Tuesday, June 22, 2010

A great, big thank you to...Shannon at Cerebral Palsy Baby



This is the second post in a series of five thanking mom bloggers who've been meaningful to me, part of the P&G Thank You, Mom program. Gracias again to The Motherhood for inviting me to participate!

Before I started this blog, I'd thought about doing it for a long time. I was paralyzed, for all sorts of reasons. I didn't know how to start a blog. I didn't know if I should use the kids' names. I didn't know what I'd say in my first post—it felt so monumental. It was going to live on in cyberspace eternity! OMG!

This was back in 2008, when I wasn't reading very many blogs. So I started to. One Saturday morning in August, I woke up at 4:00 a.m. for some reason and hit my computer, determined to make good use of the found time and start the blog. I stumbled across Cerebral Palsy Baby. Shannon also has a child, a little girl, with cerebral palsy, and I admired her honesty and can-doism. I e-mailed her that morning, asked for advice about starting a blog, and admitted I was afraid crazy people would find us and come to our house.

Shannon e-mailed me back a couple of days later. She wrote, "It is sooooo hard putting yourself out there to the public that you can't control but I either had to pick to really really edit ourselves or to just semi-edit ourselves. I know people that use fake names, etc. etc. and I simply could never remember to do that. I had to go full force or none at all." She told me to let her know when I got my blog up and running.

I wasn't done with my hand-wringing just yet. I wrote back and said I didn't know if I'd be able to find the time. She responded, "I don't think you need to worry about being SUPER consistent, just make a goal to yourself to blog once a week or twice a month. I know plenty of people who can't blog constantly and their blogs still enjoy a large readership. I think you just have to jump in and see if it is something you enjoy and want to keep up."

OK. Out of excuses. When I got the blog going at the end of October, she was the first person I e-mailed. Subject line: "I finally did it!!!!!!!"

We've kept in touch over the years. Shannon's little girl is doing really well, and she recently had a third child. I'm living vicariously through her, for now!

I started this blog, which has been incredibly cathartic for me in so many ways, thanks to the kindness of a fellow mom in cyberspace. And for that, Shannon, I am eternally grateful.

11 comments:

  1. Shannon's was probably one of my very first disability blogs and I was really grateful for it. Another good choice.

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  2. I wish I had thought of consulting with someone for help. I just jumped in and then looked around...silly me.

    I have never checked out Shannon's blog, but will do so now.

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  3. Oh, Ellen. I needed this today. Thank you.

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  4. These people sound fabulous and I can't wait to "meet" them through you. thank you for always being awesome. xoxo

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  5. I just love your blog, the way you come up with topics worth talking and thinking about. I could never do what you and some of the other great bloggers (like Bird on the Street and others, including those you've mentioned) do--first, I have no discipline, second, I have no damn time (I work VERY irregular hours), and third, I have no talent for the creative like you guys do. I can respond, but having to think up a topic? Fuggedaboutit!!! However, one thing I am good at, despite my big butt, is cheerleading! And I'll cheerlead you guys whenever I have a spare moment!

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  6. Yay for Shannon! I actually have a hard time reading blogs with cute fake names for their children, disabled or not. It's just so distracting -- thank you for sharing your life with Max and Sabrina!

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  7. Cerebral Palsy Baby was the first blog I found. I remember sitting up late reading through the whole thing. I only commented a couple times but her story helped me so much at the time and was one of the reasons I started my blog too. Maybe one day someone sitting up late staring at their computer looking desperately for hope can find some on my blog and those of other parents.

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  8. Same for me! Shannon's was one of the first blogs I read when we were first diagnosed and I found so many similarities. Great job to all the mommy bloggers "putting it all out there!"

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  9. Oh, this had me in tears...what a heartwarming week this is turning out to be!

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  10. Oh Ellen, you know that is very similar to what happened to me! But I emailed YOU! You were the one who gave me the good advice and helpful, kind words! And I am soooooo thankful for it! I always think about you and Max first, when I log on bloggie land! Ellen, your my mentor in mommy clothing! He HE He!

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  11. From the loneliness of sitting in an apartment in Egypt, trying to find someone else who might understand my son's recent diagnosis, i found Shannon's blog two year ago. It was my introduction into a world of support i couldn't live without today.

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Thanks for sharing!