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Friday, October 31, 2014

Happy Halloblogoversaween :)

Here's a slightly scary thought: not only is today Halloween, it's also my seven-year blogoversary.  SEVEN.  It's hard for me to realize that this blog has been part of my life for that long. If you had asked me, seven years ago tonight, whether I would still be here seven years later, I probably would have said no. Surely, 16 years after Katie's stillbirth, 13 years post-fertility treatments, now in my 50s, approaching menopause, I would have run out of things to write about by now? 

Apparently not. ;)  Here are a few stats: 

Number of years blogging:  7
Published posts (including this one): 832
Average # of posts per year: 119
Average # of posts per month:  10
Published comments: more than 6,300
Page views (tracked since May 2008):  266,685 
Followers:  146

A lot has changed in the blogosphere these past seven years: many of the bloggers I followed when I first started blogging have disappeared. Some of the absentees, I know, achieved their dream of motherhood and are presumably, understandably busy. Others just vanished (some with explanation, some not) and I wonder what happened to them, whether they achieved their goals and (regardless), whether they are happy today. A handful remain (& I am so happy you're still hanging in there!). 

One big change: when I first started writing here, there were just a few blogs dedicated to living without children after loss &/or infertility. (Most notably, Pamela Jeanne, who is still blogging at Silent Sorority, was already out there with her original blog, Coming2Terms.)  Today, there are a lot more of us in this corner of the ALI community -- and the numbers are continuing to grow.  There's a growing segment of the population that does not and will not have children, for whatever reasons, and increasingly, we are speaking up and writing about our experiences -- about the many reasons why we are living without children, and why it is not necessarily a bad thing (even when it's not the life we once wanted for ourselves). The media & the public are starting to take note, to listen and to learn. Overall, I think that's a good thing.

As always -- thank you all for reading/listening, commenting and just being here.

Blogoversary #6 (2013)
Blogoversary #5 (2012)
Blogoversary #4 (2011)
Blogoversary #3 (2010)
Blogoversary #2 (2009)
Blogoversary #1 (2008)
First post

11 comments:

  1. Happy blogoversary!!! Crazy to be here seven years later, isn't it? :)

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  2. Happy blogoversary Loribeth!! Wishing you many more.

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  3. Always a pleasure to read and follow your blog. Your words make us think, feel and grow. xo, Pamela

    P.s. Thanks for the shoutout...

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  4. Happy blogoversary! So very glad to have met you, and your blog.

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  5. Happy blogoversary! I wasn't around for the first 6.75 years, but I'll be here for the next seven!

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  6. Wow Loribeth! Congratulations on your endurance and everything else.

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  7. Happy blogoversary! I'm SO SO glad to have found you and the others who speak of this type of life. I've learnt a lot from each of you and looking forward to learning more. :-)

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  8. Late to the party, but wanted to chime in with a happy blogoversary.

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  9. Selfishly, I am very pleased you haven't run out of topics to blog about yet. Congratulations on seven years of blogging. Hope you stick around for many more.

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  10. Happy Happy Belated Anniversary! So glad you started writing and continue to do so!

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