I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before.   I love holidays.  LOVE them.   All of them.   I love seeing the faces of my children filled with wonder and surprise.  And I love being surprised. 

This year, I totally got my Surprise Fix.

Let me start by sharing that, for the second year in a row, I’ve spent the two Biggie Holiday Months on deadline.   Wicked poor planning on my part.   I have a book due to my editor on January 2 .  I also have back-to-back releases due on December 29 [A HIGHLANDER’S DESTINY] and on January 26 [A HIGHLANDER’S HOMECOMING], which all the writers on this list know means not only am I supposed to be spending every minute of every day creating that next story, I’m also supposed to be spending those same minutes promoting my upcoming releases.

And shopping and baking and wrapping and sending out cards and planning surprises to amaze and delight and … well you get the picture.   Regular life for all MamaWriters.

**While we’re talking promotion, I should remind you to stop by my website, homecoming1  [www.MelissaMayhue.com ] to enter the contest for an Advance Readers Copy of A HIGHLANDER’S HOMECOMING along with some other fun goodies.**

 

With my brain appropriately fried and pulled in a million directions, I sat down to write this blog.   As I contemplated what I wanted to talk about, it occurred to me that my own MamaHood has moved through many steps, one of which I’m excited to share with you guys today.

I see MamaHood as an ongoing series of stages:  Pre-MamaHood, Pregnant Mama, Mama of Newborn, BabyMama, the infamous Multiple Mama [otherwise known at The Referee Mama], ToddlerMama [with a very special sympathy category for Mamas of Two-Year-Olds!], PreSchool Mama, Kindergarten Mama, Grade School Mama, Pre-Teen Mama, Teenager Mama [the hardest job since Mama for Two-Year-Olds!!!], and Mama Whose Babies Have Grown.

Yes, I’ve done them all so, no matter where you are on the scale, you have my sympathy [and my envy!].  But I’m on to another exciting step on the MamaHood Ladder… GrandMama!!

On Thanksgiving Day my oldest son and his wife arrived at my door and made a bee-line to my office.

“Can I use your computer, Mom?”

I followed along, babbling about anything and everything since their last visit, thrilled to see my little boy again.  [Okay… he hasn’t been little for a long time, but just because he towers over me doesn’t mean for one minute he isn’t still MY little boy!].

My babbling continued as he loaded a cd into the machine on my desk, stopping only when he asked if I knew what the picture on the screen was…

Well, duh.   Who doesn’t recognize an ultrasound?   Wait.   Ultrasound???

Yep.   My lovely daughter-in-law’s insides graced my computer screen.   It could mean only one thing…

“What are those two little bubbles in there?”   Yes, fellow Mamas, in moments like this, even I can ask the most inane questions on the planet.  Questions whose answers are the most obvious.

Not only are we having babies, we’re having TWINS!!!!

I’m going to be a Grandmama.   MamaHood Squared.  And since there are TWO little critters headed our way at the same time… MamaHood to the Power of Two!

For a Mama who loves surprises, this pretty much topped them all for me  this holiday season.   What about you?   Care to share your all-time favorite Holiday Surprise  –  either one you received or one you gave?

 MELISSA MAYHUE writes award-winning paranormal romance for Pocket Books, all set in an imaginary world of Faeries and Mortals. Her fifth book, A HIGHLANDER’s DESTINY is set for release on December 29 and her sixth, A HIGHLANDER’S HOMECOMING, hits stores on January 26, 2010.

You can visit her on the web at: www.MelissaMayhue.com or come Twitter with her at www.Twitter.com/MelissaMayhue