800th post

I published my first blog post on May 13, 2007 - just shy of our 4th wedding anniversary - announcing our intention to adopt.  Fifteen years ago, blogging was more of a thing as different social media platforms were starting to emerge.  I think blogging requires more intent on the part of the author and more dedication of the part of the reader than other forms of social media, thus the decline in usage.

Initially, it was a way to share news with family and friends.  There have been times when I've wanted to speak about important issues like adoption, raising black boys, and special needs parenting. That hope has mostly faded, as I have a greater desire for privacy for my family than to use this as any sort of platform.  But the blog continues because I'm not very good at other forms of record keeping, so this is a gift to my children.

It serves as a record where the baby books are deficient. I often fail to get pictures in albums or on walls, and it is a place to backup pictures when computers fry.  My kids absolutely love their highlight videos and I am counting on it to help me with grad parties.  

When the blog was ten years old, I had it bound and printed three copies.  I called it "Wedan Family Grows: The First 10 Years".  My goal is to make it to a second edition, which should get Reggie through high school.

Here are some stats from the blog:

• There have been over 76,000 views. 
• 60k views have been from the United States.  There have been over 500 views from Russia, Germany, Ukraine, France, Canada, and Sweden.
• My most popular posts were about pacifers, potty training, and a toddler game - I'm guessing because they somehow came up in a search engine.
• There are over 1000 comments published on the blog.  I have settings in place so I screen every comment before it is published.
• I have 63 posts that were abandoned before published.
• My most commonly used labels are Brett, Lydia, Reggie...and Covid!
• I published the most posts in 2010, followed by 2011, the only two years I've hit 100+ posts.  It's a good thing because I barely remember those years!
• The least amount I published in a year was 26 in 2018, so at least two posts a month.
• I've only published 12 posts so far this year...I need to get to work!

In a sense, the blog has shared my journey through motherhood.  Before I became a mom, I remember thinking that I wasn't going to let motherhood change me.  I wasn't going to become so absorbed in my children that I lost myself.  

No, I haven't lost myself.  Through motherhood, I've found myself.  And I'm thankful it has changed me.