I'm Back and I'm In Love :)

To contact us Click HERE
Yep, you heard me right. I'm back (temporarily, anyway) and IN LOVE!!

With this little guy:

This photo was taken about an hour after he was born, and though he doesn't quite look like that anymore, this is still one of my favorite photos of my baby boy. It reminds me of our very first meeting: those pinch-worthy plump cheeks, swollen eyes smeared with antibiotic ointment, and his messy black hair standing up in clumps and spikes. Gorgeousness! Despite being a little over 9 pounds (9 freaking pounds!!!), the delivery went well and was actually the easiest one yet. Imagine that.

The labor part, on the other hand, was an entirely different story. One that involved a dangerously high fever (mine), and a horrendous bacterial infection (still mine) that threatened my sweet little boy's health. Thanks to the excellent care of the doctors and nurses and the NICU team, we were able to weather the infection and go home after a couple of days at the hospital.

Sooooo...that's where I've been lately. Navigating the unpredictable waters of motherhood once again. I swear the longest uninterrupted sleep I've ever had was a whole hour. But I'm still in love, and I'm guessing will be in love forever. My kids--all three of them--bring so much wonder and love and joy to me. Every time I look at them I feel overwhelmingly grateful. I know I'm gushy and probably extra so because of the hormones, but it's true. *grabs Kleenex tissues*

Anyway, I'll probably continue to be sporadic with the blog. Thank you so much to all of you for your support and friendship and camaraderie. <3

Before I forget, a blogger friend interviewed me a few weeks ago and the post actually went live yesterday but I was walking around like a zombie I didn't get to it. So here's the link, if you care to read about my writerly odyssey:

Amy Trueblood's Chasing the Crazies Blog
Thanks for the spotlight, Amy! :)
Have a lovely rest of the week, everyone! I'm off to cuddle my little guy... :D

Children's Health Insurance Toolkit

To contact us Click HERE
Children's Health Insurance: Tools to Advance Enrollment and Retention Efforts is a tool developed by Insure Kids Now to assist organizations in increasing awareness and understanding of children's health insurance programs.

It was also designed to assist organizations in encouraging eligible parents and guardians to apply for coverage on behalf of their uninsured children. The toolkit includes how-to information, as well as customizable materials. The kit will be updated and expanded as successful strategies and practices emerge.

This tool is available at http://www.insurekidsnow.gov/professionals/toolkit/toolkit.html.


Nurse Donna

Happy Mother's Day

To contact us Click HERE
It is Mother's Day and I woke to wonderful gifts from my daughters, a book and a beautiful mobile of ribbon, Shrink Art, beads and fabric flower petals. The gift of creativity is very much intact. My best gift is the progress we've made in our fights against Lyme.

Lyme disease is tough. The fatigue, joint pain, headaches, cognitive and neurological challenges wear you down. For a mother with Lyme, the challenge can be especially emotional if you're not able to do all you would like. From reading to playing, cleaning to cooking dinner, all have taken a hit at one time or another; most daily. And for those of us who have passed this disease unknowingly to our children in utero, it can be especially heart wrenching as we watch our children face the challenges of this disease on their own. From their tenuous beginnings as preemies, to their own daily physical, cognitive and emotional challenges, it breaks our hearts. I know. Both of our daughters have been fighting this disease since before they were born. It is all they've ever known.

A doctor once said, "We would never wish something like this on a child, but kids that endure grow to be pretty special adults."

We have seen this in our daughters' perseverance, compassion and zest for life. Just last week, our youngest strapped on her roller blades and helmet, grabbed a bag of dog treats and our Border Collie's harness, tossed a treat down the hall and held on for the ride of her life! As we rescued the dog, we applauded her tenacity, her love of life.

And so today, we celebrate all of the amazing women who have touched our lives and the lives of our children. Our inspirations each and every day! Wishing you much love and joy this Mother's Day!

What Does It Mean When My Dog's Nose Is Chapped

To contact us Click HERE
Rise Against - Endgame (2011)


Endgame is the sixth studio work training Rise Against . An album that has re-recorded in the studies The Blasting Room with two of the most famous and respected producers of the punk rock scene: Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore . Stevenson, and a member of Descendents or Black Flag, has produced such important bands in the world of punk rock as All , Lagwagon, Good Riddance , Propagandhi, NOFX and so on , while Livermore has found his expertise as a sound engineer on albums like Everything Sucks Descendents ; Let's Talk About Feelings Lagwagon ; or Operation Phoenix Good Riddance. Viewing Stevenson and Livermore history is not surprising that their relationship with Rise Against spread since 2003 came into Revolutions Per Minute . Subsequently, in Chicago have returned to work with the duo both The Surffered & The Witness [2006], Appel to Reason [2008] and in this Endgame. With Endgame, Rise Against certify that the band are more fit inside panorama punk rock / melodic hardcore today. In recent years there have been many bands of this genre that have taken over the wall that separates them from the public. As a good example of this growing popularity cite his recent visits to Spain have resulted in 'sold-out'. And listening to Rise Against discs you understand perfectly how they have achieved a significant popularity both inside and outside the punk rock scene. They have done the same values \u200b\u200bthat were large for some groups during the 90's. Ie incontestable billing records where the power does not decrease despite being polished, molded, with excellent melodies. formation Chicago mix perfectly authentic lashes of punk rock, as Architects "," Help Is On The Way "," Survivor Guilt "" A Gentlemen's Coup "," Satellite "or the work's title, with others where without losing their aggressiveness, exploit their most melodic. As the voices of children " Make It Stop "Choirs that are omnipresent in all his compositions; occasional ballad like" Wait for Me "or the great variety of records vocalist James McLlrath .

---

Rating: 7.5 / 10

---

Text: Carlos AS Group: Rise Against
Title: Endgame
Label: DGC Records / Interescope
Publication Date: March 11, 2011 Hometown
. Chicago, USA.
More information: Web / MySpace / Facebook / Twitter Listen 'End Game ' Rise Against in Spotify Listing of songs: 01. Architects
02. Help Is on the Way
03. Make It Stop (September's Children)
04. Disparity by Design
05. Satellite
06. Hands
Midnight 07. Survivor Guilt
08. Broken Mirrors
09. Wait for Me
10. A Gentlemen's Coup
11. This Is Letting Go
12. Endgame


Musicopolis - Rise Agains "Endgame"

Fifth's Disease

To contact us Click HERE
Early early on Sunday morning Parker woke up complaining of his tummy hurting. I took him to the bathroom and before I knew it, he was throwing up. My poor sweetie pie looked miserable and felt warm. So, we cleaned him up, gave him some tylenol and rocked in the recliner until he drifted back to sleep. He slept for several hours and was still warm and very tired the rest of the day. On Monday, he still had a fever and pretty much didn't move off the couch except to nap. And he wanted no part in food. This was totally not like our wild crazy boy. Even though his fever broke sometime between Monday night and Tuesday morning, we kept him home from preschool.

On Tuesday we noticed that his cheeks were remaining a rosy color, almost as if the were chapped. He still slept and/or lounged all day. By later afternoon his rosy cheeks turned bright red, as if they were burned. I put in a call to his pediatrician and scheduled an appointment for the next morning.

Our sweetie pie was still the most calm I had ever seen him on Wednesday morning, opting to cuddle and sleep the morning away. I goggled "bright red cheeks" and Fifth's Disease came up in the search results. It certainly fit his symptoms. So we headed on it to the doctor and it looks like goggle was right. It was Fifth's Disease alright. Fifth's Disease is a virus that can start with a fever and have symptoms of a cold. It then gives you bright red rash cheeks and the rash can spread to your arms and chest presenting as a lacy type of rash.

We kept Parker home for the rest of the week and he slowly gained his strength back. By Saturday, our wild and crazy kid was back. He still has a pink rash on his cheeks, but it looks a hundred times better than before.

Simple Eye Retina Scan-Multiple Sclerosis

To contact us Click HERE

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a scan that procedures the thickness of the lining at the back of the eye of retina. It takes some a few minutes per eye and can be perform in a doctor's surgery. In a testing involving 164 people with MS, persons with thinning of their retina had previous and more active MS.

The team of researchers since the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine says larger trials with a long track up are needed to judge how practical the test might be in everyday practice. The newest study tracked the patients' sickness progression over 2 year period. Multiple sclerosis is an illness that affects the anxiety in the brain and spinal cord causing problems with muscle association, balance and vision.

There are different types of MS most people with the situation have the relapsing remit type where the symptoms approach and go over days, weeks or months. Brain scans can expose inflammation and scarring, but it is not obvious how early these changes might arise in the disease and whether they exactly reflect ongoing damage. Scientists have been looking for extra ways to track MS, and believe OCT may be a contender. OCT events the thickness of nerve fibers housed in the eye retina at the back of the human eyes. 

Children's Health Insurance Toolkit

To contact us Click HERE
Children's Health Insurance: Tools to Advance Enrollment and Retention Efforts is a tool developed by Insure Kids Now to assist organizations in increasing awareness and understanding of children's health insurance programs.

It was also designed to assist organizations in encouraging eligible parents and guardians to apply for coverage on behalf of their uninsured children. The toolkit includes how-to information, as well as customizable materials. The kit will be updated and expanded as successful strategies and practices emerge.

This tool is available at http://www.insurekidsnow.gov/professionals/toolkit/toolkit.html.


Nurse Donna

Happy Mother's Day

To contact us Click HERE
It is Mother's Day and I woke to wonderful gifts from my daughters, a book and a beautiful mobile of ribbon, Shrink Art, beads and fabric flower petals. The gift of creativity is very much intact. My best gift is the progress we've made in our fights against Lyme.

Lyme disease is tough. The fatigue, joint pain, headaches, cognitive and neurological challenges wear you down. For a mother with Lyme, the challenge can be especially emotional if you're not able to do all you would like. From reading to playing, cleaning to cooking dinner, all have taken a hit at one time or another; most daily. And for those of us who have passed this disease unknowingly to our children in utero, it can be especially heart wrenching as we watch our children face the challenges of this disease on their own. From their tenuous beginnings as preemies, to their own daily physical, cognitive and emotional challenges, it breaks our hearts. I know. Both of our daughters have been fighting this disease since before they were born. It is all they've ever known.

A doctor once said, "We would never wish something like this on a child, but kids that endure grow to be pretty special adults."

We have seen this in our daughters' perseverance, compassion and zest for life. Just last week, our youngest strapped on her roller blades and helmet, grabbed a bag of dog treats and our Border Collie's harness, tossed a treat down the hall and held on for the ride of her life! As we rescued the dog, we applauded her tenacity, her love of life.

And so today, we celebrate all of the amazing women who have touched our lives and the lives of our children. Our inspirations each and every day! Wishing you much love and joy this Mother's Day!

Mel Smith And Angela Pitts

To contact us Click HERE
One hundred voices of the devil, Bloguzz

With RHM and a new book has been installed on my shelf. I teach, but soon bring the review, The Devil hundred voices of Vivanco Ana Cabrera.


I like flowers and hence the cover of the novel attracts me. The story that says "Face" looks good. The truth is that he believed would have more pages but does not reach the three hundred pages. I leave you with your synopsis and the book trailer. @ Eater s! Greetings
" was a man without end, one of those who kill you like in bed, they leave without saying goodbye and leave a dead but grateful for life.
The unstoppable love and brimming with Caribbean Villa Jacinto sow poison a trail of forbidden passions, from which comes a young man whose destination is inevitably marked by tragedy. In a town where the air smells of orchids, the lies get twisted like vines and love grows in espeinas of roses, one day the temptation and guilt threaten to take their toll on its inhabitants.
A sweeping and sensual story that involves the reader in a whirlwind of passions and secrets, and Vivanco Ana Cabrera with a magnificent voice narrates itself as audacious as captivating. "

What Does It Mean When My Dog's Nose Is Chapped

To contact us Click HERE
Rise Against - Endgame (2011)


Endgame is the sixth studio work training Rise Against . An album that has re-recorded in the studies The Blasting Room with two of the most famous and respected producers of the punk rock scene: Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore . Stevenson, and a member of Descendents or Black Flag, has produced such important bands in the world of punk rock as All , Lagwagon, Good Riddance , Propagandhi, NOFX and so on , while Livermore has found his expertise as a sound engineer on albums like Everything Sucks Descendents ; Let's Talk About Feelings Lagwagon ; or Operation Phoenix Good Riddance. Viewing Stevenson and Livermore history is not surprising that their relationship with Rise Against spread since 2003 came into Revolutions Per Minute . Subsequently, in Chicago have returned to work with the duo both The Surffered & The Witness [2006], Appel to Reason [2008] and in this Endgame. With Endgame, Rise Against certify that the band are more fit inside panorama punk rock / melodic hardcore today. In recent years there have been many bands of this genre that have taken over the wall that separates them from the public. As a good example of this growing popularity cite his recent visits to Spain have resulted in 'sold-out'. And listening to Rise Against discs you understand perfectly how they have achieved a significant popularity both inside and outside the punk rock scene. They have done the same values \u200b\u200bthat were large for some groups during the 90's. Ie incontestable billing records where the power does not decrease despite being polished, molded, with excellent melodies. formation Chicago mix perfectly authentic lashes of punk rock, as Architects "," Help Is On The Way "," Survivor Guilt "" A Gentlemen's Coup "," Satellite "or the work's title, with others where without losing their aggressiveness, exploit their most melodic. As the voices of children " Make It Stop "Choirs that are omnipresent in all his compositions; occasional ballad like" Wait for Me "or the great variety of records vocalist James McLlrath .

---

Rating: 7.5 / 10

---

Text: Carlos AS Group: Rise Against
Title: Endgame
Label: DGC Records / Interescope
Publication Date: March 11, 2011 Hometown
. Chicago, USA.
More information: Web / MySpace / Facebook / Twitter Listen 'End Game ' Rise Against in Spotify Listing of songs: 01. Architects
02. Help Is on the Way
03. Make It Stop (September's Children)
04. Disparity by Design
05. Satellite
06. Hands
Midnight 07. Survivor Guilt
08. Broken Mirrors
09. Wait for Me
10. A Gentlemen's Coup
11. This Is Letting Go
12. Endgame


Musicopolis - Rise Agains "Endgame"

My Entry for The Writer's Voice: HIDDEN

To contact us Click HERE
So there's this thing called The Writer's Voice, which everyone I know seems to be doing. (Deets here if you want to know more.) And lucky me, I got in! So here's my entry for HIDDEN, my YA Contemporary Fantasy novel. Hope you'll like it!

UPDATE: Just wanna say THANKS to all who left me lovely comments! I'm no longer in the running for the contest, so I had to take down my query and first 250 words. Good luck to those who are moving on to the next level! :)

NEWS!! No, The Baby's NOT Here Yet... (Part 1)

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I'm writing this with my brain only partially functioning. It is late at the moment, true (almost midnight, my time). And I've had this nasty cold and cough-turning-into-asthma combo for a month now. Don't even get me started on my pregnancy woes. I have less than 2 months left--which means, an even bigger belly, grossly swollen hands and feet, and aches and pains all you mothers out there are all too familiar with.

But wait--don't leave. I'm not really here to whine and groan. I'm here to

CELEBRATE!!!
*cue happy dance-a-ma-jig music or something*


*just don't ask me to dance*

You see, my dear and oh-so-wonderful friends, I HAVE AN AGENT!

After 6 weeks of intermittent querying, I have found the PERFECT, MOST FABULOUS, and SUPER ADORABLE person who loves my book Hidden just as much as I love it. And I'm so thrilled, my brain is only partially functioning. (Really. I'm still in a daze. Or it's possibly the cough medicine messing up my noggin.)
Which is why I'll stop here for now and continue my story on my next post. *dundundun*
(Nothing like a cliffhanger to spoil the day ruin your mood make you come back for more.)

Blog Awards I Can't Ignore Anymore (Part 1)

To contact us Click HERE
I used to think I have a great memory. Back in grade school, there was a 6-stanza poem we were supposed to learn and memorize for a week. Our teacher wanted us to recite 1-2 stanzas per day so we could build up to memorizing all of the stanzas by the end of the week. Well, little me decided 1 stanza was too easy. So right after breakfast, while I was putting on my school uniform (yes, we had to wear uniforms!) I went through the poem over and over again.

Yep, I recited the whole poem that very Monday.

Nope, I didn't make one mistake.

Sigh. I wish I still have that good of a memory. I swear every time I get pregnant, some of my brain cells disappear. I rely on lists now to keep myself sane (and so I don't miss any important events). Yeah, I know people say forgetfulness is a symptom of pregnancy, but really, this forgetfulness goes way beyond gestation. Anyway, I AM rambling. The point, really, of all this...rambling...is I have blog awards I need to acknowledge and give away. Some of them I've forgotten about (picture me scrambling to read my old posts so I could see who left me awards from months ago). But I can't ignore them any longer because if I do, I'll NEVER get to them...evah. And my conscience would not allow me to be rude about it.

So! Here we go (starting with the most recent):


This one came from the lovely and talented Medeia Sharif, author of BESTEST. RAMADAN. EVER. (Flux, 2011). She's cool and awesome! Thanks, Medeia!!

Oh, right. The rules (almost forgot).

The rules for this award:
This award is for book bloggers only. To receive this award the blog must be at least 50% about books (reading or writing is okay)
Along with receiving this award, you must also share your top five favorite books you have ever read. (More than five is okay) You must give this award to 5-10 other lucky book blogs you adore.
Hmmm. Five favorite books, eh? Tough to narrow down, but I'll try: (not in any particular order)

        

(Okay, so I couldn't just pick five. I am sorely tempted to add more because there are so many great books out there, but I had to stop myself.)

Next up comes from my gorgeous blogger friend from the UK, Nikki of Inspire Nordic. She writes about Scandinavian/Nordic language and culture. Cool, eh?

and


Oh, she gave me two. Thanks, Nikki! You're such a sweetie. :)

There are some questions I have to answer. I'll keep it short and sweet.

What is your favorite song?

Gah! I'm stumped. My "favorite" song changes all the time.

What is your favorite dessert?

Man, you're asking me at this point in my life where every dessert sounds good. Cake, cupcakes, lemon bars, ice cream, bread pudding, key lime pie...you name it, I'll probably gobble it up in seconds.

When you're upset, what do you do?

I have kids so when I'm upset, I have to hide in the bathroom. Not because I don't want them to see that I'm crying, or to shield them from the fact that I'm upset/angry/mad, but because the questions will NOT stop. What's wrong, Mommy? Why are you crying? Did you get a boo-boo?

What was your favorite pet?

Can't say it was my favorite, but I totally thought our pet turtle was cool. We let him loose around our yard (it was fenced-in), and then we couldn't find him anymore because he was really good at hiding behind my mom's flowers and bushes. After a year (maybe?), we found him swimming in our little fish pond. So we took him out and somebody had the brilliant idea to paint red and white dots on his shell so we'd have an easier time finding him. Uh, didn't work. He may be slow, but he was a master at evading us.

What do you prefer to wear, black or white?

Ugh, can't wear white. Do you know how hard it is to keep yourself clean when you have little kids around you? Yeaaahhhh...

What is your biggest fear?

That something bad will happen to my kids or my husband, or anyone in my family, really.

What is your attitude mostly?

I'm a pretty laid back person. I like to believe I'm a cautiously optimistic person (still positive, but not to the point of being blind, ya know.)

What is perfection to you?

Perfection is acknowledging we're imperfect. :D

What is your guilty pleasure?

Playing games. :)


Whew! This post is getting too long so I'll have to do the rest later. For now, I'm handing over these lovely blog awards to the following people:

The {Booker} Award:

1. Jemi Fraser: A fabulous writer and school teacher. Her students are very lucky.
2. Lynda R. Young: She always has fantastic, helpful posts about writing and social media.
3. Cherie Reich: She's a writer, a freelance editor, and a library assistant. She's all about books!
4. Stephen Tremp: 'Cause his book BREAKTHROUGH: THE ADVENTURES OF CHASE MANHATTAN is out and free on Amazon--today is the last day so grab a copy!
5. Emily R. King: This new mama knows her stuff. :)

One Lovely Blog Award:

1. Michelle Hauck: She's a lovely person, and she was gracious enough to let me babble on her blog.
2. Leslie Pugh: A sweetheart! She's so cute and warm and friendly.
3. Cristina dos Santos: Her blog's always full of heart. <3
4. Joyce Alton: All hail the mother"ship" of AQC's Speculative Forum. :)
5. Shallee McArthur: A lovely mama--she's going to have a baby, too. At around the same time I am. How cool is that? *belly bump!*

Stylish Blogger Award:

1. E. B. Black: She calls herself the "death author". Creepy cool, eh?
2. Kela McClelland: A lovely friend from Agent Query Connect. :)
3. Wendy Lu: Because, like me, she just recently embraced her inner diva...I mean, her real name. And I must say, it's a lovely name, Wendy!
4. Andrea Teagan: A new blogger friend. Hi, Andrea!
5. Alex Villasante: She's my newest follower! Hi Alex! *waves*

Enjoy!

P.S. Awardees, no pressure at all. You are free to accept or ignore the awards--I promise I won't get mad at all. I know how busy you all are. :)

Blog Awards I Can't Ignore Anymore (Part 2)

To contact us Click HERE
So here we are again. More lovely awards to pass around. Let's make the blogosphere shine and sparkle with bloggy love, right? I told myself not to ramble this time, so here we go:

The math wiz and blogger extraordinaire Tara Tyler of Tara Tyler Talks handed me 3 awards! Tara's been a longtime blogger friend. If ever you need a haiku fix, she's your go-to girl. :)



and

Again! Lucky me. :)

For the Fabulous Blog Ribbon, I'm supposed to answer the following questions. I'm a good sport, so I'll play along...
Name five of your most fabulous moments, either in real life or in the blogosphere.

~Getting married~Having my kids~Finishing my book~Getting a fabulous literary agent~Getting published! (Okay, so this hasn't happened...YET. What the heck--I'm inviting good mojo over here to make it come true. ;D )
Name five things you love.
~family time
~books!~yummy food ( I love to cook.)~pretty paper~art

Name five things you hate.
~hypocrisy~rude people~chewing gum stuck under tables and chairs (ewwww!) ~bullies~doing laundry
I know, I'm so random. Ha!
Pass the ribbon on to five other bloggers. (We'll get to this in a minute.)

The questions for the Kreative Blogger Award are similar to the One Lovely Blog award rules, so I'll skip this one. :)

And, as for the Stylish award...I don't think it comes with rules.  I also don't think I'm very stylish--I'm a jeans-and-shirt kind of a gal. I mostly dress for comfort, not to make a fashion statement. 

Case in point: Matching pink dresses with my little sis! And what's up with the floppy, doily-looking collars?!?
o_O

Last but not least, Alisha Klapheke of I Heart Words tagged me in the Lucky 7 meme. I met Alisha over at Agent Query Connect. She's a dear. Plus, she's got a cool ms she's querying at the moment. Good luck with that, Alisha! :)



I actually did this one before with my book, HIDDEN, so I won't do that again. Instead, I'll pick a different WIP--one that is long enough to have a page 77. These are the seven lines from my MG Fantasy WIP:


“Isa. You can call me Isa.” She reached for the makeshift rope under her cot. “I need to get out of here. Will you help me?”
“Wait, hold on. I’ll help you but you need to help me understand first. What’s going on? Why are you hurt? Who did this to you?”
Isa plopped down on the mattress and began braiding the rest of the knotted strips together. “I went into the West Wing and—”“The West Wing? But nobody goes in there. It's haunted. The washerwoman said that the*****
Well, there you go. And now, on to the tagging part because, ya know, misery loves company. Er, I mean, 'cause these bloggers are AWESOME and they won't hate me for tagging them. Right? Right?!?? (I have chocolate.)

Fabulous Blog Ribbon:

1. T. Drecker
2. The Golden Eagle
3. M. J. Fifield
4. J.A. Bennett
5. Sherry Ellis

Kreative Blogger Award:

1. Mia K. Rose
2. Laura Barnes
3. Cat Lavoie
4. A.M. Supinger
5. Suzanne Payne

Stylish Blogger Award:

1. Bethany Crandell aka Rookie Riter (I know she loves awards that don't come with rules. :D )
2. Patricia Lynne
3. Stephanie Scott
4. Mooderino
5. Misha Gericke

Lucky 7 Meme Tag:

I'm tagging new blogger friends (hope they don't mind).
1. Lexa Cain
2. Kelsey Sutton
3.Tami Marie
4. Nick Wilford
5. L.S. Murphy (my agency sister! She just recently signed with my agent. Congrats, L.S.!)

As always, no pressure. Feel free to accept or ignore the awards. I know how busy you guys are. :)

I'm Back and I'm In Love :)

To contact us Click HERE
Yep, you heard me right. I'm back (temporarily, anyway) and IN LOVE!!

With this little guy:

This photo was taken about an hour after he was born, and though he doesn't quite look like that anymore, this is still one of my favorite photos of my baby boy. It reminds me of our very first meeting: those pinch-worthy plump cheeks, swollen eyes smeared with antibiotic ointment, and his messy black hair standing up in clumps and spikes. Gorgeousness! Despite being a little over 9 pounds (9 freaking pounds!!!), the delivery went well and was actually the easiest one yet. Imagine that.

The labor part, on the other hand, was an entirely different story. One that involved a dangerously high fever (mine), and a horrendous bacterial infection (still mine) that threatened my sweet little boy's health. Thanks to the excellent care of the doctors and nurses and the NICU team, we were able to weather the infection and go home after a couple of days at the hospital.

Sooooo...that's where I've been lately. Navigating the unpredictable waters of motherhood once again. I swear the longest uninterrupted sleep I've ever had was a whole hour. But I'm still in love, and I'm guessing will be in love forever. My kids--all three of them--bring so much wonder and love and joy to me. Every time I look at them I feel overwhelmingly grateful. I know I'm gushy and probably extra so because of the hormones, but it's true. *grabs Kleenex tissues*

Anyway, I'll probably continue to be sporadic with the blog. Thank you so much to all of you for your support and friendship and camaraderie. <3

Before I forget, a blogger friend interviewed me a few weeks ago and the post actually went live yesterday but I was walking around like a zombie I didn't get to it. So here's the link, if you care to read about my writerly odyssey:

Amy Trueblood's Chasing the Crazies Blog
Thanks for the spotlight, Amy! :)
Have a lovely rest of the week, everyone! I'm off to cuddle my little guy... :D

NEWS!! No, The Baby's NOT Here Yet... (Part 1)

To contact us Click HERE
I'm writing this with my brain only partially functioning. It is late at the moment, true (almost midnight, my time). And I've had this nasty cold and cough-turning-into-asthma combo for a month now. Don't even get me started on my pregnancy woes. I have less than 2 months left--which means, an even bigger belly, grossly swollen hands and feet, and aches and pains all you mothers out there are all too familiar with.

But wait--don't leave. I'm not really here to whine and groan. I'm here to

CELEBRATE!!!
*cue happy dance-a-ma-jig music or something*


*just don't ask me to dance*

You see, my dear and oh-so-wonderful friends, I HAVE AN AGENT!

After 6 weeks of intermittent querying, I have found the PERFECT, MOST FABULOUS, and SUPER ADORABLE person who loves my book Hidden just as much as I love it. And I'm so thrilled, my brain is only partially functioning. (Really. I'm still in a daze. Or it's possibly the cough medicine messing up my noggin.)
Which is why I'll stop here for now and continue my story on my next post. *dundundun*
(Nothing like a cliffhanger to spoil the day ruin your mood make you come back for more.)

Blog Awards I Can't Ignore Anymore (Part 1)

To contact us Click HERE
I used to think I have a great memory. Back in grade school, there was a 6-stanza poem we were supposed to learn and memorize for a week. Our teacher wanted us to recite 1-2 stanzas per day so we could build up to memorizing all of the stanzas by the end of the week. Well, little me decided 1 stanza was too easy. So right after breakfast, while I was putting on my school uniform (yes, we had to wear uniforms!) I went through the poem over and over again.

Yep, I recited the whole poem that very Monday.

Nope, I didn't make one mistake.

Sigh. I wish I still have that good of a memory. I swear every time I get pregnant, some of my brain cells disappear. I rely on lists now to keep myself sane (and so I don't miss any important events). Yeah, I know people say forgetfulness is a symptom of pregnancy, but really, this forgetfulness goes way beyond gestation. Anyway, I AM rambling. The point, really, of all this...rambling...is I have blog awards I need to acknowledge and give away. Some of them I've forgotten about (picture me scrambling to read my old posts so I could see who left me awards from months ago). But I can't ignore them any longer because if I do, I'll NEVER get to them...evah. And my conscience would not allow me to be rude about it.

So! Here we go (starting with the most recent):


This one came from the lovely and talented Medeia Sharif, author of BESTEST. RAMADAN. EVER. (Flux, 2011). She's cool and awesome! Thanks, Medeia!!

Oh, right. The rules (almost forgot).

The rules for this award:
This award is for book bloggers only. To receive this award the blog must be at least 50% about books (reading or writing is okay)
Along with receiving this award, you must also share your top five favorite books you have ever read. (More than five is okay) You must give this award to 5-10 other lucky book blogs you adore.
Hmmm. Five favorite books, eh? Tough to narrow down, but I'll try: (not in any particular order)

        

(Okay, so I couldn't just pick five. I am sorely tempted to add more because there are so many great books out there, but I had to stop myself.)

Next up comes from my gorgeous blogger friend from the UK, Nikki of Inspire Nordic. She writes about Scandinavian/Nordic language and culture. Cool, eh?

and


Oh, she gave me two. Thanks, Nikki! You're such a sweetie. :)

There are some questions I have to answer. I'll keep it short and sweet.

What is your favorite song?

Gah! I'm stumped. My "favorite" song changes all the time.

What is your favorite dessert?

Man, you're asking me at this point in my life where every dessert sounds good. Cake, cupcakes, lemon bars, ice cream, bread pudding, key lime pie...you name it, I'll probably gobble it up in seconds.

When you're upset, what do you do?

I have kids so when I'm upset, I have to hide in the bathroom. Not because I don't want them to see that I'm crying, or to shield them from the fact that I'm upset/angry/mad, but because the questions will NOT stop. What's wrong, Mommy? Why are you crying? Did you get a boo-boo?

What was your favorite pet?

Can't say it was my favorite, but I totally thought our pet turtle was cool. We let him loose around our yard (it was fenced-in), and then we couldn't find him anymore because he was really good at hiding behind my mom's flowers and bushes. After a year (maybe?), we found him swimming in our little fish pond. So we took him out and somebody had the brilliant idea to paint red and white dots on his shell so we'd have an easier time finding him. Uh, didn't work. He may be slow, but he was a master at evading us.

What do you prefer to wear, black or white?

Ugh, can't wear white. Do you know how hard it is to keep yourself clean when you have little kids around you? Yeaaahhhh...

What is your biggest fear?

That something bad will happen to my kids or my husband, or anyone in my family, really.

What is your attitude mostly?

I'm a pretty laid back person. I like to believe I'm a cautiously optimistic person (still positive, but not to the point of being blind, ya know.)

What is perfection to you?

Perfection is acknowledging we're imperfect. :D

What is your guilty pleasure?

Playing games. :)


Whew! This post is getting too long so I'll have to do the rest later. For now, I'm handing over these lovely blog awards to the following people:

The {Booker} Award:

1. Jemi Fraser: A fabulous writer and school teacher. Her students are very lucky.
2. Lynda R. Young: She always has fantastic, helpful posts about writing and social media.
3. Cherie Reich: She's a writer, a freelance editor, and a library assistant. She's all about books!
4. Stephen Tremp: 'Cause his book BREAKTHROUGH: THE ADVENTURES OF CHASE MANHATTAN is out and free on Amazon--today is the last day so grab a copy!
5. Emily R. King: This new mama knows her stuff. :)

One Lovely Blog Award:

1. Michelle Hauck: She's a lovely person, and she was gracious enough to let me babble on her blog.
2. Leslie Pugh: A sweetheart! She's so cute and warm and friendly.
3. Cristina dos Santos: Her blog's always full of heart. <3
4. Joyce Alton: All hail the mother"ship" of AQC's Speculative Forum. :)
5. Shallee McArthur: A lovely mama--she's going to have a baby, too. At around the same time I am. How cool is that? *belly bump!*

Stylish Blogger Award:

1. E. B. Black: She calls herself the "death author". Creepy cool, eh?
2. Kela McClelland: A lovely friend from Agent Query Connect. :)
3. Wendy Lu: Because, like me, she just recently embraced her inner diva...I mean, her real name. And I must say, it's a lovely name, Wendy!
4. Andrea Teagan: A new blogger friend. Hi, Andrea!
5. Alex Villasante: She's my newest follower! Hi Alex! *waves*

Enjoy!

P.S. Awardees, no pressure at all. You are free to accept or ignore the awards--I promise I won't get mad at all. I know how busy you all are. :)

Blog Awards I Can't Ignore Anymore (Part 2)

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So here we are again. More lovely awards to pass around. Let's make the blogosphere shine and sparkle with bloggy love, right? I told myself not to ramble this time, so here we go:

The math wiz and blogger extraordinaire Tara Tyler of Tara Tyler Talks handed me 3 awards! Tara's been a longtime blogger friend. If ever you need a haiku fix, she's your go-to girl. :)



and

Again! Lucky me. :)

For the Fabulous Blog Ribbon, I'm supposed to answer the following questions. I'm a good sport, so I'll play along...
Name five of your most fabulous moments, either in real life or in the blogosphere.

~Getting married~Having my kids~Finishing my book~Getting a fabulous literary agent~Getting published! (Okay, so this hasn't happened...YET. What the heck--I'm inviting good mojo over here to make it come true. ;D )
Name five things you love.
~family time
~books!~yummy food ( I love to cook.)~pretty paper~art

Name five things you hate.
~hypocrisy~rude people~chewing gum stuck under tables and chairs (ewwww!) ~bullies~doing laundry
I know, I'm so random. Ha!
Pass the ribbon on to five other bloggers. (We'll get to this in a minute.)

The questions for the Kreative Blogger Award are similar to the One Lovely Blog award rules, so I'll skip this one. :)

And, as for the Stylish award...I don't think it comes with rules.  I also don't think I'm very stylish--I'm a jeans-and-shirt kind of a gal. I mostly dress for comfort, not to make a fashion statement. 

Case in point: Matching pink dresses with my little sis! And what's up with the floppy, doily-looking collars?!?
o_O

Last but not least, Alisha Klapheke of I Heart Words tagged me in the Lucky 7 meme. I met Alisha over at Agent Query Connect. She's a dear. Plus, she's got a cool ms she's querying at the moment. Good luck with that, Alisha! :)



I actually did this one before with my book, HIDDEN, so I won't do that again. Instead, I'll pick a different WIP--one that is long enough to have a page 77. These are the seven lines from my MG Fantasy WIP:


“Isa. You can call me Isa.” She reached for the makeshift rope under her cot. “I need to get out of here. Will you help me?”
“Wait, hold on. I’ll help you but you need to help me understand first. What’s going on? Why are you hurt? Who did this to you?”
Isa plopped down on the mattress and began braiding the rest of the knotted strips together. “I went into the West Wing and—”“The West Wing? But nobody goes in there. It's haunted. The washerwoman said that the*****
Well, there you go. And now, on to the tagging part because, ya know, misery loves company. Er, I mean, 'cause these bloggers are AWESOME and they won't hate me for tagging them. Right? Right?!?? (I have chocolate.)

Fabulous Blog Ribbon:

1. T. Drecker
2. The Golden Eagle
3. M. J. Fifield
4. J.A. Bennett
5. Sherry Ellis

Kreative Blogger Award:

1. Mia K. Rose
2. Laura Barnes
3. Cat Lavoie
4. A.M. Supinger
5. Suzanne Payne

Stylish Blogger Award:

1. Bethany Crandell aka Rookie Riter (I know she loves awards that don't come with rules. :D )
2. Patricia Lynne
3. Stephanie Scott
4. Mooderino
5. Misha Gericke

Lucky 7 Meme Tag:

I'm tagging new blogger friends (hope they don't mind).
1. Lexa Cain
2. Kelsey Sutton
3.Tami Marie
4. Nick Wilford
5. L.S. Murphy (my agency sister! She just recently signed with my agent. Congrats, L.S.!)

As always, no pressure. Feel free to accept or ignore the awards. I know how busy you guys are. :)

I'm Back and I'm In Love :)

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Yep, you heard me right. I'm back (temporarily, anyway) and IN LOVE!!

With this little guy:

This photo was taken about an hour after he was born, and though he doesn't quite look like that anymore, this is still one of my favorite photos of my baby boy. It reminds me of our very first meeting: those pinch-worthy plump cheeks, swollen eyes smeared with antibiotic ointment, and his messy black hair standing up in clumps and spikes. Gorgeousness! Despite being a little over 9 pounds (9 freaking pounds!!!), the delivery went well and was actually the easiest one yet. Imagine that.

The labor part, on the other hand, was an entirely different story. One that involved a dangerously high fever (mine), and a horrendous bacterial infection (still mine) that threatened my sweet little boy's health. Thanks to the excellent care of the doctors and nurses and the NICU team, we were able to weather the infection and go home after a couple of days at the hospital.

Sooooo...that's where I've been lately. Navigating the unpredictable waters of motherhood once again. I swear the longest uninterrupted sleep I've ever had was a whole hour. But I'm still in love, and I'm guessing will be in love forever. My kids--all three of them--bring so much wonder and love and joy to me. Every time I look at them I feel overwhelmingly grateful. I know I'm gushy and probably extra so because of the hormones, but it's true. *grabs Kleenex tissues*

Anyway, I'll probably continue to be sporadic with the blog. Thank you so much to all of you for your support and friendship and camaraderie. <3

Before I forget, a blogger friend interviewed me a few weeks ago and the post actually went live yesterday but I was walking around like a zombie I didn't get to it. So here's the link, if you care to read about my writerly odyssey:

Amy Trueblood's Chasing the Crazies Blog
Thanks for the spotlight, Amy! :)
Have a lovely rest of the week, everyone! I'm off to cuddle my little guy... :D

Fifth's Disease

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Early early on Sunday morning Parker woke up complaining of his tummy hurting. I took him to the bathroom and before I knew it, he was throwing up. My poor sweetie pie looked miserable and felt warm. So, we cleaned him up, gave him some tylenol and rocked in the recliner until he drifted back to sleep. He slept for several hours and was still warm and very tired the rest of the day. On Monday, he still had a fever and pretty much didn't move off the couch except to nap. And he wanted no part in food. This was totally not like our wild crazy boy. Even though his fever broke sometime between Monday night and Tuesday morning, we kept him home from preschool.

On Tuesday we noticed that his cheeks were remaining a rosy color, almost as if the were chapped. He still slept and/or lounged all day. By later afternoon his rosy cheeks turned bright red, as if they were burned. I put in a call to his pediatrician and scheduled an appointment for the next morning.

Our sweetie pie was still the most calm I had ever seen him on Wednesday morning, opting to cuddle and sleep the morning away. I goggled "bright red cheeks" and Fifth's Disease came up in the search results. It certainly fit his symptoms. So we headed on it to the doctor and it looks like goggle was right. It was Fifth's Disease alright. Fifth's Disease is a virus that can start with a fever and have symptoms of a cold. It then gives you bright red rash cheeks and the rash can spread to your arms and chest presenting as a lacy type of rash.

We kept Parker home for the rest of the week and he slowly gained his strength back. By Saturday, our wild and crazy kid was back. He still has a pink rash on his cheeks, but it looks a hundred times better than before.