Life's Little Stumbles

It never fails. When you think you finally have it all together and things are rolling along smoothly, something or someone comes a long and trips you.

Case in point. The deadline for MORGAN'S PRIDE (w.t.) is September 15. It's done, it's been sent to my agent, who has sent to my (new!) editor and awaits her return from holiday. So now it's time to move on to NIKKI'S SECRET (w.t.). The full proposal is due November 1. Plenty of time, right? Especially since it's written. Uh, no on the plenty of time. I hit a research glitch. :(

For most of my life, I've known about the "Indian Reservations" in Oklahoma. Guess what? There is only one reservation left, thanks to the U.S. Government, and it's the Osage tribe near the Kansas-Oklahoma border. The Cherokee Nation's reservations were "disestablished" some years ago. Color me shocked! Because there was to be a scene set at the reservation in Tahlequah, that just isn't going to happen. I can make the changes needed, but it's messed up my mind. Just a little stumble, and I think I skinned my knees.

If you want to see a great trip, stumble and fall, check out the trailer for Sandra Bullock's new movie, out in September. All About Steve


Add the fact that NOTHING has been accomplished this week that should have been. Letters to go out about my class reunion in October haven't been mailed, the trip to the bank hasn't happened, no writing, no cleaning, no nothing. I owe most of it to 2-year-old Jaxon, who thinks my desk is his personal play area.

Goodbye, Teddy

Another One Bites the Dust

Another day, that is. And my apologies to Queen. :)

I'd been looking forward--actually living for--August 17, when the kidlets (grandkids) would start the first day of school. Monday was crazy and would not be the norm, of this I was sure. Lyndsay and Adam were home for the weekend from their stay in KC with baby Payton, so they took Ally and Gavin to school and picked them up. Sabrina took Scarlett to school, so all I had was Jaxon. I swear, that boy can suck up more time than a vacuum cleaner! He'll be two in five days, and with an older brother and sister, he hasn't yet learned to keep himself occupied, so he keeps me occupied, meaning I get nothing done.

Yesterday (Tuesday) Gavin didn't have kindergarten, nor does he today. But he was gone for a while with other grandma to have the staple removed from his head. No, I did NOT staple him to the wall, although that is an idea... He fell and cut his head a week and a half ago and was stapled back together. Only one staple. But when he was here yesterday? YIKES!! He's not in school again today, but will return to school tomorrow. (Can you hear me cheering?) Jaxon didn't want to go to sleep last night, so he's sleeping in. I just might get a few things done today, but we'll see how it goes.

Let's just say I'm trying to stay positive about how the rest of the year is going to go. Well, as positive as I can be about it, anyway.

Latest Payton Update

(Reposted here from Facebook because I'm lazy.)

We've had what we consider good news. The doctors decided the heart cath was a success as far as telling them what they needed to know. They've decided to let nature take its course at this point and let the holes close on their own. At least I think that's what Lyndsay said. (Something about many babies having a small hole that closes on it's own within a short amount of time.) If it's found that there isn't enough blood flow, they'll put in a shunt. If the blood flow is good and they don't need the shunt, she'll be home as soon as she can "eat" on her own. (Gavin was 5 weeks premature and would NOT take a bottle or anything. We should've known he'd continue to be a stubborn little guy. )

The ventilator will be removed tomorrow, along with the feeding tube at her belly button. They'll start feeding by bottle after that and see how it goes. If all goes well, she could be home as soon as next weekend. Surgery will be scheduled in 2 weeks to 2 months, depending on how she does. Gaining weight and maturity is the goal. I'm assuming she'll be seeing a cardiologist here during that time. They expect about a 2 week stay in Children's Mercy again for and after surgery.

Lyndsay and Adam will be home tomorrow evening to spend time with the other three kids, then return to KC after the weekend. They want to be here for Ally and Gavin's first day of school on Monday. Plans right now are tentative, so we're waiting to see how everything goes.

More updates when there's news. :)

Baby Payton McKenzy

Yes, she arrived! 4:34 p.m. on August 10, weighing in at 5 lbs. 10 oz. But there was a problem. It was determined less than 8 hours later that Payton has a heart defect. (Check out delaney.blog for more information.) She's currently at Children's Mercy Hospital, gaining weight and getting ready for heart surgery when the cardiologist says it's time.

We're all praying that the surgery fixes the problem and Payton is able to come home soon. Her brothers and sisters haven't even seen her! But whatever it takes and however long it takes, we'll wait. We want her healthy and strong.

It's a little hard to find the fun in this situation. We take the positive track in our family with things like this though, so in the spirit of lightheartedness, I issued an order to my daughters: NO MORE 4th CHILDREN IN THIS FAMILY. You see, my youngest was my 4th, and she was born without a soft spot. There's a technical term for that, but who can remember after almost 20 years? Sure, I could google it, but there are more important things to do. The point is, at 7 weeks, they opened up her head, cut a ridge of bone out from temple to temple across the top of her head, and gave her brain room to grow. We assume it grew, although she can be a blonde, at times. Payton is Lyndsay's 4th child. Now do you see why I issued the order?

Today's update is much the same as yesterday's. Payton is still doing well, but until the heart cath is done tomorrow, no one knows when surgery will be scheduled. It's a wait-and-see thing. I had her brothers and sisters here today, while other grandma got some work done. They've been staying with her, giving me a break. School starts on Monday, so schedules will change. It will be interesting, if nothing else. :)

Prayers and positive thoughts are always welcome. Thank you to EVERYONE who has contacted me via email, Facebook and phone. I love you all.

Baby Day...and more

(Photos will be available when Blogger lets me upload them!!)


Payton McKenzy must have been in a rush to be a part of our family. She was a month early. At 5 lbs. 10 oz, she's the smallest of my daugher Lyndsay and her husband Adam's now 4 children. Although we thought everything was fine, except the need for a little help breathing, we learned less than 8 hours after she arrived that she has a heart defect. It was a miracle it was detected so early. Most babies with TGV (Transposition of the Great Vessel) are a few weeks old before anyone suspects and investigates. We all thank the NICU staff at HCA Wesley in Wichita for being alert.



What's TGV? According to Wikipedia (the simplest to use at this point, Transposition of the great vessels (TGV) is a group of congenital heart defects (CHDs) involving an abnormal spatial arrangement of any of the primary blood vessels: superior and/or inferior vena cavae (SVC, IVC), pulmonary artery, pulmonary veins, and aorta. In simpler terms, the veins and arteries are reversed. (more from Wiki) In a normal heart, oxygen-depleted blood is pumped from the right side of the heart, through the pulmonary artery, to the lungs where it is oxygenated. The oxygen-rich red blood then returns to the left heart, via the pulmonary veins, and is pumped through the aorta to the rest of the body, including the heart muscle itself. TGV means this doesn't happen correctly.



But another miracle is keeping Payton alive. VSD or Ventricular Septal Defect, which means she has a hole in her heart (2, actually) allowing oxygen to mix in the heart. VSD and other defects often accompany TGV.



She was airlifted via helicopter the next morning to Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, MO. She's doing great! They're weaning her off the ventilator and hoping to be able to wait a week or two so she can gain a little more weight. As long as she continues to do well, they're able to do that. Success rate for the surgery is 95%-99%, we we're all being positive. We certainly won't refuse any prayers and positive thoughts for Payton while she's in the hospital!



More news on Payton as we get it.

Baby Day?

That's a probably. When Lyndsay, my second oldest daughter, dropped her three kids off at 7:30 this morning, she told me she was on her way to the ER with contractions 5 minutes apart. We're used to false alarms with her, so as she left, I told her, "If you can walk and talk, you aren't in labor." I guess I was wrong. She called about 3 hours ago to let us know she was on her way to get the epidural. The doctor (who also delivered my youngest almost 20 years ago) said it was time, even though it's a month early.

So now we wait.

Updates will be forthcoming.

Trio of Local Romance Authors to Sign Books

It's always nice to meet with friends, and this time it's meeting with two friends to sign copies of our books on Saturday, August 22 at Waldenbooks in Towne West Square, Wichita, KS, from noon until 3 p.m. I'll be signing copies of The Rodeo Rider, along with Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense author Patricia Davids, who'll be signing her newest release, Speed Trap, and Wild Rose Press author Penny Rader, who'll be signing her debut historical, Sapphire and Gold. Please stop by and chat with us! We'll have chocolate!!

Promo? Yuck!

Maybe it was my mother drilling it into my head that I was not allowed to brag. Because I was an only child, people tended to think I had more and better. I didn't. Nobody went nuts on Christmas or birthdays to buy me everything I wanted. And I darned sure better not try lording it over others that I got what I did. I was taught to share, share, share.

So when it come to promoting my books, I'd rather hide away in a deep cave and hope they sell themselves. That didn't work so well in the past. I know there are a few people (relatives, friends, people who don't have a clue) who don't shop the bookstores or the aisles at Wally World, Target, or other stores each month. If I don't tell them, how will they know I have a book they'll want to add to their (very) slowly growing pile? But if I do tell them, isn't that breaking Mother's Commandment #52?

I don't do book signings. I'm not a chatty person. Yeah, I know, that's hard to believe when reading these long-winded posts, but I'm not, especially with strangers. Let's face it, I've always been on the shy side. (People who attended high school with me are doubled up in laughter at that little gem. Okay, it was a different time, a different me.) But even though I don't do book signings, it seems I committed myself to one for this book. I have lost my mind, but there will be two other authors with me, both more accustomed to small talk and both fairly outgoing. Then there's me. I'll be the one in the middle. The quiet one. The one who looks like she's ready to bolt down the mall hallway, pages flying behind her.

I should be sending out emails and postcards and having bookmarks printed and... The list is endless. I did it with my first book, back in 2001, but there was never enough time to do it all. There still isn't, and I don't feel it's right to shove my upcoming book down people's throats. But if I don't tell them, how will they know? How many times have I heard, "I didn't know when your book came out, so I didn't get one"? I've lost count.

So I'll try to devote a portion of today sending emails to people who will probably delete immediately, thinking I'm some sort of promo ho. I'm on Facebook, the web, at my desk getting and receiving emails. Isn't that enough? Apparently it isn't.

Where is that cave again? I think I've lost the directions.

Mondays

Unless you absolutely adore your job and your life, Mondays have to be the worst thing that happens. Too bad they happen every week!

Just when I get accustomed to the relative quiet of many weekends and not having to leave to take someone to work, pick them up, or run errands, or any of the other during-the-week activities that can't be ignored, Monday rolls around again.

Which doesn't mean I get to lay around and do nothing on weekends. Au contraire. Weekends can be just as bad as any other day of the week, even those dreaded Mondays. This weekend it was finishing up charts, calendars and schedules. Saturday night is Family Night, so there's no hiding on the sofa to watch a movie or pick up a book and read. Sunday was spent finishing Saturday's tasks, then a first read-through of the first three chapters of the finished manuscript of Book #3. Oh, and cleaning house, which amounted to the living room. Time is short.

Then along came Monday again, after a night when I kept waking up and dreaming some really strange stuff. And then I hit the ground running. Okay, running first thing in the morning would be suicide, but it sure seems like it when I take Willow out in the morning. That's after she's whined and howled for a good ten minutes, while I'm dragging myself from dreamland. Then the grandkids arrive, then checking email, Facebook, Bits & Bytes, and anything else that's become a morning chore. Then Chelsea to work, and back to the computer to update the Ditzy Chix website. After a quick trip to pick up Gavin, whose group play is over for the summer, and a stop with him at Wally World for lunch stuff---a lesson learned, it's lunchtime, so that's the next chore. Who knows what will rear its ugly head after that?

August Harlequin Americans

Don't miss the great Harlequin American Romances this month!