You are YouTube famous!

Dear Chicken Nugget,

You mom bought me a ukulele for my birthday a year ago since I had dropped lots of hints that I wanted to try and learn to play it.  Unfortunately, I have no musical talent and your mom had no training in string instruments so it just lay under our bed for over a year. 

A few months ago she discovered a ukulele class for parents and babies.  For four weeks she took you and the uke to Brooklyn, learned some chords, and even wrote a song for you called "Santiago's song."

You became instantly intrigued by the ukulele and always wanted to play with it.  The problem was, your mom was always practicing and you were messing up the tuning of the ukulele.  So, we ordered you your very own uke.  What happened next was beyond our expectations.

We figured it would act as a decoy for when your mom was practicing.  It turned out to be your favorite toy and a source of hours of entertainment for our family.  Between you, your mom, and I (I've finally learned some chords through your mom), we traded the two ukes endlessly, each having a go at a song or two.  In fact, one day we clocked almost four hours of ukulele playing time. 

We filmed one of your performances and put it up on YouTube to share with friends and family - an instant hit!



Our level of excitement for the ukulele hasn't diminished.  On some mornings you will crawl out of your bed and head straight for the ukulele to play for almost an hour.  And, because two ukes for three people doesn't entirely add up, we went ahead and got another one.  Now each of us has a uke. 

If some day you become a famous musician or even just pretty good at playing an instrument, you really need to thank your mom for taking those ukulele classes.  It really sparked an interest in all of us that we didn't know existed.  And, it's created the musical little monster we love to hear play and sing.


Enjoy,

tu papa

a song for you

Dear Chicken Nugget,

I found myself singing a song to you yesterday as I carried you around the apartment and realized that it's something that's been stuck in my head for a few days.

The song has no title, though it's yours.  Your mom started singing it to you when you were in the belly.  She made up the lyrics and melody herself.

The chorus says something like:

Oh you're my baby boo,
And I love you.
I'm gonna love you forever,
Oh you're my baby boo,
And I love you.
I'm gonna love you forever.

At some point I'd like to record her singing it to you. 

It reminds me of a song I love by a band that no longer exists.  Shea was recorded, written, and performed by a band called Cecilia.  They were a family band made up of a mom, dad, son, two daughters and a bass player.  I met them for the first time in Washington Square Park while on a lunch break in college.  Their sound was refreshing and their lyrics were inspiring.

Cecilia the band

When I became a teacher, I would go to their gigs every Friday night, wherever they were playing.  It was my way of de-stressing after a long week.  At one of their gigs, your Uncle Bob and I ended up befriending the fiancee of the lead guitarist/son in the family.  It turns out her daughter, Shea, was the little girl they were singing about in the song.  She was a beautiful little four year old at the time and I kept thinking, how cool to have a song written about you?  It immortalizes you.



Well, when the bassist left, who, by the way, is currently engaged to my friend Cora, the band became The Veltz Family.  They played on and wrote more beautiful music but eventually went their separate ways to work on individual projects.

Your mom, our friend Javiera, and I went to see one of the daughters of the family, Allison, play in Manhattan when your mom was eight months pregnant with you.  The voice and style are still there.  The music lives on.  And, for one night, I was transported back in time.

Allison Veltz

It's been years now.  The beautiful little blond girl from the song Shea is now 12 and going to school dances and I am now a parent singing to my very own child. 

Perhaps one day, when we're feeling creative, we'll work on expanding the lyrics to your song, working on the melody, and actually turning it into a full-length song.  It probably won't even come close to what Cecilia was able to put together back in the day, but at least you'll be able to say, like Shea, that you have your own song.

Eternally yours,


Tu papa

Week 26 in the belly

Dear Chicken Nugget,

Today you've been in the belly for 26 weeks.  Your mom is growing!  And, we're feeling you move around a lot.  Apparently, in the womb, you love when your momma has sweets.  Whenever your mom has something sweet, be it chocolate or an apple, you start kicking like crazy.  Nugget, apparently you're a fan of sugar. Join the club.

We learned this week that you can probably hear my voice so I started to read to you.  I started by reading a bilingual alphabet book to the belly.  We'll be playing lots of music for you as well.  I'm hoping the music will help you develop a sense of rhythm - you are half-latino so rhythm is very important.

So, keep growing baby.  Keep kicking.  And dance away the sugar rush.

We love you,

Your papa

Dancing to Justin Timberlake

Dear Chicken Nugget,

There's a rule in our home that you will be expected to follow: whenever you hear a Justin Timberlake song you must stop what you're doing and dance! Your mom and I follow this rule religiously and will probably cause you some embarrassment.

It's not a hard rule to follow - though in your early months your mom and I may help you a little - and it's definitely fun.

I'm almost certain that Justin Timberlake will be around when you start listening to music because, simply, he's a genius. Not genius like Mozart or George Harrison, but a pop culture genius; he always seems to know what the people want. For more information you should Google his stints on Saturday Night Live, his music videos, and live performances.

As for the embarrassment that comes with stopping in the middle of something and dancing with your parents, too bad for you. Though, if you want to look cool dancing to JT you should definitely learn from me. Watch daddy. That's all I'll say about that.


Eternally yours,

Your papa