back to work (sorta)

Hey all! Brenda's maternity leave (Babypause in German) is officially* coming to an end this week, which means it's time for her to head back to work. Luckily for us, Brenda has a very unusual career that allows her to go back to work without actually going back to work. By that I mean she can prepare for her upcoming performances here at home while holding a sleeping baby. We don't have a piano, however, so Brenda will head into the opera house from time to time to pound out some notes there. Her next part, the title role in Berg's Lulu, probably won't be the easiest music to learn and a piano would definitely come in handy.

On Sunday we had a lovely afternoon with our friends, the Schuberts. They came down to Frankfurt to meet our new little guy, and we had a really nice time visiting with them. Also, Susanne brought homemade muffins and a homemade cheesecake, which were really delicious!

 Brenda, our little dude, and the Schuberts.

My parents flew back home on Saturday, and they're already well on their way to getting over jet-lag. My dad is wearing Brenda's birthday present to me in this picture, which is a traditional German coat (called Tracht). I think it suits him well and am regretting not sending it home with him so he could start a new fashion trend in Iowa.

It's getting late over here, so I should probably wrap this up. It's funny how my definition of "late" has shifted a couple of hours earlier since our little guy showed up. Anyway, I hope you all have a great week, and we'll talk to you next Tuesday!

(*In Germany mothers get six weeks of maternity leave before the baby is born and eight weeks afterwards.)

date night 2.0

Hey all! So remember how I said I'd write on Tuesday unless Brenda and I were out on a date again? I wrote that as a joke, but we did end up shirking our blog duties for a second week in a row so we could catch a flick (The Jungle Book) and get some grub. Now it may not seem like it from our recent posts, but Brenda and I have actually been doing quite a bit of parenting. We don't just go to movies everyday and let our newborn fend for himself at home (although he'd probably be fine - it turns out that babies sleep a lot). My parents kindly agreed to babysit again, so our little guy was in good hands yesterday while we went out on the town.

It's been great having my folks here (and not just because they're excellent babysitters), and we'll be sad to see them head back home this weekend. My attempts to talk them into moving to Germany have failed so far, but I may have more luck if Trump gets elected.

There's a screaming child in the next room, and my newly activated fathering instincts are telling me that I should probably go check it out. I hope you all have a great week, and we'll talk to you next Tuesday!

babysitters wanted

Hey all! I'm a day late this week. How did that happen? I'm going to blame our kid because time has taken on new meaning since he showed up. Everyday I wake up expecting to get a lot done, but then I change a few diapers and all of a sudden it's bed time. It's a strange thing. Last night, however, Brenda and I took the night off from childcare. My parents are in town visiting, and they kindly agreed to babysit our little man while we went out on a date. (I know we should have stayed home to write the blog entry instead, but we really wanted to eat some nachos in a movie theater. I'm sure you understand.) Our date taught us a few things. First, after over six weeks of child rearing Brenda and I still like each other. Second, our little guy was fine without us for several hours. And third, since we know he can manage well without us, we should go on more dates.

 Our little guy has been enjoying some tummy time everyday. In this picture he's laying on an adorable quilt my mom made.

Supermom Brenda taking care of our little dude while making pancakes at the same time.

Well, it's time to hit the hay. I hope you all have a great week, and we'll talk to you next Tuesday!*

(*Unless we're on another date.)

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!