in case of emergency

Hey all! Brenda's parents flew back home on Saturday after spending a lot of quality time with Rowan. They took him for several walks, introduced him to some classical music, read to him, and made him smile a whole bunch. We were sad to see them go but are really looking forward to seeing them again next month when we're back in the U.S.

On Saturday Brenda and I went to a five and a half hour first aid class for new parents. The class covered a wide variety of topics, but it seemed to boil down to learning exactly when to call 911 (actually it's 112 in Germany). At the end of the class the teacher said something to the effect of "I hope your baby doesn't have any of the problems we discussed today." We're hoping that too.

Our little guy has been starting to sleep on his own a little more lately. The last few nights we've been able to put him to bed a few hours before we turn in, which has allowed us to enjoy a little alone time. He's also been making some sleeping progress during the day. Normally he naps in the baby wrap, on Brenda's lap, or in the stroller, but yesterday Brenda got him to sleep on his own. It was an exciting development because it meant that we could get other things done like take a shower or write a few emails. I don't want to get my hopes up too high, but I may even get to clean the bathroom one of these days.

It's time to call it a night. I hope you all have a great week, and we'll talk to you next Tuesday!

sunshine and strollers

Hey all! 'Tis I, the loving wife and mother! Rowan unexpectedly fell asleep in my arms tonight, so I'm typing this one-handed. I view it as a good way to work on my patience, which I hear parents need a lot of. 

This past week has been full of more grandparent fun, as my own parents arrived in Frankfurt last Wednesday. I think they've been enjoying seeing the changes in Rowan since their last visit. He is much more alert and loves to smile at their silly antics! They've even taken him out for some solo stroller walks to enjoy the beautiful weather we've been having. Of course, Rowan isn't the only one benefitting from the grandparents being in town. We've been enjoying some of their delicious cooking, and in true grandparent fashion, they agreed to babysit so that Chad and I could go on a date and prove to ourselves that we still like each other. Well, when I say they agreed to babysit, I actually mean they practically kicked us out of the apartment so they could have Rowan all to themselves. :-) He's got them wrapped around his little finger! I can't blame them - we're all smitten! 

Another fun part of this past week is that a family friend of ours came up from Bavaria to visit us with her boyfriend. We realized on this trip that we met her almost 17 years ago, when she stayed with us during a foreign exchange trip. It's been a joy to stay in touch all these years, and we were so happy to meet her boyfriend (especially since he brought an enormous bottle of beer from their local brewery!). Rowan seemed to like them a lot too, and was so well-behaved that we all got to enjoy lunch out at a restaurant! 

That's about it for now! My parents are here until Saturday, and then they'll have to wait to see Rowan again until this summer when we come to visit. We can't wait! Have a great week!

trial and error parenting

Hey all! It's been another quiet week here in Frankfurt filled with lots of dirty diapers and repeated attempts to make our little guy smile. (By the way, those two things aren't mutually exclusive - dirtying his diaper often makes him smile. And us too for that matter.) We realized the other day that we've established a routine for il bambino which, according to parenting experts, is important. We don't put too much stock into parenting advice, however. We figure our first child can be our guinea pig for this whole parenting thing, and then we'll really know how to do it in case we decide to have a second child.

We had our second appointment with our pediatrician yesterday (or fourth if you count the two that happened at the hospital in the days immediately following the birth), and our poor little guy got his first vaccinations. He got two shots - one in each leg at the same time - and he wasn't happy about it, but he got over it pretty quickly. The vaccinations were for eight or nine different things, some of which I'd never heard of and am pretty sure I never got. Our little man was also weighed and measured, and he's a good sized kid. Especially his head, which is pretty big for his age. (I wonder who he got that from.) We go back next month for round two of the vaccinations.

Last week Brenda and I were out and about one morning and she decided to take our little guy to the opera house. He got to meet a whole bunch of Brenda's colleagues and sit in on a musical rehearsal of Carmen. He seemed to like it, although he started to sing along at one point so Brenda had to take him out of the theater. We're still working on his opera etiquette.

We've been having quite a bit of rain lately, at least by Frankfurt standards, which has me thinking that it's April and not almost June. There has also been a lot of thunder and lightning, which we really haven't experienced much here. We like it, though. It reminds us of home.

We're really excited to spend the next week with Brenda's parents. I'm sure they'll be great at getting smiles out of our little guy. I hope you all have a great week, and we'll talk to you next Tuesday!

will work for smiles

Hey all! It's been quiet around here this past week, figuratively speaking of course. Full-throated crying has become a part of our daily routine since our little guy arrived. (He's usually the one crying.) We're getting to know his personality more every day and figuring out how best to keep him in a good mood. And when the mood is right, we are rewarded with a whole lot of adorable smiles.

I enjoyed a little one-on-one time with our Bub this past week while Brenda went to the opera house to practice. It was her first time singing in three months, which is a long time for her. In fact, she has never gone that long without singing before. Apparently her voice didn't feel exactly the same as when she last used it, but that's to be expected. I'm sure she'll feel like her normal virtuosic self in no time.

We're really looking forward to Brenda's parents coming to visit again next week. Our little dude has certainly grown since they saw him in April. It's surprising to look at pictures of him from that time. He's changed so much already, and it's not just his appearance. He's been sleeping a little longer at night, which we're certainly happy about (especially Brenda since she does all of the feedings in the middle of the night).

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

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.)