Baby Worries

The surprising news is that I'm pregnant--but the bad news is that I can't get my hopes up yet...

Last Wednesday I got a test to ensure I was not pregnant before going to see the doctor for ovarian pain and a late period. Much to my surprise, it was positive. I couldn't believe it. I mean, I didn't feel pregnant. Not like the last time. I don't feel sick, I don't feel anything--except cramping and exhaustion.

The doctor told me to go to the emergency room to get an ultrasound b/c the clinic doesn't have one, so I did. Eight hours later, we had a negative urine test, a positive blood test, and an ultrasound that showed nothing out of the ordinary. Just a 4mm speck where the baby might be. They could not rule out an ectopic pregnancy, but I felt fine, so we went home.

Over the weekend, I adjusted mentally to the idea of having another one. Well, another baby isn't what I was having to come to terms with; it was going through pregnancy again, so soon. (Well, not that soon.) I was finally adjusted when the clinic called today and said they got the info from the hospital and that the doctor is concerned because my hCG levels are too low for what they should be (should have been closer to 2000, but they were at 81). Tomorrow I will give another blood sample, to be sent to the big hospital in Bethesda. Then I'll have to give another one the next day. After they get the write-ups, we'll know if it's truly going to turn out to be a baby or if we're going to lose it.

Just thinking that makes me cry.

I shouldn't be so upset. I mean, it hasn't been a reality for even a week yet, and one of my friends lost hers at 14 weeks, which had to have been more traumatic that this could be. But it's still sad and scary.

Spring Blossoms and Passing Out

Isn't the onset of Spring one of the most treasured moments in life?


It took hours of trying, but she finally took a nap.

And that's it for today...I'm exhausted.

Chapter One!

Elizabeth and my childhood doll, Molly:


I left Elizabeth at the Kid's Day Out center at 9:45 this morning (a bit later than usual) and went to the local coffee shop. After two teas, half a sandwich, a cup of mushroom and brie soup, and a small bag of chips, I had written the first chapter (and then some) of my new book. :-) Woohoo! Now I've got just enough time to tidy up around the house before I go pick her up.

Now, I'm totally psyched to share it with my trusted writing friends from San Diego--my old critique group. (Not that there's a new critique group. That'd be disloyal!)

By the way, in case you're wondering why I rarely post pics of myself, it's because I don't photograph all too well. She's a lot cuter to look at, too!

What We've Been Doing

First, Elizabeth and I had a splendid breakfast of Earl Grey and freshly-made scones while reading a book.
Then, after getting home from the gym to work off said scones, we read a bit of Chaucer.
Finally, to round out the afternoon, I worked on my book while Elizabeth spooned with her baby doll and Olivia.
After she wakes up, we're going to take advantage of the mild weather (it's a warm 64 degrees out today--yesterday was 35) and meet up with her best friend, Libby, at the playground.

An interesting website I encountered while researching Arabs in 1000 BCE: FaithFreedom.

Finally Getting Started!

Art plays a central role in my next novel, and since it's set in the eastern mediterranean in 1000 BCE, I've been doing some research. Aren't these beautiful?

This is a Cypriot tripod from the late bronze age (13th-12th century BCE):


This is a neo-Assyrian plaque in the Egyptian style from the 9th-8th century BCE:


Another neo-Assyrian plague from the same period, but in the Phoenician style:


And a Cypriot sculpture from the 14th-12th century BCE:


Research is one of the best parts of writing a book, I think. It's obviously important in historical novels, but I'd do research even if the novel was set on Antares in the year 2307. The more I research, the more ideas I get and the richer they become. There is so much information out there, and it's so easy to get to these days. These pictures come from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which I'd love to visit one day. (Yes, I dream often of going to New York. Recently, it's been centered on visiting the Scholastic building.) Here are pictures, taken by Lisa Yee, of the building I just mentioned.

The more time goes by, the more anxious I get about my last book. Is it good enough? Is it worthy? Did I send it out before it was really ready? Have they read it yet? The worries and questions go on and on, especially as I drift off to sleep. (Or try to sleep.) To be honest, I'm afraid to pick up Rohana and read through it--what if I spot a million errors or a way to fix something?

Speaking of which, I finished reading Elizabeth C. Bunce's book, A Curse Dark as Gold. I read it in almost one whole day because I could not put it down. It scares me that this woman can write so well (it particularly scares me because I've sent my little book in to the same imprint and editors). Anyway, I urge everyone to rush out and get it, and then devote a day or two to absorbing it. It's fantastic...the best book I've read in months.

Now, off to take a bath and read a book I've had to renew at the library: Our Only May Amelia.

Artist in Training (Pants)

First, a photo of my little scribbler:

Lately, it's all she wants to do, and I'm totally encouraging her. (As long as she uses washable crayons on the walls.)

And here is one of her efforts at artistic photography:

She says it's called "Mommy's Knee."

As for me...I'm still brainstorming my next book. I get both a hundred ideas and a hundred doubts each day. Soon, I'm going to have to make up my mind and get to work!

Green Tea Caffeine

Well, no more of that after dinner! I can't sleep, so I'm doing some research, which leads me next to what I really meant to say in this post: green tea ignites my muse. It does, honestly. For the past week, I've hemmed and hawed over what to write. The math geniuses story was growing dull in my mind each day as I pondered what kind of writer I am. Do I have a particular style? Should I be writing a particular type of novel? The jump from nineteenth-century polynesian genocide to modern-day math geeks was too big, so I'm going backwards even further in time now.

How about an ancient tale? No, not your average Brothers Grimm retelling, but a story drawn from the wells of Africa.

Yes, I'm thinking...a love story, a mix of cultures, and a bit of agony in the birthplace of humanity--Ethiopia.

I feel like this is one I can really write. Math? What was I thinking? ;-)