Blog you, VERY much!

JJ at Reproductive Jeans has challenged other bloggers to share our blog's birth story & say THANKS to that blogger who inspired you.

I think I first became aware of blogging and its potential through Ann Douglas's The Mother of All Blogs. Ann is a prolific Canadian writer of books, magazine articles & Internet content, mostly on parenting-related topics, but also on issues of pregnancy loss, with which she has firsthand experience. She has also written on a broad range of other subjects ranging from curling to Canadian women. I first "met" Ann online shortly after the stillbirth of my daughter in 1998, in an e-mail support group we both belonged to called SPALS, and later met her in "real life" in conjunction with Perinatal Bereavement Services Ontario. I haven't encountered her in person recently, but enjoy keeping up with her doings via her blog.

I can't remember the first infertility blog I ever read, but in recent months, my list of favourite blog links has been growing. Every now & then, I will use Google Blog & search for terms like "childless," "childfree" and infertility. Although I've read many, many blogs that inspired me and made me feel less alone, Pamela Jeanne's wonderful blog, Coming2Terms, was one of the first that I read that truly spoke to me & my situation-- not only about my experiences with infertility, but about the life I'm living today, having moved beyond treatment without a baby in my arms. It made me realize (although not for the first time) how few voices there are out there in cyberspace providing this perspective and got me thinking that maybe I should add mine too. For the kick in the pants to actually do it, I must credit Melissa at Stirrup Queens. The book tours there seemed like just too much fun not to join. ; )

So to all of you out there, and especially Ann, PJ & Melissa, "blog you very much!"