The Ladies and the Tiger

Somebody else who made the whole birth business better was our doula, Karen. She helped humanize what could have been a grimly clinical affair. I'm not sure why this picture of her is so teensy-weensy -- our gratitude is huge.

If you ever need a good birth coach in the New York City area, call us for a referral.

Aunt Janet

Mommy's sister Janet spent a week with us -- and it was a pretty intense week. She was here for the birth, and the first few days in the hospital.

This turned out to be a good thing, because Daddy was a little ... anxious ... during that period. As a mother of four, she was a font of wisdom regarding things like swaddling and myconium, thus freeing Daddy up for important guy stuff like, um, killing wild animals.

(Actually, both parents discovered that -- right around the birth -- we became weirdly atavistic. Mommy wanted to nest, and Daddy couldn't keep still, like some caveman prowling the campsite scanning for saber-tooths).

Company

Theodore's first visitors were Kate and Mark. Well, he'd had visotors in the hospital. But they were the first ones to visit him at home.

(Btw, we just had lunch with Kate today. Daddy ate way too many freedom fries, and is going to be making faces much like thye candid shot below).

Ooooooooh!

Hungry? Happy? Or just pooping? We have dozens of these pictures taken with Mommy's cellphone camera. The quality isn't great, but they have a certain immediacy. She snapped this one while he was half-asleep on her lap.

Drawing the Line

In case the connection between our baby and the other Theodore wasn't clear. This is Berryman's re-drawn version of the first "Teddy and the Bear" cartoon. (In the original, the bear that Col. R. refused to shoot was superannuated, not immature).

Welcome Home, Baby

We took this a few minutes after the last picture. The beautiful blue blanket is one of the many wonderful hand-knitted and crocheted wonders given to Theodore by the wonderful church ladies of Trinity and Ascension Lutheran Churches.

Coming Home

After a few days at NYU Medical Center, we brought our Little Bull Moose home. Couldn't have done it without our friend Samy, who didn't just navigate the mean streets of New York in his trusty minivan, but who also showed us how the blasted car seat works.

Looking at the picture when he's a little older, Theodore may wonder (as we are already wondering) whether he will inherit Daddy's legs or Mommy's. If the latter, he may have a future in basketball; if the former ... well, we hope he likes horses.

In the Hospital

Here's Theodore with Mother, a day or two after his birth. The picture was taken by Father's uncle Mark, who is a fair hand with mechanical devices, including cameras. Father himself is rather less so, which is why some picture on this blog may show up sideways ....