jeans

Life's a Beach

Check out a video of the whole gang spending a chilly afternoon at the beach in the Hamptons.

Family Fun

Young Theo's adventures outside Brooklyn continue! We spent a wonderful weekend with Aunt Sis, Uncle Dr. Ascot, and cousins Shiloh and Tallulah in East Hampton. Below are a few highlights. Please feel free to view the whole album here.

Theo looking smashing in his awesome cowboy jammies

(courtesy of Reverend Molly)

Stop! Jammie time!

Aunt Sis getting some jolly grins from her nephew

T and Shi getting chased by the surf

Holy Roller!

Look at me folks - I can roll over! Next stop: crawling!

Let's laugh

We went to Storm King yesterday for a little sculpture & nature. However, Theo seemed to enjoy singing and laughing in the car more than anything.



One tech note: Some folks have been unable to see the videos we've uploaded to Vimeo, so we're switching to YouTube. You can check our page to see some of the ones you may have missed.

The Afterbath

What is it about babies after their bath? They are so irresistible!

A Visit to the Hamptons

We visited the grandparents and had a beautiful weekend in East Hampton. Bright sunshine, clean air, and lobster rolls - who could ask for more? Thanks, Luvie and Grandpa, for a great visit!

The eponymous specialty - yum!!

Theo Loves the Hamptons - a series

Some pics at the house

And the finale - Theodore meets his first celebrity!

Lidia Bastianich imparts wisdom about Italian cooking.

You want it, you got it: The Smile!

These past two weeks have brought smiles to young Theodore. Yes, we have devolved into those stereotypical parents making ridiculous noises and cooing to elicit his smiles.

Look here at the final product and you'll see why we feel no shame.


That's Auntie Rebecca getting in on the action. Man that's good stuff.

Social butterfly

Teddy's been entertaining many guests here during his second month.

Big Shanz gets in on the action.

Rockin' in a cool sun hat. It reads "Hot & Spicy Gumbo", obviously.

Rebecca M. makes the boy dance.

Rebecca & Sara laughing it up. Theo probably just told an off-color joke.

Flipping the script, Katie takes the ball for a ride!

This is me teaching Theo the secrets of life. This is also Theo saying, "Shut up dad"

Bonus Texas Video - Theodore's first swim!

Theodore's First Swim from Matthew Lipstein on Vimeo.

Going to Texas not only means grandparents and BBQ, it also means pools! We took the opportunity to give Theo his first taste of the good life.

First trip to Texas!

The Lipsteins traveled down to Fort Worth to visit friends and family. 5-week-old Theo got to ride on a plane, visit with lots of adoring fans, and have his first, all-important swim in a pool. Grammy and Grumpy even threw him a party! The full photo-set can be found right here. Here are some highlights:

A visit to the Kimball Museum

Chillin' in my awesome swimsuit and cover-up

Sleeping on Grammy at the Yucatan Taco Stand

Seersucker is perfect party attire!

Meeting my new friends Sarah, Mateus, and Luiza

Appetizer

Got back late last night from Theo's first trip to Texas. Look for a big update including choice pics and videos in a day or two, but in the meantime enjoy this tasty appetizer.

I spend most of my day making sure Amanda doesn't eat Theodore's feet. Thanks for the pic Maria!

Knuckle Dimples

Item #4080 they don't tell you about in birthing classes, parenting books, or baby websites:

Knuckle Dimples

Bath time for boy

This week Theodore got his first taste of bath time. Granted, we were setup in the kitchen sink, but he didn't seem to mind. Now he's squeaky clean!

Rub a dub dub 'Manda!

Wax on Wax off.


You've got to use a tiny washcloth to "get in there" as Amy says.

This house is clean.

You're eyes are getting sleepy...

Take a swing with the boy. Don't be surprised if your snoozing by the end of this video.

I'm ready for my close-up!

I had fun playing with the digital SLR today snapping photos of my favorite subject. Here are a few gems.

Some guests and some partying!

Theodore is now officially 2 weeks old, and making his way through this third blockbuster week.

As usual, he's had many callers:

Rebecca & Aya bonded with the boy. Aya's teaching Theo some moves!

Zach & Carrie were in from LA and paid T a visit.

This week was also Amanda's birthday, and we celebrated on Saturday with a b-day picnic. The rain was even kind enough to go away for a few hours.

Amanda shows us how to do the birthday dance.

Sophia, look out! There's a baby on your chest!

Well played.

Like father, like son.

Uncle Dr. Ascot is not afraid of the burp cloth.

More to come, stay tuned!

Raindrops keep falling on my son

So much rain this month. Good thing it doesn't damper Theodore's attitude!

Just for the record...

My son has amazing sideburns.

Happy Father's Day...

To all the dads out there, including me!

Father's Day 2009 - My first one! from Matthew Lipstein on Vimeo.

Celebrating my first father's day with the family. Watch through to the end to see some massive rocking out.

Some more pics!

Everything is great with Theodore. He had a clean bill of health from the pediatrician on Monday morning. She commented that he looked like a one-month old! In his 5 days of life, Matt has already snapped over 800 photos. Here's a small batch.

Catching some rays on our stoop.

Straight Hip Hop

Chillin' on the new blanket made by my Aunt Sis.

Some friends and family have come to visit!

Photos from Theodore's first few days

Here is a small batch of photos from Theodore's first few days.

The full gallery is right here.

Or treat yourself to this slideshow.

Welcome Theodore!

Theodore Roebling Lipstein was born on June 11, 2009 at 6:52am. He weighed in at a whopping 9 pounds 7 ounces and was 21 1/4 inches long. A big boy!

Mother, father and son couldn't be happier.