A Big Thank You and What's Coming Next!

Thank you for the well wishes  to Gwendolyn! I hope she sleeps tonight. It's been a long few days, and I'm trying my best not to get sick, too. But as Barney for How I Met Your Mother says:

Whenever I start feeling sick, I just stop feeling sick, and start feeling awesome instead. True story.

I hope it works. It's all in my head. Sorry If I'm not visiting as much over the next few days, but I will try my best. Now, onto bigger and better things.

Thank you for all the comments for my guest post on Alex's blog (and for leaving some here as well). It was awesome and a little overwhelming, I don't know how he gets to everyone...but I guess that's why he's the Ninja Captain. And thank you for helping make my Provex City giveaway a success! I was privileged to give away 1300 copies, and I hope many of those people will actually enjoy it. :) I almost made it to the Top 100 Free ebooks. My favorite number was #29 for Free Children's ebooks. I couldn't have done it without your help (my help? Yes, your help--I'm pointing at you!).

My 2012 Debut Author Blog Hop Giveaway is still going and has 2 more days, so enter to win a SIGNED copy of Michael Offutt's debut novel, Slipstream!

I received the 7x7 Link Award from C.M. Brown and the Lucky 7 Meme from Julie Flanders, last week. Thank so much for thinking of me and I will post about them next Monday. :)

This week I am also participating in the First Fight / First Kiss Blogfest hosted by Jackie: Bouquet of Books and Dani: Entertaining Interests. I will be using scenes from Provex City because it actually has both, how lucky for me! Tuesday is First Fight, and Thursday is First Kiss.

Lastly, I am doing one more Blog Hop Giveaway starting Wednesday for Indie Authors. I really didn't want to do two giveaway blog hops in a row, but this was my chance to offer the paperback of Provex City. So if you held out because you don;t like ebooks, then this is your chance.

Do I have enough going on? I don't have time to get sick. :) Happy Monday, everyone!

"M" is for Mr. Clock

I mentioned in the "G" post that there is a ghost that my baby girl converses with on a regular basis, and my wife named him Mr. Clock.

We have a circular, mechanical clock on the wall above the changing table. Many times, regardless of her mood and attention, when we lay Gwendolyn on her changing pad, she perks up and focuses solely on the clock. She smiles, coos, and laughs, looking up at its dark wooden frame. She speaks in her cute baby language, and Mr. Clock ticks back his response, seemingly aware of just what she'd said. And they continue to carry on a full conversation. Paying a visit to Mr. Clock is one way we can get her from screaming to smiling in 2.3 seconds.

My wife and I have both leaned down to Gwendolyn's vantage point to see the clock from her perspective, but nothing magically appears for us. There is no smiling face within the face. We've recorded these events and you'd swear there was someone looking down on her and making funny faces. It's the only place in the house where that occurs. And frequently, she's more reactive to the clock than to us.

But I can't complain. Any means of stopping her from crying and getting a heart-melting Gwendolyn smile is a blessing. So the clock on the wall, dubbed Mr. Clock, is doing a great job of entertaining our daughter. He is a friendly ghost and I appreciate the watchful and protective eyes of friendly ghosts. Thank you, Mr. Clock. We owe you one!

Have a great weekend, A-Z bloggers and appreciated followers!

"G" is for Gwendolyn

I became a father 11 weeks ago and it has been quite a journey. It's been a magical, emotional, and trying experience...and it's just the beginning.

Her name is Gwendolyn, which my wife and I arrived on months ago from a five minute conversation. It was probably the easiest decision we've ever and will ever make. It was almost as easy as my decision to propose, but that's another story.

I wasn't around many kids earlier in my life, and definitely not babies. The only baby I remember holding before Gwendolyn was my sister when I was four years old. But after a few minutes of holding my daughter for the first time it just felt so natural.

She has such a firm grip and the bluest eyes, and now that she's learning to smile, she melts my heart. She's going to be deadly, my kryptonite. The dogs love to give her aggressive kisses, and one day they will be the best of friends. I'll talk later about the ghost Gwendolyn converses with. It's hilarious and creepy. She's grown so much in just a few months and I can't wait until we can do more together...the whole family.

It hasn't been easy and I've never been so tired, but I wouldn't change it for anything in the world...well, maybe...no, nothing. I don't get much time when I'm home to pursue the great dream, all this and my books at your fingertips, but I've never had the drive before that I have now. It's not just for me anymore; I want to pass something on. I want to provide for her the best I can. I want her to be proud of me. I want her to be happy and pursue her dreams.

The best gifts come in small packages. And thus far, my arms are thankful of that.