It's amazing how much easier it is to cope with everything when I've had enough sleep. Whew. Thanks to Patrick, I am actually feeling decently well-rested today, and far happier. Plus, lots of good things have happened over the last 24 hours, so after yesterday's entry venting about everything bad, here are some of the really good things going on right now:

• Mr. Darcy is putting on weight like nobody's business! This is FABULOUS news - babies born as small as him often have a hard time gaining weight, and we were really worried about him for a while. However, he's now putting on over an ounce a day, and we are all thrilled about it!


• He's finally started to notice one of his toys, and it is so much fun to play with him. He gets a wonderfully shocked expression - what on EARTH is that??? - every single time he glimpses those black-and-white patterns on the back. (I strongly recommend Jacques the Peacock to any parent of a young baby!)


• The £70 parking ticket is only going to cost £35 if we pay it within 2 weeks. Whew. (It's amazing how, just 2 days ago, I would have cringed at the thought of a £35 ticket, yet now, by comparison, it feels like such a relief!)


• The new short story is still going strong, despite the fact I'm writing it in very short chunks.


• Fantastic news from this morning: I just found out that my dark fantasy short story "Wolf's Kin" has sold to Space and Time Magazine! Wooooot!!!!! I'm really, really happy about this - it's one of my favorite of my own short stories, and this is my first sale to a magazine that's actually stocked at my parents' local Barnes & Noble. (I know this may seem like a weird way to think about a sale - after all, online pro markets are even more accessible to readers everywhere, which is part of why I love them so much - but there's something very satisfying about finally being able to say to family members: "You can find my story in Barnes & Noble". I don't know why, but it's true, and it's making me very happy right now. :) Plus, Space and Time is just a great magazine, and I've been wanting to publish with them for a long time.)

Thanks so much to everybody who sent cheer-up thoughts yesterday when I was having such a hard time!