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!

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"! :) )

Robert E. Bittner, 1927-1988

My dad passed away 20 years ago today.
He fell ill in December 1987 and began to lose weight rapidly, but his doctor consistently misdiagnosed what was wrong-- until it was much too late.
Dad had colon cancer that went to his liver.
By the time they found that out, it was impossible to do much more than give him some drug treatment and hope for the best.
He died on April 27, 1988.
One of the most painful experiences in my life was getting a call from my mom asking me to hurry to Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank. I was in Neptune, working for the Asbury Park Press, at the time. It didn't take long for me to log out, sprint to the parking lot and hit 70 heading north.
I got there about five minutes too late.
Mom and Rob were with Dad when he died; Beth arrived a few minutes after I did.
It is excruciating to lose a parent, because you lose all the time you might have had going forward.
Dad never:

• saw his daughter get married;
• held any of his grandchildren;
• met my wife;
• went to foreign countries with my mom (who did just that on her own, for several years);
• got to enjoy retirement;
• knew things would be so different without him.

He was a remarkable man. A lifelong musician (he played trumpet and loved jazz), Dad was:

• a teacher,
• a World War II US Navy veteran (served in the Pacific on a destroyer-tender),
• an expert wood carver (he made me models of the B9 robot from LOST IN SPACE, the Starship Enterprise and more, all out of wood),
• a master landscaper,
• a draftsman (he loved to design prospective retirement homes),
• a writer (he had a fine way with words) and much more.

I could write about Dad for hours, but will leave off here.
I love you, Dad, and I miss you.

Updates!

Hey everyone!
Seems like I've been offline awhile but I've been plenty busy... and there are posts to come explaning all of it, believe me.
First, a short update: I'm fine. The kidney stone issue appears to have been resolved (for now), though I'd like my doctor to confirm that. I'm drinking more water and trying to cut down on caffeine and dairy, both of which are not good for that particular affliction.
Second, had a fantastic time seeing my aunt and uncle out in Colorado last Thursday. We don't get to visit nearly often enough, and I even learned a good deal about my dad's early years-- stuff I'd never heard before. Gonna have to post about that.
Third, the kittens have gotten BIG! Kat and I need to post new pictures. Chrissy is still skinny, Janet is still a tank, but they're full-sized now and I probably shouldn't call them kittens any more.
Last, still working on my novel. Sherin and I are committed to a six-month program to get our first novels done, which is eminently doable. We just need to stick to it.
Hope all's great! So comment and let me hear how you're doing!

In Memoriam: Dan Fogelberg

Dan Fogelberg, a folk-rock singer with hits like "Leader of the Band" and "Same Old Lang Syne," died of prostate cancer at his home in Maine earlier today. He was 56.

I can't listen to "Leader of the Band" without tearing up a little. Like Fogelberg's, my dad was a musician who went to war (Dad was in the Navy in WWII) and poured his heart and soul into his music. He gave us (Mom, Rob, Beth and me) all the love he had, too, but music was his first love. He played trumpet for most of his 62 years on this planet, earning a Masters from LSU (where he met my mom) and working for most of my growing-up years for the American Federation of Musicians.

He would have been 82 this February.

Fogelberg's song gives me a way to grieve for my dad, and for that, I can't thank him enough. With the coming of the holidays, hearing his bittersweet love song "Same Old Lang Syne" will be just a little more poignant this year.

RIP, Dan.

Kat Home Sick (and Homesick) Today

My wife woke up yesterday with a scratchy throat, but went to work anyway.
Not today.
She's stayed home with the kittens, tending to what could blossom into a nasty cold or sore throat (which I think is prudent and helps her office more than slogging ahead).
She's also feeling kind of down about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. This is the first time she'll be away from family and it's hard on her.
We're going to shop for and make Thanksgiving dinner together-- we have a rough menu plotted out and are heading to Whole Foods soon-- and hope it'll be a nice occasion for the both of us.
Still... I think we'll be setting up our webcam so we can Skype our families and friends. It'd be nice to see them, if we can't be there with them.
What are you doing for the holidays?

Busy November

Wow, just looking at the calendar, it's clear Kat and I are heavily booked this month.
We had-or-have:

• World Fantasy Convention the first weekend of the month;
• WSFA meeting Friday night;
• a few reviews due for SFRevu, including the Marc Guggenheim interview we did a couple months ago;
• probably going to see Taming of the Shrew this week;
• Thanksgiving (still no plans set, may end up staying home for this one);
• going to see Avenue Q on the 29th;
• and figuring out Christmas plans.

whew- I'm tired just reading that list.

One thing I'm hoping is that we won't be renting a car this month. Gas prices are insane.

What are you readers doing this month? November is *supposed* to be quiet here in DC but... not so far! Write and let me know!

Some Upcoming Stuff

Kat and I are heading off to the World Fantasy Convention the first weekend in November. Should be a good chance to meet some writers and editors. I'm shooting to have a couple chapters of two or three books in progress to take with me, but think trying to complete a novel between now and then just won't happen. At the least, it wouldn't be something I'd feel comfortable about showing.
So I'll get a couple things in the works and see which one hits the finish line first.
Also thinking about the holidays already-- Mom might come up from Mississippi, which we're all hoping she'll do, and we might do like we did a few years ago and find a place for a big family gathering for Christmas. Sure would be fun if we did.
And of course there's the Bruce concert on the 11th of November. Cannot wait.
later! Drew

More Pictures: Beth's birthday party

Another set of pix...

Beth had her 40th birthday party last month (she held it a few days before MY birthday and hasn't even sent me a present, though I sent her a bunch of stuff AND drove from DC to NJ for the party!). UPDATE: she called to thank me and left a voicemail on our house phone (which we sadly do not check very often-- best bet: call the cell!) See the above post; man, I guess I do sound angry! Sorry, Beth!!

Anyway.

Here are some shots of her birthday party. I'm the fat guy in the green T-shirt, if you didn't know.





To give a little context, it's Beth and Rob (my sister and brother) up top, then a shot of the volleyball net, then Kat and my in-laws, then Rob, me, Pop and Beth, then Glenn (not sure why he was barbecuing sideways that day), then Jeff Freeman (Class of '82!) and Rob.

Great day all around.

Pushing Daisies-- another plug!

Hey everyone!
Just a reminder: keep an eye out for Pushing Daisies. Kat and I have told EVERYONE in DC about the show, which we hope will boost ratings by word of mouth into the stratosphere. Loved the show, hope it lasts for many years.
Not much going on right now, but we're off to NJ this weekend for Beth's birthday party. (She's having her birthday the week of MY birthday... go figure.)
Anyway, take care of yourselves and stay cool!

Look at our Pushing Daisies panel photos here; Kat took some nice shots!

What's Goin' On?

Hey everyone,
It's been a great week in many ways. The Bugle's Planet Daily blog launched last week and has been doing very well-- I've got tons of posts in our inventory, which means readers will be eyeballing my stuff for the next few weeks unless our contributors start cranking.

Saw "Knocked Up" with Kat yesterday, then wandered the streets of Old Town Alexandria, mostly thinking about having kids and being a parent. It's in the cards, just a matter of when, not if. The movie's good but goes to places that left me thinking "okay, a little TOO far..." Worth seeing but not necessarily owning, if you know what I mean.

Kat and I are going to visit my mom in Gulfport in a couple of weeks, which will be terrific. Last time I was there was just after Katrina and it was heartbreaking-- imagine your old hometown torn to pieces and a lot of your familiar childhood touchstones gone. Supposedly there's rebuilding going on but it'll never be like it was. But Kat will get to see the place and Mom's very excited. Should be a great visit.

Kat's also going to Philly this week to spend her brother's 21st birthday with him and her cousins. Those wacky kids. I know they'll have a fun time together. Meanwhile, I'll be at home writing.

Check out the BPD, love the one you're with and have a great week!