Thursday, September 30, 2010

It doesn't feel real yet

We closed on a house today.  We'll be moving on Saturday.  My mom and I will conveniently be in Denver this weekend so we don't have to help.  Alright, fine, I wouldn't be much help anyway because I'd just be keeping the kids out of the way.

So there it is.  Now we're going to have to start paying for our own groceries and stuff.  Crazy.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

9 months

Will is 9 months old as of the 22nd.  He had his 9 month check on Friday, and even though I feel like he's huge, he's actually on the small side for his age.  He weighs 20 lbs 3/4 oz (43%) and he is 27 inches long (12%.)  Of course, his head is 19 inches around which is the 99th percent.  So he's still short and chunky (or sturdy as my mom always says) with a giant head.

Evidence of giant head.


Also, he wants you all to know that it isn't sleeping he has a problem with, it's sleeping *by himself* that makes him sad.  See?




Thursday, September 23, 2010

So. Tired.

Will went back and forth for a little while, between waking once during the night and sleeping through.  But after about a week of that he decided to go in a different direction.  So now he's back to waking 4-6 times a night.  And let me just tell you, it SUCKS.  Still no teeth, so we can't blame that, he was sick for a few days but he's better now so we can't blame that.  I think it's just time to admit that this kid is an awful sleeper.  AWFUL.

First of all, he fights sleep Every. Single. Time.  Most days it takes me 3 or 4 attempts to get him to go down for a nap, and bedtime is ridiculous.  He gets tired around 8.  But does he go to sleep then?  Oh, definitely not. He fusses.  He whines.  He nurses.  He cries.  He nurses.  He drifts off...  Then eyes pop open and he cries.  He isn't happy being held.  Or rocked.  Or cuddled.  Or on the floor.  He won't nurse.  Or take a bottle.  He rubs his eyes.  He sucks his finger.  He fusses.  He cries.  He whines.  And this goes ON AND ON.  Usually for 2 hours or longer.  I would be less annoyed by all that if it meant some real, actual sleep.  But it doesn't.  Often he'll wake up the first time less than an hour after he finally goes down.  Naps aren't any better.  I feel lucky if he sleeps for an hour and a half.   I am at a loss here.  We even tried letting him cry one night to see if he'd wear himself down.  10 minutes of crying and he worked himself up so much we couldn't get him to settle down for another hour.  So that's definitely not the way to go.  He's nine months old now, but I still feel like I have a newborn.  What do you do with a kid who won't sleep?

Monday, September 20, 2010

Winners

I didn't mean to keep you in suspense all weekend (since I'm sure you have nothing better to do than to sit around wondering who won my giveaway.)  So here are the winners:

The winner of Sherry's book bag and goodies is: Kari!
And the winner of Sherry's book is: Amy S!

I would take a screen shot of my random number generator, but even though Brian told me how last night, I've already forgotten.  Anyway, send me your mailing address and I'll get you your prizes!

Friday, September 17, 2010

I would not have guessed that dinosaurs would be her thing

Kalena is obsessed with dinosaurs, have I told you this?  Well, she is.  Like, wants to go to the dinosaur museum every day, willingly watches (requests even) paleontology documentaries, sleeps with toy dinosaurs obsessed.  She has her own dinosaur placemat, nothing else is good enough, and often there are tears when we insist that she choose a single dinosaur for whatever activity is forthcoming.  Her days usually involve finding something to transport all her dinosaurs around in and then carrying them around, showing them to anyone who will look.  Her favorite is "atops" (that would be triceratops) for now.  I wonder how long this phase will last, and how much I'll end up learning while it goes on.  (More than I want to, I'm sure.)

She refused to put them down so I could take a picture of her.


Or of her and Will.



And then she made me remove the baby from the couch and requested that I take a "pishure" of her and her "di-a-saurs"


What are your kids obsessed with?

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

I just want to know why

So have you checked out zillow.com?  Well we have.  We were looking at the house we're looking at, then we decided to see how much it says my parents' house is worth, and THEN we thought we should look up our old house in Texas.  And that's how we found out it's back on the market.

If you need a refresher, we sold our house at the beginning of March.  According to Zillow, the new owners turned around at listed it 8 days later.  EIGHT DAYS.  For ten thousand dollars MORE than they bought it for.  Which, incidentally, was the price we originally had it listed for, but dropped over the eight months it sat on the market.

To this I say, "What the hell, people?"  Don't get me wrong, I'm glad they bought the house.  Heaven only knows what I'd do if we still owned it.  But what's the deal?  Did something actually happen that caused them to need to sell the house?  Or did they think they could just turn around and sell it and make a nice profit?  I suspect that latter, because seriously?  Eight days?  Anyway, it's all a little crazy.  And you can bet I'll keep checking on it to see how long they leave it on the market without dropping the price.  Because we weren't just dropping the price for fun you know.

By the way, I just checked Zillow again and none of this info is up there anymore.  I don't know why?  It's public information so I don't know why it'd be taken down.  But now it's all on my blog, which is good since I'm sure you all care SO MUCH.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Thumb sucking: the follow-up

Remember back when I was wondering whether Will would be a thumbsucker?  And then I thought probably yes?  Well, I was wrong.  He didn't quit altogether (unfortunately) and my half-hearted attempts did nothing to persuade him that a pacifier was the better choice.  No, what he finally settled on was his finger.  He sucks his index finger.  Kids always keep you guessing, I suppose.



Delicious finger.  

Now, while you're all here, I want to apologize for any typos in yesterday's post.  I can assure you that they're mine and not Sherry's.  Also, I don't want to blame anybody, but if SOMEONE (who may or may not be pictured above) would start going to bed before 10, I'd probably do a better job proofreading.  Or, let's be honest, proofread at all.  

Also, don't forget to comment on yesterday's post and get entered in the giveaway!

Monday, September 13, 2010

An Interview with Sherry Ficklin!

And now for something completely different.  I told you that my friend Sherry recently had her first book published.  Well, she was nice enough to let me interview her for the ol' blog.  Here we go.

Q: Where do you get your story ideas?
A: My story ideas can come from anywhere.  I'm a particularly visual person, so much of the book is from places I've been or, for example, the female characters from Foresight were inspired by a faerie postcard I saw in the store.  Of course I bought a whole stack of them.  Whenever I find something like that, I have this box of things that inspire me that I keep them in.

Q: Do you have a set writing schedule, or do you just write when you feel inspired?
A: I try to write something every day, no matter what.  Even if it's just a letter to a friend.  I don't have a set schedule per se, my life is just too hectic, but I set aside a few hours each morning to take care of the "business stuff" like answering e-mails, calling the publisher, etc.  Then the rest of the day I write whenever I can.

Q: What part of the writing process do you find most challenging?
A: My biggest problem is not being distracted by the internet.  LOL!  Seriously, I'll get online to do a scrap of research and four hours lager I'm like, where did my day go??

Q: How did you go about finding a publisher/getting your book(s) published?
A: I found a website that was amazing.  It's querytracker.com.  It has a forum of people who will help critique, help you form a query letter, and a HUGE database of agents and publishers.  I finished the book, wrote the query and synopsis, and started e-mailing.  Although, to be totally honest, I found my publisher through an industry friend who pointed me in their direction.

Q: In addition to the next two books in the Gods of Fate series, you have another series coming out next year.  Can you give us a little teaser about those books?
A: Ah yes.  I just sold a new teen mystery series.  It's the Military Brats series and book one is AFTERBURN.  It follows Reece Barnet, a teen girl whose father is in the USMC.  It's sort of a throwback to the classic Nancy Drew novels, but with a bit of an edge.

My hope is to do a four part series, one for each branch of the armed forces.  It was sort of funny, when I started looking for a publisher for it no one would take it because it was too different from anything that was out.  There are no vampires or fantasy of any kind, but it's not a romance either.  People went, what is THIS?  After a particularly strange rejection I threatened to change the title to Military Brats: There's No Sex In This Book.  LOL.  But when I showed it to Accomplice Press, they loved it.  Finding someone who gets you and gets your book is like striking gold.

Q: What advice would you give any aspiring authors out there?
A: Just keep writing.  I sat on a panel this last weekend of people who had sold their first book this year and every one of them has at least 3 or 4 other novels they have finished or are working on.  Rejection happens.  Every HUGE author out there could show you a stack of rejections.  The trick is to keep pushing forward, let the bad roll off and absorb the good, and never quit.  I often attribute my first sale to the fact that I am just too stubborn to quit.  Oh, and one other small thing.  Publishing a book takes FOREVER.  Seriously.  Like years.  Don't get discouraged if you've been at it for 6 months with no luck.  It took me 4 months to write Foresight and 3 years to sell it.  It's a slow business, not a reflection on you or your talent.

There you have it folks.  Now you all know how to write an publish a novel!  Okay, maybe not.  BUT, now that you've read this far, let's do a giveaway!  Crazy right?  Sherry is giving away a reversible book tote with a beaded book mark, Foresight button, and various goodies from some of her favorite authors.

And *I* am giving away a signed copy of Sherry's book!



Here is Sherry, signing a copy of her book.  (Could be YOUR copy!)  Comment before midnight on Friday to enter, and I'll figure out how to use one of those random number generator thingies to pick the two winners.  

Friday, September 10, 2010

Finally Friday

Is it just me or was that the longest 4 day week ever?

Will has started saying "mama" very clearly.  I'm sure he doesn't know what it means, but he does say it.  If he thinks that is cute enough to make up for staying up until midnight and then waking up 4 times before 6 am he has got another thing coming.

For those of you on "tooth-watch William Henry edition" still nothing.  What?  Nobody cares?  Am shocked.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

I really hope it's teeth

Will's sleeping has gone from bad to worse.  The last couple nights he's been up 5 or 6 times each.  And he doesn't just wake up, he wakes up SCREAMING.  He's also been extra fussy during the day so I'm really hoping there are some teeth in there causing all this ruckus, and that it isn't just that he decided to be fussy/screamy/mad baby for no reason.

He's plenty old enough to get some teeth.  Kalena had at least six by the time she was 8 months, and my nephew has like all his teeth and he's only 6 weeks older than Will.  Okay, probably not ALL his teeth.  (How many teeth does Eli have anyway, Kirsta?)

I wouldn't mind the no teeth so much since he's still nursing, but he REALLY wants to eat whatever we're eating, and no teeth kind of limits what he gets.  Anyway, I'm sure he'll get some teeth eventually, but just for fun, tell me when your kids got their first teeth.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Oh, the sleep.

I don't know what's worse: the fact that Will still gets up during the night, or the 9:30 pm bedtime.  One of the things I find most exhausting about having a baby is the lack of down time.  Having to care for a baby from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to bed is SO draining.  And yes, the middle of the night feedings aren't exactly refreshing, but if I can have a few hours to myself in the evenings they aren't so bad.

I know I shouldn't be comparing my kids (but aren't we always?) BUT.  Every day I think, "By this age Kalena was going to bed at 7 and sleeping until 6."  Even if he still needs a middle of the night feeding sometimes (it's not every night) I wish he would just GO TO BED.  He's on this stupid schedule right now where he takes a nap at 6 or 7, sleeps for an hour and then is up until at least 9 pm.  It is driving me insane. It doesn't work to keep him up later, if he goes to bed anytime before 8:30 (at the earliest) he'll be up again after an hour.

Maybe he's just more of a night-owl than Kalena.  I know if I would let him he'd nurse back to sleep in the mornings.  (I don't, because I am apparently laboring under the delusion that getting him up will make his bedtime earlier.)  And that wouldn't be so bad if he would sleep in and I could have some time to myself in the mornings, but then Kalena is up.  (Another reason I get Will up.)  So.  Point is, I feel exhausted.  That's all really.

Monday, September 6, 2010

You can hold me to it

I have a million things to write about, but it's late, so I'm just going to bullet point for now.  I'll write more later.  And now you can harass me about it if I don't.


  • Will.  The sleeping, or LACK THEREOF, may kill me.  Also?  Still no teeth.
  • I have an iPhone!  But can't actually use it as a phone.  Am still way behind the times.
  • Checked my weight loss ticker lately?  Yeah, it hasn't moved.
  • Traveling with kids.  I'm not a fan.  We'll be doing it later this month anyway.
  • Still haven't written about Patrick visiting.  Oh, you didn't know my nephew came and stayed with us?  That's because I'm a slacker.
  • According to Zillow the house we sold in March is on the market again.  
  • The house hunting here: we're under contract.  Inspection tomorrow.  Cross your fingers that all goes well.
SO.  Lots to say, but not tonight.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

More about Will

Will is enjoying all manner of solid foods these days.  Like cheese, and refried beans.  


Also, he has started pulling himself up!  


That activity table was a birthday gift from my parents.  He got it at 6 months.  We're already trying to avoid the overwhelming Christmas/birthday business.  For now we'll be celebrating his half birthday so we don't have to do all the presents in a few days.  Any thoughts from those of you with Christmas-y birthdays?



Wednesday, September 1, 2010

It's already September?!

September.  Lots of exciting things happening month!  My birthday for one thing.  And really, do you need any other reason to be excited about September?  Okay fine.  Maybe it's just an exciting month for ME.  I get to see my friend Katie when she's in GJ on Friday; I get to see family when we go to Denver later this month.  My friend Sherry just published her first book (get it here) and she's having a book signing next week and I'll be interviewing her for the blog (cause she loves me so I'm on her blog book tour even though I have like 5 readers.)  Will is going to be 9 months old this month, which I find hard to believe since I'm pretty sure he was born like, last week.  Anyway, busy month.  Hopefully it will be lots of fun and not just lots of crazy.  What fun things are you doing this month?


P.S.  If you have something you're dying to ask a newly published author of young adult literature, let me know and I'll ask.