It's a boy!

I have to apologize for being away

from the blog for so long.

It's been with good reason, I promise. :o)

First off, my nephew, Shane Murdock,

was born Saturday night around 11:10 PM,

six weeks and six days early.

It was an anxiety-ridden day, to be sure,

but it ended so beautifully, with this sweet little guy

making his way into the world.

Shane weighs 4 lbs and 13 oz and will have to 

remain in the NICU for four to six weeks,

but he's such a strong little guy, I just know he'll be fine.

He scored a 9 on his Apgar and is already breathing on his own.

I can't wait until the day we're allowed to hold him.

He's already stolen my heart.

So that's the good news.

I, myself, have been having some problems lately.

After a rash of doctor's appointments and tests,

I've been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome,

(also known as PCOS) as well as Diabetes.

I have to have more tests done in the next two weeks

for elevated liver enzymes, and thanks to an abnormal pap smear

and I'm having a Colposcopy done next friday,

where they take sample tissue of my cervix for further testing.

It's been a rough couple of weeks, to be sure,

with my husband in the middle of mid terms,

and everything that's been going on with me.

As I'm sure you can imagine, worrying about your health

doesn't make for much positive creative energy.

On a much more encouraging note,

I saw that I passed 100 followers last weekend!

I'd been watching the numbers creep up, 

getting super excited, but not wanting to say anything 

because I really only want followers

 who want to follow my work,

and not just for the sake of numbers.

But now that I've hit 100, I've got a big giveaway 

planned that I will reveal in the next couple of days.

So please stay tuned for that.

Sorry there's no card today,

but I hope you understand.

I'm sure I'll be back in the swing of things in no time. :o)

Thanks for being there!