1000 posts

This is my 1000th post.  Over the past five years, I’ve logged on to my computer and posted pictures, videos and text 1000 times.  That’s kind of amazing to me.  Of course there have been days where I did multiple posts in one sitting to document a trip or separate events.  But for the most part, I’ve blogged an incredible amount of times about important moments, exciting adventures and mundane events. 

            As I look back over the blog, I see the tone has changed.  In the early days when Leo was a newborn, I glossed over the hardship.  I was absolutely freaking miserable in the beginning, struggling with nursing, fighting with Tom, feeling depressed, but very little of that is reflected on the blog.  I’d like to think I’ve become more honest; I’m more willing to discuss just how crappy motherhood is. 

            I think my candid approach comes from the fact that I don’t really think anyone reads this blog.  When I’m writing to no one but myself, there is no reason to gloss over the dismal truths.  I want to remember how bad it can be so I can appreciate it when it’s good.  Plenty of people give up on blogging or ignore a blog for long stretches.  I never have.  That’s because the one reader I do know I have is my mom and if any mom is good at any thing, it’s nagging and she will gently nag me to post.  I know she wishes she could see her grandkids everyday (or close to it), so the blog is the next best thing. 

            As cliché as it sounds, motherhood has been a journey for me.  I went from being pretty clueless and borderline delusional (“a baby won’t keep us from going out and enjoying our lives”) to being a bit of a Pollyanna about the whole thing (“I just love being a mom”) to being the sarcastic, cynical parent I’ve always been deep down inside.  Because, honestly, parenthood is 80% dealing with bodily fluids, 15% pure misery and 5% pure joy, so if you don’t have a sense of humor about it, you won’t survive. 

            I don’t see myself ending this blog any time soon.  As long as there are holidays and vacations and field trips and tantrums, I should have enough to photograph.  I might not always have clever things to say but I’ll still include text (though Tom tells me no one reads the text).  I haven’t made baby books for the kids so this blog is the chronicle of their “firsts” and the memories and milestones we want to remember (and some we’d rather forget).    

            Thank you for reading.