I've never been a diary or journal keeper. I don't have a particularly good memory. While I consider myself a fairly good story teller, I'm not a writer. As an undergrad journalism major some 20 years ago, being objective and being invested in a story but not biased to or for it was alway important.
Fast forward 20 years - which takes surprising less time than one would think - I'm a married woman, working full time outside the home and my husband and I try to keep up with our six children aged 5 and a half and younger. We both work full time and 'free' time is a rare thing indeed. So why blog?
When we first found out, in early 2004, we were expecting fraternal twins - friends said "You'll have so many stories to tell!" Sarah and Joseph were born and our life as a family began.
When we found out in summer 2005 we were expecting fraternal twins - again - we were parenting 10 month old twins and Mark had surgery at Sloan Kettering to remove a kidney tumor that fall - friends said "We hope you're writing these great stories down! God is doing great things!" I promised I would. Catherine and John Paul were born in February 2006 and we went from playing man to man, to playing zones as they say in basketball. In other words, some part of the zone is always uncovered in spite of your best efforts.
When we found out we were expecting for a third time - and the obstetrician bet us a bottle of wine it was twins again - we could barely keep awake past 8pm. When Patrick was born - solo -in spite of his eldest sister asking "Where's the other Patrick?" in July 2007, I recounted the story to our pediatrician who, after heartily laughing assured me that there was a book to be written about our family dynamic. In fact she said I could be the new Erma Bombeck. In spite of my best intentions, it didn't happen.
When pregnancy #4, with baby #6 was announced in the fall of 2008 when we were still not yet married 5 years, I managed a surprise trip to Florida for Mark's birthday. We didn't quite know what to do with ourselves with no little ones waking us early in the morning. I had almost relaxed into vacation mode by the day we flew home!
Simon, our 6th baby is now approaching his 1st birthday in April 2010.
So why am taking the plunge now? I'm afraid if I don't I'll forget all the important things they will ask me about and a blog is way easier that keeping baby books. My younger sister has inspired me to get started. She's a writer!
