Theoism

"how old are you?" "two!"

2011-12-04T21:51:00.001-05:00

Turning 2 involves many things: the acquisition of greater wisdom and a broader vocabulary, for instance. But for little Theodore it also means getting some sweet gifts and having an awesome time.

The main event involved going to a warehouse with a collection of inflatable bounce houses. Jumping is a particularly enjoyable pastime for the child (see previous post), and he also had a great time going down slides. Going down once with Mama was enough. He went solo at break-neck speeds for the rest of the morning.

He would often hold this pose for a short moment at the end of the slide and revel in the radness of what he had just experienced.

He and his friends were a sweaty, happy mess by the end of the party.

2011-11-20T20:03:00.000-05:00

Bowling turned out to be quite a hit for the young child, especially since he got to do it with his life-long friends Avi and Super Drix, who he met for the the first time. The more exciting part of the sport involves lifting the ball from the ball return and watching it go down the lane.

The boy adapted quickly to Zimbob, who weighs 3 times more than him, affectionately calling him just plain "Bob." It may have been harder to keep curious little Ingrid out of his personal space.

He and Ingrid got along pretty well, though much of their time together was spent with Ingrid trying to kiss and touch his face and while he was acting like a patient little pup.

Hawaii Grandma Pollock got to hang out her great grandkids for the first time!

Someone had a little accident at the reception and ended up pantless for awhile, then in peach striped leggings borrowed from Ingrid. He still looks more handsome than ever ;)

One of his favorite things discovered at Teeny and Grandpa's house was the huge trampoline. And this is where his love of jumping began…

Apple Picking

2011-11-13T20:00:00.000-05:00

Just pickin' some apples with with his peeps and his mommas

chicago

2011-10-30T19:49:00.000-04:00

T-Wolf went to Chicago because these two got married:

After a busy day of hanging out with his buddies,

helping at temple (e.g., holding Teeny's purse),

and lending a sympathetic ear to his Papa Bear,

he got to go out and explore the city.

country boy

2011-09-18T18:44:00.000-04:00

Having been born in the Midwest affords the young boy the sartorial privilege of sporting the shirtless-overalls look.

High Five!

Moreover, he feels quite comfortable maneuvering tractors of both varieties: small and really small

july gone by

2011-08-29T13:30:00.000-04:00

At the huge 4th of July party in downtown C-bus, little Teddy could not get enough of the mayhem in the bounce-houses. Here he is with the place to himself, but he only enjoyed it all the more when things got a little hectic, ultimately refusing to leave.

At a 4th of July parade, the young child reacts to his father's discourse on the price of freedom (note the single tear):

They got to visit the food trucks where his friends Rebecca and Chris were working.

He's had a crush on her as long as he's known her, but the little boy didn't quite know how to act as he sat with Rebecca on his left and another beauty on his right.

Outings

2011-08-14T21:28:00.000-04:00

In celebration of his mom's bday in June, Teddy decided to take her out in C-ville. First stop on the list was breakfast at NorthStar Cafe where they couldn't resist the cookies for a second breakfast.

Next stop: the Mike's Barber Shop, where the little boy bravely endured his first professional hair cut.

It really didn't take too long for him to realize it wasn't so bad.

Theo put his usual disinterest in drawing aside and let loose with the chalk at the yogurt shop.

Later that week the family sampled the Venezuelan cuisine at a nearby 'taco truck.' The boy seemed to enjoy the mango juice.

news in PA

2011-07-31T15:45:00.000-04:00

Theo arrived on the scene in Carlisle Pennsylvania to some exciting news of a future cousin come December! He thought he'd give Ben a taste of what the cute couple can expect of their new arrival, though he admits to being much heavier. It was good he could meet Will's fiance Rebecca before the big day. You know, to give his approval (which he did all the way).

At a diner at the drive back to C-bus the little man said 'bacon' as clear as day, though he hasn't repeated the word since.

Theo had lots of fun with his grandparents who tirelessly played blankie games in the car.

Thanks for the visit! xo

Alter Ego

2011-06-12T21:11:00.000-04:00

To hide his identity as a baby super hero, Theo often prefers going out incognito.

He's in the following photo, see if you can pick him out:

Thats right, this guy:

Easter

2011-05-15T21:00:00.000-04:00

Theo enjoyed his Easter season with some hunts, opening prizes in eggs, making and eating treats, etc. With his parents out of town, he spent an entire weekend playing Nana Lou and Papa John.

Only Papa John can get a smile this big.

Good Riddance Winter

2011-04-17T19:49:00.000-04:00

Theo sat in his rocking chair all winter long, waiting for spring to start.

He would take naps every once in a while, dreaming of warmer weather (and a day without a runny nose).

He got up once or twice to get some milk (this was when he and milk were getting along).

Now that spring is here he's running around the zoo,

and playing music.

He offered a toast at his dad's birthday

and now beats up milk cartons for breakfast.

More fun in Utah

2011-03-13T15:06:00.000-04:00

While playing with Zimbob, the boy brandishes Jon Anderson's homage to another great Theo:

Fantasia presents the opportunity for the boy to hone his conducting skills, making sure to bring out the violins at the appropriate moment:

Learning to drink from a cup and eat with a spoon = tons of the fun.

Christmas: Part II

2011-03-06T14:11:00.000-05:00

The next stop for this winter break was his grandparents' house in Heber City, UT. The blizzards came in time to give the people of this good "city" a beautiful, white Christmas. This mid-western boy seemed to appreciate the impressive effect, amplified by bright sunny skies. It was his first attempt at sledding; the start was uncertain, but with a little help he carefully made it down a few small slopes!

He finally met his first cousin, Ingrid May Jorgensen. Welcome to the world!

Not quite old enough to understand that underneath all the wrapped presents, Theo was happy to run through the room with all its colorful paper and boxes. With a little help, he discovered new toys!

These two were particularly fun as they made music that he could conduct: it's his thing.

Theo had fun getting to know this part of his family a bit better and hopes to see them again soon!

Christmas: Part I

2011-02-27T14:14:00.000-05:00

Theo and his parents took a break from the dreary weather in the midwest and headed to the West Coast to visit the grandparents; a beach outing was a priority on their list of things-to-do.

Theo was King during his visit to the County of Oranges. But the good kind--a gracious king, if you will. And his subjects adored him.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanksgiving

2011-02-13T18:34:00.000-05:00

Uncle Ben and Aunt Kate came to visit Theo and his parents at Thanksgiving. It had been a full year since he last saw them, so Theo had a lot of new tricks to show them. He even saved his first steps for their much anticipated visit:

late-summer

2011-02-06T18:30:00.000-05:00

Here's an unfinished post from about 6 months ago:

The boy's preference for walking (albeit with his parents' assistance) led many to believe that perhaps he would skip crawling all together. However, crawling provided a much-needed short cut to independence. Thus, without interrupting his walk-training, the young boy took up crawling. Here's his actual first real crawl (that is, on his knees and moving forward):

When Mom's away

2010-11-18T21:10:00.000-05:00

This is what happens when Dad is left in charge:

Plus this:

And some of this:

birthday: big #1

2010-11-16T14:01:00.000-05:00

Typically, the first item of business on the boy's schedule is to make it known to his parents that he is hungry. But on his special day, young Theo wanted to first listen to music. The little family then headed downstairs for a birthday breakfast of berry pancakes and the opening of a few presents. Turns out the boy is not too fond of pancakes (yet), and the loud noise his new toy tractor made scared him to tears (but it's now his favorite toy). It's only fair to mention, however, that the previous late-night partying had caught up to him with a fever later in the day. He was very thankful for the many happy birthday wishes from so much of his family and friends.

halloween weekend

2010-11-07T13:02:00.000-05:00

For his first halloween, the boy picked pumpkins, went to the Circleville Pumpkin Festival with his parents, dressed up as a care bear, and went trick or treating with his neighborhood buddies. He stayed up late not 3, but 4 nights in a row until the witching hour of 7pm.

mid summer

2010-10-17T19:13:00.000-04:00

Theo at his happiest: a nice, safe distance away from the scary water fountains.

Next time: peanuts and cracker jacks (and maybe a Dodger Dog)

Captain T-Wolf and his fellow pirates.

CMA

2010-10-10T13:17:00.000-04:00

Here are some highlights from the boy's visit to the Columbus Museum of Art:

your move

theo as a puppet

sweet baby, party baby

Singing with his dadums.

peek-a-boo

2010-09-11T20:57:00.000-04:00

Peak-a-boo, with just a touch of terror:

The man behind the curtain:

Fellow Munchkinlandmen

2010-07-20T12:11:00.000-04:00

Theo and his best buddy Jude frequent the zoo. Sometimes a nearby leaf, a wooden railing, or a zoo keeper picking up bat dung catches their interest more than the animals: Recently, he and another buddy, Graham , from down the street, apparently coordinated outfits for Eliot's puppy dog birthday party (where the hostess, by the way, outdid Martha Stewart):

The boy's new associate from next door is a little bit older than Theo's other friends and literally has his "people" call Theo's "people" to arrange for some hanging out. For example, the boys got together for an afternoon dip with the parents. All was going swimmingly until the inaugural dunk:

out with the old, in with the new

2010-06-29T13:58:00.000-04:00

old

place new
place

Theo is adjusting well to his new home: a little more space, rad neighbors, a nice backyard (complete with tree swing as seen above), etc. This summer seems promising...

happy father's day!

#O

2010-06-22T19:49:00.000-04:00

Being the son of one with a thing for teeth, the boy should hardly have been surprised at the excitement surrounding the recent eruption of his lower central incisors: #s O and P. In the days prior to their emergence, they boy enjoyed daily gum massages, a few doses of bubble-gum flavored medicine and out-of-the-ordinary, middle-of-the-night dates with his parents. Considering the horror stories they had been told, the boy’s parents thought that things went over better than expected. And adding to his mother’s delight, Theo already loves to brush his teeth. Take a look at these lovely gems:

its a family affair

Theo Sits

2010-05-19T13:37:00.001-04:00

Sometimes getting back up is difficult:

Mother's Day

2010-05-13T15:17:00.000-04:00

Much of the young boy's life has been spent prostrate on his back. Although he feels a lack of independence at times, there is a figure in his life that has always been there for him, bringing him solace in trying times, keeping vigilance over him while he sleeps, and prompting a loving smile or a look of wonder to Theo’s little face. This last Sunday, May 9, 2010, the Carruth residence celebrated Ceiling Fan Day to honor all the ceiling fans in his life.

Incidentally, he also loves his Mother lots and lots.

solid!

2010-05-02T17:23:00.001-04:00

A week shy of his 6-month birthday, the boy’s mother tries feeding him ‘solids.’ Judging by his reactions, Theo doesn’t care too much for the rice cereal, but his parents made comparable expressions themselves upon tasting the stuff. On the other hand, the spoon and the shiny bowl are of great interest to him. He does not appear to ingest much, and he provides ample—though indecipherable—commentary throughout the experience, often talking more during this activity than other times of the day.
Polka dots are the new denim

looks lovely

2010-04-19T16:55:00.000-04:00

Other points of interest:

Theo dances a st. patrick's day jig to the delight of his audience

The meets his aunt eva and uncle kirk for the first time

contest

2010-03-23T11:08:00.000-04:00

As though he could further impress his mother, the boy devises a series of challenges against his father. The first challenge is a beard contest. The father thought this one was in the bag since he has been shaving fortnightly since he was 26 ½. The results, however, tell a different story:
BEFORE

AFTER

The father suspects foul play.

special thanks to jon and nat, creators of the beard

unwrapped

2010-03-15T16:47:00.000-04:00

At 3 1/2 months of age, Theo summons up the courage to admit that he is addicted to sucking on his pacifier and being wrapped throughout the night. His parents decide to help him tackle the problem cold turkey, not wanting to deal with the hassle of weaning him off little-by-little. As they kiss him good night and close the door, they take a deep breath as the brave boy takes on the task of putting himself to sleep. He puts up a long, good fight and finally falls asleep for a mere 45 minutes before waking to eat. Strengthening his resolve after this nourishing meal, however, he takes to sleep like warm butter on toast and sleeps a delicious 8 hours, learning to suck on his fingers for comfort.

note: Theo has made an effort to never sleep this long again

Week 12

2010-02-09T14:10:00.000-05:00

This week Theo comes to the realization that he would prefer to have his own room. Instead of breaking the news to his parents, he decides that he will wake up about every hour and a half feigning some variant of hunger, boredom, rage, pain etc. In this way, he tricks his sleep-deprived parents into thinking that moving him into his own room is actually their idea. At first content with his success, he soon realizes a lack of foresight in his plan as he failed to consider how acquiring additional shares in the family’s available apartment space results in a decrease in time spent in his parents’ presence, which he values greatly. Luckily, this dilemma is easily remedied by simply continuing with the initial scheme, i.e., calling for his parents throughout the night to soothe him. “Brilliant!”

Theo's victory dance

Round One

2010-02-07T14:33:00.000-05:00

Shortly after arriving home in Columbus came the hour of the little boy’s first round of vaccination shots. Quick at the draw, the nurse shoots him twice: once each in of his chubby little thighs. He gets out a good cry, but only for a minute, recovering quickly and to his mother’s relief. “That wasn’t so bad,” they tell one another. That night, however, he fights through a low fever and a case of extreme fussiness.

Other points of interest:
Tummy time ain’t so bad with Juniper the Giraffe
Theo playing punching bag with his toys.

Christmas tights

2010-01-31T19:46:00.001-05:00

Theo's arrival to So. California completes his venture westward. The young child takes advantage of this time away from the notoriously cold and overcast Ohio by visiting the beach and taking walks to the park with his parents. He occupies his morning play-time with short but profound conversations with Aunt Kaitlin and his late-night dream-time is spent in the arms of Nana Lou. Impressing Uncles Mark and Philip is a relatively easy task (e.g. sneezing on cue) and he appreciates the fellowship of his fellow “dudes.”

Christmas morning came and he figured “Hey, I’ve only got a couple years in which I could really pull off the whole ‘elf’ thing, I might as well begin now.” While the tights were slightly embarrassing, it was a small price to pay to impress his mother (who thinks he’s currently among the cutest babies in the world). Later that night the tights came off and Theo dressed appropriately to receive his blessing.

Great

2010-01-27T18:24:00.000-05:00

Theo is pleased as pie to see that not only have Teeny Grandma and Grandpa Pollock come to pick him up from the airport, but his great grandparents Granny and Papa have come as well. He’s heard so much about them. Right away, he can tell they love him so much, and reminds Granny of how he uses the warm blanket she made for him every day.

Later that week as the boy eats his dinner at CPK with the help of his uncle Will, Theo appreciates his uncle’s familiar good looks. At the same time, Will is appreciating no longer being the baby of the family. Zimbob, the family dog, has his wish come true when after a week of pondering this new little creature, he comes across a trashcan of diapers and greedily chews them to pieces. All in all, the boy and his mother have wonderful time in Utah, appreciating the sunshine and bright white snow, and feeling successful in having met a big chunk of this side of the family.

four generations

Turkey Day Inspiration

2010-01-26T14:02:00.000-05:00

Aunt Kate and Uncle Ben take a nice long drive to stay with their new nephew over Thanksgiving weekend. Theo had heard of uncles and aunts, and was so excited to meet them. Like his parents, Theo is impressed by Ben’s skill with cuisine: he actually brined the turkey; and slightly intimidated by Kate’s hard bargaining skills in Monopoly. He is thrilled with meeting these new family members and decides that he should soon embark cross-country to meet more of them.

Theo and his mother set out a few weeks later to do just that. First stop: a layover in Pheonix. Forgetting he has another uncle and aunt here, the boy becomes upset and confused upon how they ended up here and screams until they get back on another plane to Salt Lake. Feeling secure that he is on the right track again, he settles down and travels like a pro, befriending a large man in the next seat over.

Other points of interest:

-Theo's first bath leaves him speachless

Photo Shoot

2010-01-25T20:01:00.000-05:00

At 3 weeks of age, just when he began to demand that his public would take him more seriously as an artist and a thinker, Theo’s publicist and photographer (his mother and Teeny grandma) schedule a photo shoot with that total-babe-just-rolled-outta-bed look. Alas, this presents just one of the hardships he must endure by lacking rights to creative control (see also the chapter on wearing “outfits” versus “clothes”).

Chapter 3 - Weeks 2-3

2010-01-22T20:46:00.000-05:00

Teeny Grandma and Grandpa Pollock arrive –also their first grandchild (this boy is going to be spoiled.) Grandpa snuck away from work and has had a much better time hanging out with Theo. Teeny Grandma calls Theo ‘dear’ and cups her hands on his head like one would imagine warming one's hands on a hot cup of indulgent hot chocolate with whipped cream on top. She gets to stay a bit longer and is a whirl-wind about the house, keeping up the housework and staying up late with the child so Theo’s mother Caroline can rest. At most other times of the day, the new mother sits around with the baby amazed that he is hers, all the while trying to figure out how nursing is considered natural and wondering how parents throughout the ages have ever managed to get any sleep.

Chapter 2 - First Visitors

2009-12-30T20:23:00.000-05:00

Nana Lou and Papa John visit for a few days to see their first grandchild. Nana Lou loves to sit and smile at Theo as he sleeps in her arms. She calls him ‘perfect’. Papa John calms the parents’ fears as they threw tons of questions his way about the little guy. Luckily, Theo is a sweetheart and his parents are learning the little tricks necessary to calm him. At this point, it is quite easy: he loves to suck on a finger.

peace out

Chapter 1 -week 1

2009-12-30T20:20:00.001-05:00

Enter Theo Wolfgang Carruth.

He was forced into the world with loud protests on November 2nd 2009 8 pounds, 7 ounces, 21 ½ inches. The last ½ inch is from the big swollen egg he received on the head from the lovely vacuum. A little banged up, but healthy and pink, he showed his new parents what a great pair of lungs he had. His mother thought to herself ‘he’ll be the last’, though this feeling would gradually subside. Nevertheless, bringing home this little bundle was the start of a new chaotic life she had never imagined.

Introduction

2009-12-29T21:03:00.000-05:00

This is the story of a boy...
This is the handsome letter-pressed announcement that was made up by Theo's aunt and uncle Eva and Kirk. He thinks they did a really great job.