Let the Hectic-ness Begin

So, as I said before I was supposed to have a doctor's appointment this week...and of course I wait until now to update on how things are going with Hudson and everything as well as give you an idea of what I need to prepare myself for in the coming weeks!

Well the doctor's appointment went splendidly. We did another ultrasound and it showed that baby Hudson is growing nicely, though he's a little on the small side (not that you could tell that by looking at me!). My due date is still the 6th of January, though I get the impression that he will be coming here a little sooner than that. I'm anticipating around Christmas time, but we will see. And, the baby was head up, which is rather uncomfortable for mommy's ribcage and breathing in general. My humorous doctor told me that Hudson and I need to have a little chat to make sure that he cooperates and gets his head going in the right direction here soon!

And then the doctor got to the "exciting" news. He stated that starting next week I needed to go into the hospital and do non-stress tests once a week until I deliver this little guy. And what a non-stress test consists of is going and lying on a bed or table and having them strap a monitor to my stomach to measure the baby's heartbeat when he is resting and when he is active as well as when I have contractions. This test can take anywhere from twenty minutes to an hour. And, they will also be measuring the amount of amniotic fluid that is surrounding the baby to make sure that he has enough in there to be healthy. So, basically, it's another doctor's appointment. And, on top of that I will still have to continue to go and see my regular doctor every two weeks. So after next week I have two appointments! And then soon enough I will be going every week to my regular doctor as well as going to my non-stress tests...it's just going to be hectic for a little while!

But, despite how hectic things are going to be, I am just grateful that the baby is doing well and that he is happy and healthy and that soon enough I will get to meet him and hold him in my arms. It's so weird to think about how quickly this year has gone by and this pregnancy has just flown by! It's so hard for me to imagine that soon enough I will have another little baby in my life. But I will welcome him and cherish him and hopefully be the mother that he needs.

But that's all for now. This next week I anticipate relaxing and enjoying the holiday season as it gears up. And I hope that you do the same. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

32 Weeks, writing update, and family!

Well I've reached 32 weeks in pregnancy...sheesh that's an accomplishment eh? Well, at least I think it is. It's so strange to think that in a little over three weeks from today, I could be having a baby...that still just blows my mind. And I don't feel near enough prepared for this! However, it can't help but be excited to meet another little bundle of joy and I look forward to that event...even if it still does scare me a little bit.

This is me at 32 weeks...I felt kinda cute that day and decided I needed to update a picture for you.

Also, this month I've been working diligently to do my NaNoWriMo...and needless to say I've fallen rather far behind in it. Today I got an e-mail stating that it was the middle of the month and so I should be halfway to my 50,000 word goal...well I can assure you that I'm not even close to that. I've made it to over 12,000 words, whic is nothing to sneeze at, but I am determined to do so much better and hopefully get a large amount of words written this week. Though I will confess I'm a little frustrated with my novel right. My inner editor has a large list of things that I need to change about my story...but I'm trying really hard to supress the urge to go back and redo everything I've been working on. I just need to keep moving forward.

And the family? Well my kids are doing great! I've decided that Liam is going to be hitting a growth spurt here soon. He eats all the time! He's always hungry and I just cannot believe how much he consumes! He acts as though I don't feed him and is ravenous all the time. So I'm anticipating him growing a little bit here in the next while. And Hannah? Well, she's not growing quite as much, but she's just as cute as ever. I just trimmed her bangs and she loved all the "pretty" time she was getting...she also loves to put makeup on and get dressed up all cute. On Sunday both the kids got to wear their new church clothes and Hannah was so excited. She got a cute pink dress that has white trim around the sleeves and bottom. She kept saying that she was a princess. And she actually wanted me to do her hair. She ended up with pigtails and two little pink flowers on either side. She really looked so cute! And Liam looked so handsome. He got a lavendar shirt with a pinstripe suit and I combed his hair all nice for him. He thought it was wonderful and he looked amazing adorable.

And as for Jonathan and I? We're doing well. It's nice to spend our evenings together when he gets off of work and we try to make the most of the time we have together. We've played Phase10 which makes me so competitive (poor Jonathan doesn't understand my ruthlessness when it comes to card playing!) and it is a blast to play. We have been having a lot of fun together.

Well that's all I've got for now! I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow to check on the little guy growing in my tummy and I think I start non-stress tests this week as well, but we'll see. I'll post again when I have more information to share on our ever expanding family!

Writing Update

For those of you who read only this blog and not my other writing blog, I decided to update you on how my NaNoWriMo is going. I am at over 7,000 words written so far which is wonderful, but still lagging behind where I need to be in order to complete the challenge of 50,000 words by the end of the month. Yes I  know it still sounds crazy, but I'm going to try and do it! Prayers and notes of encouragement are most welcome, might I add.

Also I've come to realize how much fun it is to simply sit down and write a novel without agonizing over it as much as I usually do. I know there are going to be many parts in this completed work that will annoy me profusely once I reread everything, but right now my main focus is simply on the task of writing the darn thing. I've told my inner editor to simply "shut up!" which is a good thing for me. I'm such a perfectionist that if I didn't tell the darn voice in my head that is hypercritical to stop talking, I know I'd never get anything done. So, my challenge for this month may not be the word count goal, but rather sticking to my guns and simply writing the ideas that are locked in my head out on paper and creating a story. There will be time for agonizing and editing after I finish the blasted thing.

Finally, here's a little post that I stole from the NaNo boards while trying to give my head a break from the imaginary land and characters that are stuck in my head. I hope it will make you laugh as much as I did.

Hi all,




For a while now there's been a tradition amongst the NaNo crowd what likes to kill things. We call it the Travelling Shovel of Death.



The rules are simple. In your NaNo, you kill somone. With a shovel.



It is named the "Travelling" Shovel of Death because, well, it seems to be everywhere. Characters are killed by shovels in droves as soon as their authors find out about this mystical shovel- whether their world has shovels or not. It seems to be infectious. I know a number of characters have died at unfair hands wielding a shovel in my novels, granting me many words to add to my wordcount.



Desperate for a few thousand words? Got a character you don't really like any more? The Travelling Shovel of Death is the solution for you!



Travelling Shovel of Death FAQs (stolen from yangnome, 2009)



What can I do with the shovel?

Use it as a murder weapon. Kill a main character, a supporting character, or even a background character.



What if I don’t like violent scenes?

Have the shovel show up bloody on the ground, or maybe just a body that has been beaten. You don’t need to describe the murder to use the shovel, though I’m sure it wouldn’t stop you.



Why use the shovel to murder someone?

Easy, it provides conflict. Conflict drives stories.



Couldn't I just use a gun or a knife, maybe a sword?

I’m sure you could. Personally, I haven’t seen any guns knives or swords traveling around from novel to novel wreaking destruction though. The shovel is something bigger than you or I. It is bigger than our novels. It is a weapon of mass destruction if you will.



What if I don’t want to use the shovel?

No one is forcing you. Don’t be surprised though if it pops into your novel. It popped into mine. Others who heard of the shovel couldn’t resist. Can you?



Does it have to be used as a murder weapon?

I suppose not, but the shovel has developed a taste for blood.



What do I do with the shovel when I am done?

Return it. Set it free so it can travel to another place, another land, maybe even another world.



I’m still not convinced.

Well, use of the shovel will provide you with words. Anyone could easily milk a small 1,000-word scene from the shovel. Those more talented could get more. Heck, I’d bet someone could even get a whole novel out of the shovel’s exploits.



Are there any rules regarding the use of the shovel?

No, but we would like to hear about its use. Post the fact that you send it here, and maybe the excerpt from its use.



This sounds silly. It couldn’t possibly fit in my novel.

Maybe you are correct. I don’t know what you are writing about. The first year the shovel visited me, I wasn't writing a silly novel and it fit in mine with little problem. TSoD does not discriminate based on genre.



Anything else I need to know about the shovel?

No. Well, don't turn your back on it.

31 Weeks...and Family Updates!

Sheesh the time is flying by! I can't believe I'm already 31 weeks into this pregnancy...it's astounding to say the least. But I'm grateful the time hasn't really dragged by and annoyed me...it will be exciting to meet this little guy soon.

At my last doctor's appointment everything was measuring perfectly, and I wasn't suffering from any complications whatsoever, a great relief to me I must say. Hudson is active and wiggly and keeps me up a great deal, but if he's healthy I won't complain...unless he sits in my ribcage (most uncomfortable I must say).  And I go back in 2 weeks for another ultrasound and supposedly the non-stress tests will start that week too, though my doctor didn't mention anything this last week. We'll see then eh?

Also, this week Hannah has taken to potty training quite nicely. She seems really interested in going potty and doesn't like it if she has an accident. It's rather cute to see her react when she does have an accident. Hopefully we'll keep making progress in that area!

Besides that let me just say how adorable my daughter is. I know I talk about this pregnancy a lot and I tend to not mention the cuteness of my other two children. Let me just say that Hannah is such a sweetheart. She's so helpful and kind to her brother (most of the time anyway). She likes to be creative and dance and sing. She likes to say prayers with mommy which is so cute to watch. She's very talkative and loves to play games with her mommy. She is also obsessed with the Lord of the Rings trilogy right now (strangely) and loves to watch them all the time. She's a little princess and loves make-up and dressing up and having her necklaces on. She's my little princess and I love her dearly.

And as for Liam? Well he's growing like a weed! We bought the kids fuzzy pajamas and got Liam and 18 month size...well apparently he's decided to start growing more! While Hannah's fit her nicely, Liam's are already starting to get snug on him! I couldn't believe it. While they still fit him, I will have to go back and get him a bigger size! What a big boy I have! People comment all the time, whenever we go out, that my kids look like twins because they are so close in size. Poor Hannah is just a pipsqueak and Liam is my sturdy little linebacker...hehe...

And let me just say how much I love my little Liam. He's such an affectionate little boy. I love when he brings me his blanket and wants me to wrap him in it and cuddle with him. I love watching him try to dance and play with his sister. I love that he tries to help, even if it ends up with a giant mess for me to clean up. I love that he's trying to talk so much and be involved in everything. I love that he tries to stay neat and clean when he eats by wiping his mouth with a napkin. I love that he has four front teeth that he uses to gnaw into everything at the store (even if it is aggravating at times). And I certainly love the fact that he tries to take care of me when I have a bad day. He'll hug me and sing to me as I rock him. Ah, what would I do without him?

Really what would I do without my babies in my life? What would I do without their love and affection? They are such a treasure to me and I love spending time with them. I know that I have moments where I fall apart and get frustrated with them. But there are so many rich blessings that I've noticed that outweigh the anger and frustration. I am so grateful for my family :)