To Blog, Or Not To Blog . . .

In the beginning, the intention of this blog was to keep people informed about my pregnancy and all the details accompanying it. Yes, that was the intention, but I soon realized that writing this blog was so much more than that. Having majored in English in college, I have always loved to write. I find that the thoughts and feelings in my mind and heart become more real and coherent when I put them in writing. Amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life, we often have amazing ideas or emotionally charged thoughts that are all too often forgotten. Writing this blog has captured many of these 'would-be-forgotten' feelings while chronicling a very important time of my life.

When you have children, life can really take off on you. When they are babies, we buy Baby Books with the intention of recording every 'first' and detailing the sweetness of their first year of life. Let me be the first to laugh at this notion! Michael's baby book is pretty well kempt. He was my first child and as many of us know, the first child generally has the more detailed baby book, the most pictures of them as a baby/child, etc. But when the second child comes, you have a lot more on your plate! Claire's baby book is fairly intact, but what differs the most from Michael's- is that a lot of her firsts and memories are jotted down on post-it-notes. I did this with the idea that they would be transferred some day when I had more time (insert hysterical laughter). When I think back, I am thankful that I was at least able to get to paper and a pen and record some of these memories. Having two babies 17 months apart was about enough to put me over the edge! That is why I acknowledge the small victory that at least I found the time to record things! If I didn't have the faculties about me to jot some of Claire's stories down, I would've forgotten the time she ate Desitin or when she used to call cheeseburgers, 'cheese-yats'. I might have blanked when recalling how Michael used to flick our fingernails to relax or how he called Claire, 'Hi' (we used to tell him, 'Say Hi to your sister' and he took this literally by referring to her as 'Hi' instead of 'Claire').

So what will Matthew's baby book look like? So far, I have entered the statistical information about his birth details, a few items on family history- but I see so many pages upon pages of empty stats that I fear will never be filled. Because seriously . . . between cleaning, making meals, doing laundry, driving carpool, showering (who am I kidding) and breathing, I am swamped. Yet, as I continue to keep up with the wear and tear of being a mother of three, I still find time to blog. Why? Because I truly enjoy writing. It makes me feel good. It empowers me and reminds me to enjoy the little things in life because at the end of the day, the 'little things' are what keep you going. Since I started blogging back in October, I have over 55 articles about my life and the life of my family. Some the blog entries were emotionally charged with the stress of Matthew's pregnancy, but other entries simply capture the daily grind of our little family. I wrote about field trips, my memories as a child, the pregnancy- all the while successfully creating a written 'slice of life' that is captured forever in my own words.

I am not sure who reads this blog. I am not able to see how many times my blog is visited or who reads what entry- unless you leave me a comment. But what I know for sure is that sharing my life experiences with others has been a wonderful experience for me. I have always been an open person, so sharing my joys and my shortcomings with people is not too difficult. So, while my beautiful Matthew may never have a fully detailed baby book, he will instead have a detailed journal of his beginning, a written recording of his precious life experiences, and a glimpse into the lives of the people around him. What will make all of this extra special is that these memoirs will be blogged straight from the heart of his Mom. Who knows? Maybe blogs are the new Baby Books of the 21st century! Let's wait and see.