back at it

Hey all! Rowan just went down for a nap which means I should have about half an hour to write to you. When he used to nap in the baby wrap a couple weeks ago, he could sleep for two hours or more. Since making the switch to crib napping, however, his naps are shorter and more frequent. Having him sleep on his own certainly makes it easier to get things done around the apartment, but now and then I miss having an adorable baby sleeping on me. 

As you may remember from our previous blog posts, Brenda and I spent a lot of time on the road over the past several years. The more she gigged around, the more traveling we did. The past seven months or so have been out of the ordinary because, with the exception of a few weeks in Berlin in January, we've been in one place. It's been really nice to be settled while navigating the first few months of parentdom, but it's time to get back on the road. As I mentioned last week, Brenda has her first post-pregnancy gig in Austria next week. Shortly thereafter we fly to the U.S. to show off introduce Rowan to friends and family, and then Brenda's 16/17 season begins. We're still figuring out how we're going to do all of this with a baby in tow (e.g. Do we take the stroller or just carry Rowan everywhere? How many outfits will Rowan need? Do I get to take clothes, too?), but I'm confident that we'll figure it out. If we forget something, there's always Target.

My wonderful wife gave me a very thoughtful present last Christmas, and I finally got the chance to use it last week. Much to my chagrin, I don't sing much these days because I don't want to annoy our neighbors with opera arias (it's not a quiet art form). Brenda had the great idea to rent some time at a music studio for me, and last Wednesday I made my way over there. I had a lot of fun even though my voice was worn out after only twenty minutes. That didn't stop me from practicing for a full hour and a half, however. I'm looking forward to going again later this week.

After my practice session, Brenda and I met up and enjoyed some time outside. A little singer tip: pretzels and Radler help the voice recover. Or at least they don't hurt.

Rowan is awake so I need to get going. I hope you all have a great week, and we'll talk to you next Tuesday (or very likely Wednesday)!