On March 26, 2017, I wrote my first post to this blog and 99 days later, yesterday, I wrote my 100th post. I didn’t know when I started I’d be blogging every day, in fact on the first day I asked a gifted writer friend of mine to help me check on the blog and keep me motivated, which so far he hasn’t needed to do. Today will be reflections on what I’ve learned from blogging thus far.
One of the first things is how valuable even casual pics are. I happened to take this selfie at my then job, my Estimated Conception Date of February 3rd.
I’m happy I have that photo, though it took me a bit of time to figure out why I had that particular shirt combo on as I tend to save it for Valentine’s Day or similar. On a hunch I started looking up days to celebrate women, and it turns out it was National Go Red for Women’s Day to call attention to women’s heart disease. It was an honor to wear this color as I did it in part honoring a friend of mine who has heart disease who has since gone on to have her first child.
My very first post was soon after I was nine weeks along. The blog morphed in part out of letters I was writing to our baby to be given to him or her someday perhaps in response to question s/he has about when s/he was a baby or about early childhood. I’ve thought about putting snippets of those letters on here and will do some at one point. I have plans for this blog that I haven’t yet put into place including a custom layout design instead of a template. This is the third template I’ve used and the best so far, yet I have so many ideas that a custom look would do better when it is time.
A friend told me she doesn’t know any mommy bloggers, which I’m not surprised is true as our circle can be similar, and I don’t know any in real life. I do, however, have friends in Facebook Groups for moms and bloggers and some that are for both. The same friend said having a blog for a baby is narcissistic, which is an intriguing idea, that I don’t agree with and it cracks me up as she’s read only one entry of this blog though I don’t know which one.
She also states that posting on Facebook before the baby is born is sort of a jinx or bad luck, which is actually interesting. My late dad and his side of the family is Jewish and in some sects of Judaism it is considered bad luck to buy things for the baby before s/he is born. I can only imagine the father in this situation running around buying all sorts of things including a receiving blanket, onesies, diapers and car seat before taking the baby home, this actually could be a scene out of a comedy movie. None of my Jewish relatives believe in this tradition including my Aunt Carol and Cousin Alysse who both already bought baby presents.
I write these entries daily and though I thought I’d write some in reserve that rarely happens. There’s a weekly pattern for the most part:
- Monday – Stage of Baby’s Development in Utero
- Tuesday – Book Review (often pregnancy or baby related)
- Wednesday – Free – Open Writing Day
- Thursday – Throw Back Thursday
- Friday – Product Review (often pregnancy or baby related)
- Saturday – Free – Open Writing Day
- Sunday – Free – Open Writing Day
So by having the pattern established, and having these topics it helps me come up with things to write. Sometimes the free days are hardest to write about and sometimes the topics are, such as when I have a busy week that makes finding time to read a book difficult, and this is before the baby has been born.
Other times, having a blog changes my behavior, I’ll take even more photos than usual including selfies. I have Matt take photos of us and have had fun making pregnancy signs even thought I don’t see a huge artistic improvement in my drawing skills yet. I even have lots of pictures ready for topics that I still have to blog on.
I don’t know that I’ll keep blogging daily, though that is the goal. I think of this as a diary for our child and truly hope s/he will enjoy it. It’s a goal for Matt to write an entry or more on here sometime or perhaps I’ll just do a Question and Answer with him sometime.
Just like our child is growing, developing and changing so is my blog. I’m proud already of our thriving baby to be and this blog and I look forward to becoming a bigger part of my life.
~ Danielle
Over 40 First Time Mom 