Research

I ordered a few books last week, and I can't wait until they come! I've been having a difficult time getting into my story lately, and although reading Susan Fletcher's Alphabet of Dreams reawakened a bit of it, it also made me realize I have so much more to learn before I can jot down anymore.




I also ordered a book entitled Caravan Kingdoms, but I can't find an image for the cover. It'll have to wait until it gets here!

Eventually, I want to chum up with a prestigious professor or academic who knows all about Yemen in 1000B.C.

Ultrasound

Jim has been teasing me lately, saying I might be having twins. I'm happy (or rather, relieved) to report that on the screen today we only saw one baby. Having twins would be exciting, but a singleton is more manageable when you've already got one kiddo!
One of the good things about the ultrasound was that it dated the age of the embryo/fetus for us, since the timing has all been iffy. We're at 8 weeks, and now the due date is November 19th.

Elizabeth saw the baby on the screen, but she was more worried about what was happening to Mommy, I think. She has not concept whatsoever, which is just fine. It'll be a big surprise for her in seven months!

Oh, I have some great news! One of my writer friends from my critique group just achieved the status of "Agented Writer." We are all so thrilled for her. :-) Not only did she finally get an agent, but he seems very professional, knowledgeable, and excited with her book. He only had a few minor fixes for her to do and has already sent it out to five editors! Now, I've been telling her that the book was YA, and now that her agent has agreed, she's joined SCBWI. Finally! And even better...he sent her manuscript to the same editor I sent mine to! Now, how cool would it be if we both got contracts with the same editor? I've got my fingers crossed for her. (And me!)

And to top it all off, we're going to be roomies at the L.A. conference in August! :-)

As for my sent-off manuscript, I have reservations. I know they've read it, but I don't know what they think of it yet. And I probably won't know for weeks! The editor is extremely busy this month with a conference in Washington, and he just went to the book fair in Bologna, so he hasn't had time to do his normal editing job...which means everything is probably piling up. I sure don't envy him his work load! I just have to be patient and dig into this new book I'm writing.

In fact, I need to look up some professors. I need in-depth knowledge on the Queen of Sheba/Saba. Badly. And, like, how good were their ships at the time? And what did they eat? And what was her journey to Jerusalem like?

Out of the Loop

The past week I've been mostly trying to keep my head above water. My parents were in town, fortunately, or I would have drowned in laundry, dishes, and Elizabeth-entertaining. But alas, they are now back in Denver and I am left to fend for myself while Jim's at work.

I believe that if she does not take a nap today I will die. Or at least pass out. I am that tired.

This week, I'm looking forward to my first OB appointment (Thursday) with a possible ultrasound to check on the baby's status. No miscarriage so far, and the numbers have improved, so the doctors are satisfied.

Oh, lovely, Elizabeth just drew on the sliding glass door with her crayons...be back later, maybe.

Between the Lions

Nearly every morning, we watch PBS Kids, and in particular, we watch Between the Lions. Although Elizabeth can't even say her alphabet yet, she likes this show about reading. I like it for its sense of humor. For example:


I wanted to post a clip from one of their shows that would be perfect for copyediting, but it wasn't on YouTube. Yet.

Have a good day! We're cleaning house and taking a break before my parents come to visit.

Writing Chapter Two

The essence of this chapter...

Really, I've got to get my hands on some myrrh. It would totally help me get into the mood. I haven't burned any myrrh since I lived in Bahrain, and that's been eons.

Today I got to drop Elizabeth off at the church again. Last week, when I most needed a break, they didn't have "Kids' Day Out,"so I had to manage for myself. (Her gymnastics class was also cancelled, and so we were both left with too much time together and not enough to do.)

What do moms do when they get a break? I initially went to the new tea cafe, but it wasn't open yet, so I went to Target and walked around. In the clothing section, I ran into another mom whose daughter is in the same class as Elizabeth, and we laughed. Then I perused the shoes, almost bought a pair of clear-glitter jelly ballet flats (um, shoes), and then walked through the kids' clothing. In the end, I bought a new toothbrush for Elizabeth and some Goldfish crackers (I was getting nauseous and needed something to munch on). I did glance at the maternity clothes, but got mixed feeling when I did so. One, I've got a box of maternity clothes packed away from the last time, and two, I don't know yet if/when I'll need to wear them.

As for my pregnancy, I have a feeling that if something was going to go wrong in the first trimester, it would have already. I gave another blood test today to check my hCG count. When that comes back, and if it's good, then I'll be able to finally see an OB (pregnancy doctor). Within a week or so, I should get another ultrasound just to check on everything. They'll be looking for a heartbeat or at least trying to see something there.

There, now that I've written out my life and probably did not amuse anyone, I've got to do my real writing--chapter two!

Yellow Light

Essentially, there is no bad news. But the doctor also told me not to get my hopes up. (Isn't that nice?)

My hCG has gone up, but nothing matches the charts, so I've dumbfounded them.

Good news: I had the best-ever ice cream tonight--key lime pie, complete with bits of graham cracker crust swirled in.

Tomorrow

We should know by tomorrow if I'm keeping the baby or not. I was supposed to find out this afternoon, but no one from the clinic gave me a call. Funny thing is...I'm too tired to worry about it much. My house is a mess, but I'm just going to crawl in bed and let it take care of itself.

I wish brownies were real. (And I don't mean the dessert.)