A Quick Life Update

Well hello there, my poor neglected blog. Long time no see.

I've been pretty quiet these past few months, but I swear I've had a good excuse! A few days before Christmas, my husband and I got the surprise of our lives when we found out that we were pregnant. We had been trying to conceive for several years with nothing but heartache and we were both emotionally and spiritually exhausted from the difficult journey that is infertility. We decided to take a break and spend the first half of 2016 focusing on other things (like finishing my novel!) … apparently God has a sense of humour because unbeknownst to us, our miracle baby was already alive and well inside of me when that decision was made.

The first few months of pregnancy were tough on me. I was nauseous ALL the time, exhausted ALL the time and had ZERO interest in doing anything other than lie on the couch and watch mindless television. I was also terrified. I had miscarried a baby before and was consumed by fear that it would happen again. Everyone kept telling me to think positive and surround myself with happy, cheerful, feel-good things … so my poor novel, in which forced sterilization plays a major role, was shoved to the very bottom of my To-Do List. I didn't want to touch it, think about it, write it, read it - nothing. I pretended that it didn't exist. I just couldn't get myself into that headspace and I learned to be okay with that.

I'm now 24 weeks pregnant (about to enter into my 7th month) and feeling great. The nausea and fatigue are gone - for now, at least - and I'm slowly getting back into a regular writing routine. My manuscript is open on my computer and I spent this morning editing one of the chapters. I have absolutely NO idea how I'm going to balance being a new mom and a writer, but other women have done it and I'm determined to join the ranks.

For those who are curious, baby is due in August and is a little GIRL …. 

PS: Our maternity photos were taken on a quiet, remote beach on O'ahu at sunrise. Sea turtles even made an appearance. It was, hands down, the most magical day of my life so far.