The cake looked something like this one.

I missed my own blogiversary! I knew it was early January but then I forgot to check exactly what day I first posted. It was four days ago last year. So happy belated blogiversary to me! I knew I should have bought that cake I saw in the bakery window yesterday!

Blogging has been very good for my mental health. Not only has it saved me from certain brain atrophy, it has given me something else to be responsible for other than my family. After years of focusing all of my energy and attention on nothing and nobody besides my daughter, whose crying and screaming has felt incessant, whose behaviours had all the professionals we saw telling us she likely had an autism-spectrum disorder, whose appointments to occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, pediatricians, and doctors resulted in a diagnosis of nothing except the ability to make me feel guilty for not parenting her better (even though its been attachment parenting all the way), blogging became like a new baby, a new pet. Something for me to be responsible for and give my attention to, without feeling guilty when things happen that are beyond my control. If someone is rude or mean, I can delete them. If someone in cyberspace is struggling with a problem it doesn’t rule my life. If someone has a question I can’t answer I can ask my twitter followers or readers to help me and lo and behold they do. If I want to make my blog prettier I can pay someone to help me do it and it won’t cry at me for pulling its hair in the brush bristles! Blogging has become my Never-Never-Land, a place of a kind of academic sanctuary, giving me the same sort of feelings I had years ago studying in my university library, only with more background noise. And like being in university I have met scores of highly intelligent women, some who’ve invited me to their “parties” or at least made public that they respect my work, and that’s all a part of feeling like “me” again. The me outside of the mommy. Because when motherhood arrives and you’re so fully committed to breastfeeding that you have a baby or toddler attached to your boob for the better part of a day, you need something to call your own. Something you can unlatch from as much as you can latch-on to without causing a certain temper tantrum.

And while there’s the potential for blogging taking over your life, I find it’s just one more thing to learn from and find balance with. And of course, that’s a part of my New Year’s resolutions, which you get to read about on Tuesday as part of the Natural Parenting Carnival. Despite the continual effort to find balance, I think blogging has actually made me a better mom because once I’ve finished clacking away I feel refreshed enough to better devote myself to my kids and husband.

I’ve learned a lot about myself this past year, but even more about breastfeeding. I started this blog with three posts under my belt and no idea what I would write about beyond them. Two hunded and two posts later I somehow keep coming up with something to say. Something I love about breastfeeding is the seemingly never-ending learning that comes with it. There’s always a new study to explore, an old question to think about in a fresh way, or a funny story to share. Thanks to everyone who’s read my blog this past year, who’s supported me and encouraged me and helped me grow. Special thanks to Momzelle, Canadian designer of organic cotton nursing wear for being such a terrific sponsor this past year and signing on for another one. I’m proud to have you. Thanks also to Lusa Organics and Cushie Pushie, as well as all the companies who have sent me products to review. Last but not least, thank you to you who read my blog. Without you I’d be writing for myself, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it sure is nice to have company. I look forward to the coming year!

Now, since that cake downtown is likely gone, I think I may just go make myself some Vegan Fudge Brownies to celebrate.

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1. I Know Blogging Has Taken Over My Life When…

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