Highs and Lows of Last Week

From the 17th to the 22nd, there were some major highs and lows in the Bittnerverse.

On the 17th, we brought Brielle back home from a visit to NJ (sorry, friends--we had no time to visit; besides which, Kat and I were both mildly sick with colds). We checked in with a neighbor couple who also have a newborn daughter--we were working on doing a nanny-share with them--only to find that they were pulling out. They had made alternate arrangements. That left us without any help for Brielle... and we were going back to work the next day.

Not a good time at all. We patched together babysitters for the week (including the couple who'd backed out on us), but were in a jam: we literally had no plan to get us past the 25th (Memorial Day). So we started thinking and came up with some possibilities. We contacted one, a friend of ours, and it turned out she was willing to watch Brielle into the summer.

That was a huge relief.

On Tuesday, we had the news we'd been waiting for: there was a spot for Brielle in the day care in my building as of June 1.

Enormous relief.

We met with the day care staff on the 21st and realized (happily) we were all on the same page. I've started bringing supplies to put away for Brielle and she begins "transition week" this Monday.

It's really scary not knowing what you can or will do with your daughter. Interviewing strangers, looking for babysitters or in-home day care and having no idea what these people are like... it can be bad. Lucky for us we had a friend who could bridge us over this week or so, and that an angel for Brielle came through (her name's Agnes) and worked her magic to get Brielle into day care.

This is not the hardest or worst challenge we'll face as parents but it is a challenge. Now we just have to see about getting Brielle settled into a whole new environment...

I'll let you know how it goes.

Yeah, I Know

Hey there!
Boy, time flies. I was on paternity leave for five weeks (just getting back to work as of yesterday) and y'know, I haven't blogged in ages.
Anyway, it's been in the service of a good cause: my daughter Brielle is doing very well and growing like a weed. She's in NJ with the grandparents for the week, which is not much fun, but we'll be off to see her Thursday night.
As for my comics reviews, I'll start afresh this week. Probably not much point in recapping the past six weeks or so... but send in comments if there's anything you want to talk about and I'll be glad to post some opinions.
all best and thanks for reading!
Drew

About a Month Later, And...

More pictures of Brielle!

Brielle Grace Bittner, b. 2/17/09

My daughter was born yesterday afternoon. She's 7 lbs., 6 oz. (UPDATED: today she weighed in at 6 lbs. 9 oz., so she's lost a lot of weight) and 20-1/2 inches long, with lots of dark hair and brown eyes (like her mom).

Right now, she is practicing baby basics like stretching, yawning, crying and thrashing her limbs; her mom and I are practicing parent basics like hoping we can actually raise a child.

Last night turned out okay-- she was awake for a bit but she slept on top of me from 2am to 5am, while Kat caught some shut-eye. Tonight she's already been sleeping well, so it's possible she'll be up all night long. Ah well.

And as you can see, pictures... are here!

Baby Update

Brielle Grace is doing well. Kat had an exam yesterday and the baby was described as "energetic" (IIRC), which is very good news. She's 32 weeks along and we're both eager to meet the new girl.

It's a Girl! (Or... it will be)

Kat and I had her third (and probably final) sonogram yesterday.
In late February or early March, we look forward to welcoming Brielle Grace Bittner into our family.
(Don't be alarmed, by the way--this first pic is our daughter yawning. She is NOT recreating Munch's "The Scream"! :) )