Tah-Freakin'-Dah!! (or Happy Anniversary to Me)

Continuing in the self-focused vein I've been traveling lately, I decided to call attention to myself yet again by celebrating the one year anniversary of this blog. The effort would have been exclusively literary but in a fabulous coincidence of timing, my friend Julie (a.k.a. Pilcrow Text and Design) agreed to give me a much-needed blog makeover. Julie, by the way, is the person I credit with leading me to my epiphany that I wanted to work with birthing women. How fitting that her hand is present here, too, where I write about and reflect on birthing women. Her knowledge of me and of birth shows in the beautiful design she created. Thank you so very much, Julie.

I also want to acknowledge here Mark Maynard, who was the first person I ever met who blogged and whose blog was the first I ever read. I probably would have found blogging eventually, but it would have intimidated me a lot longer had I not met such an ordinary (I mean that as a compliment, Mark) person who used this medium with such humor, vitriol and complete crudeness.

As much as I have enjoyed writing about birth-related topics, the real fun of this blog has been making contact with those of you who leave comments. Thank you for reading and for occasionally weighing in, and civilly, too.

[Does this sound like an acceptance speech or a swan song?]

Finally, I want to thank my spouse for his enthusiasm toward this very personal project of mine. He has not always felt comfortable with what I've written, particularly in some of the ways I exposed him or our family here, but he has always respected my creative license and privacy. And he may not belive this, but I do take his concerns to heart.

Tomorrow I begin another year with doulicia. I hope you will join me from time to time.