daddy duty

Hi all! Mama bear coming at you today! Our little dude is fast asleep in daddy's arms now, and we're trying to keep it that way, so that frees me up to do the blog! This past week included some firsts, like going to a friend's house, and actually staying there for the afternoon! That meant a diaper change and eating in a different environment! I have to say, he did very well. The destination was Barb and Michael's apartment, and das Baby was kind enough to let Barb hold him! Until of course he decided he wanted the kind of comfort that only mommy can provide. Another first (also involving Michael) was that we all went to a cafe, and I got to eat a piece of cake and drink a cappuccino, all while the little dude slept in the baby wrap. Chad and I managed a solo trip to a cafe yesterday, again thanks to the magic sleepy power of the baby wrap. Unfortunately the weather has turned cold again in Frankfurt, but last week was quite beautiful, and we took advantage of it by going on a few walks along the river. One of those evenings, we joined the masses at an outdoor cafe and had a quick drink. Of course, everyone else was drinking big beers, and we stuck to the non-alcoholic variety, but it was still lovely!
So, as you can tell, our lives pretty much completely revolve around our new little human. We are so excited for the second set of grandparents to join us on Thursday and meet our love-bug! Now all we can hope for is the sunshine to return.

Displaying the magic of the baby wrap - he slept the whole time we were out enjoying the sunshine!

Hey all! Chad here. Our little guy woke up and realized that I wasn't mom, and he wasn't happy about it because it's dinner time. So mommy duty has begun and I should try to get some things done around the apartment while I've got the chance. We hope you all have a great week, and we'll talk to you next Tuesday!

learning to multitask

Hey all! Here's a first for the blog: I'm typing the entire post with one hand. My other hand is busy supporting an ever-growing baby as he sleeps on my chest. Brenda and I have been trying to develop techniques that allow us to look after our little one while also getting other things done. The baby sling has helped a lot with that. Brenda can put on the sling, pop the baby in, and (most of the time) he'll go right to sleep. Then she's free to move around the apartment and do whatever she wants. Unfortunately, I haven't had as much luck with the sling, but at least the one-handed typing thing seems to be working out.

Brenda's parents flew back home on Saturday after a short trip that was filled with lots of cooking, cleaning and baby holding. All of their hard work has allowed us to eat delicious home cooked meals everyday without a dust bunny in sight. They also babysat for us one afternoon so Brenda and I could venture outside to enjoy the spring weather. I don't recall the words "diaper" or "burp cloth" being mentioned at all during our outing. It was nice.

Brenda, the baby and I are on our own again until my parents come next week. We've got plans to visit our friends Barb and Michael tomorrow, which will be our first time going to someone else's place with the baby. We'll see how the little guy likes public transportation.

The baby woke up and he appears to be trying to communicate with me. It's hard to decipher what he wants, but what he lacks in clarity he makes up for in volume (where did I leave those ear plugs...). I'm guessing he wants a midnight snack, which means it's time for me to wrap this up. I hope you all have a great week, and we'll talk to you next Tuesday!

Very Helpful Visitors

Hey all! How can it be blog day again already? The days are flying by as we continue to adjust to life with a baby. Fortunately for us, we've had a lot of help lately, which has made our lives easier. As you may remember from his blog post last week, Drew was here and he did a ton of cooking, cleaning, and baby holding for us. Brenda's parents are here now and they're doing more of the same. We're feeling very spoiled.

 We took advantage of the beautiful spring weather yesterday by going for a walk along the river.

We didn't make Drew work the whole time. He got to enjoy a few minutes with the baby before getting back to scrubbing the bathroom floor.

After we told our midwife that our little guy had some irritated skin, she recommended we go to a pharmacy and buy "healing wool." I was surprised when I saw it, but it seems to be doing the trick. I don't remember seeing wool in pharmacies in the U.S., but then again I've never shopped in the baby section before. 

We've been venturing out with our little guy every few days. Instead of taking the stroller, most of the time we wrap him in a baby sling and Brenda carries him. He seems to really like it.

It's getting pretty late over here so I'd better call it a night. I hope you all have a great week, and we'll talk to you next Tuesday!

Uncle Drew's Super Blog Adventure Time!

Hello to all you loyal Chenda blog readers! It's time for another one of my guest appearances on the blog, but this time I've got a new title: Uncle Drew! I flew in to Frankfurt this past Friday evening to help welcome the new Chenda babe to the world. Let me tell you, that little guy is the sweetest thing ever. I am so happy to have the pleasure of spending this time with the new family!

Chad and Brenda seem to be handling this parent thing quite well and are proving to be a great team. I'm majorly impressed by how easy they make this parent thing look! I am aware that being new parents isn't probably as easy as they make it look, though...So this trip offers new kinds of adventures! Those adventures have involved a few trips to the grocery store with Chad, a couple visits from friends meeting the babe for the first time, and one really big adventure: Brenda ventured outside without a baby for the first time since the birth!

A delicious cappuccino by the Main!

The days are flying by a little faster than they usually do when I'm visiting, so I'll keep this post short. Tomorrow morning, my parents (and Brenda's, of course), are arriving in Frankfurt to meet their grandson, which will be very exciting! I'll let the Chenda tell you all about it next week. 

Time to go coo over my nephew again!