Since you heard from me last…

…I gave birth to a baby boy!! Our new little angel is just over a week old and he is divine. If you follow my blog, you know my doctor put me on bed rest to help prevent preterm labor. Well, after almost two months of minimal physical activity, I hit 37 weeks (considered term) and was actually taken off bed rest again. Yay! I didn’t dance down the street though…nine-month preggo balance + two months of physical inactivity = recipe for disaster. =)Just when I started fearing I would go past my due date (bigger baby, more pain, right!?), the little man decided to come. Very quickly. About four hours from the time I realized I was having real contractions and less than two hours after arriving at the hospital, the nurse placed his slippery little body on mine. Despite being born about a week and a half before his due date, he weighed in at a healthy 7lbs 7oz.

Though I am overjoyed with our new addition, life is…well, life. I can’t decide what has been most challenging these past several days: postpartum pains, sleep deprivation, or my husband’s severe ankle sprain (I had to force him into a wheelchair and push him into labor and delivery – his hobble was just too slow and my contractions were knocking me off my feet).

Anyway, here I am, writing despite being on “maternity leave.” For good or/and ill, the cogs in my brain labeled “writing” are pretty much always turning. I am, however, taking a longer break from more demanding projects – including querying agents about my Young Adult fantasy – to enjoy this new beginning.

That said, I have some fun writing-related news! I recently received my two writer’s copies of the September issue of SHINE brightly, a great magazine created for girls between the ages of nine and fourteen. My story, The Green-Eyed Monster, is about a set of twin girls at war with each other who – with the help of a wise parent –  learn more about the relationship between jealousy and loving one’s neighbor. Just like when they published my story Scarecrow, the editors at SHINE brightly did a fabulous job with editing and layout!