Her Bad Mother

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Naissance

Yesterday was my blog birthday. This blog is one year old.

I know that most people like to call it an anniversary, or a blogiversary, but I really prefer to think of it as a sort of birth. One without the pain and the drugs and the torn-up hoo-hah, but a birthday nonetheless. One year ago yesterday, I created something. I took part of myself and made something of it and thrust it out into the world. I gave something birth. That thing was, is, this blog.

I'm not going to get all cheesy and call it my baby. It's not my baby. This is my baby:



But it is possible to give birth to other things - things, works, states of being - things that are not babies, not even, colloquially, 'our babies' (such a mother, so literal - only a baby can be one's 'baby'), things that are nonetheless much beloved, much treasured, the products of much work.

This is what I said, one year ago. This was the first yell, the first red-cheeked holler that announced new life: welcome to the first day of the rest of my life.

My life.

I was referring, specifically, to the day of WonderBaby's birth, the day that I became a mother, the day that my universe changed, the day that I changed, forever. But I might have been referring to the day at hand, the day of the birth of the blog. Because that day was also a day of transformation, a day of fundamental change. It was the day that I decided to tell my stories. It was the day that I became (again? for once and for all?) a writer, because it was the day that I leapt - blindly, happily - into my love of writing and stayed there. Swam there, splashed there, frolicked there. I'm still there - sometimes frolicking, sometimes dog-paddling, sometimes floating on my back, resting tired arms, but still - still - there. (Waterbabywriterbaby. Writerbaby? Uck. Writer, baby.)

What I gave birth to: a new (a rediscovered?) part of myself, a new (found?) identity. 'Her Bad Mother' (the name came late, as names often do) is me - me-the-mother, of course, but more fundamentally, me-the-writer.

I'm thinking about that a lot these days, about this transformation, this (re?)birth. How do I nurture this work, this thing, this me? I don't quite know how to mother this creation. I'm learning as I go. I'm making mistakes, I think, but I don't mind my errors. I'm learning. I don't know how this work will turn out, but for the moment, that doesn't matter. The joy is in the doing.

And, of course, always, the inspiration... there is joy, so much joy, in celebrating the inspiration, that which gave (who did give) this breath...

Then.

Now.

I don't know where this goes. It doesn't matter. It can only be good.

Cheers, and thanks for sharing this year with me.

66 Comments:

Blogger Kate said...

Congrats on your anniversary! You're a wonderful writer. It's so fulfilling in life to give birth to your own creations.

Thanks for all the great reading.

9:10 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

catherine, wonderbaby is so adorable.glad i found you.and glad i finally figured out how to post comments.
LAVENDULA

9:32 PM  
Blogger Lara said...

best of wishes and major congratulations. i know exactly what you mean, though, about feeling rediscovered as a writer with the blog. it's remarkable, how different my life is now - now that i'm a blogger - than it was before. i'm glad to have enjoyed your blog (though sadly i haven't had my anniversary as a reader yet - couple months to go still), and i'm glad you've been enjoying writing it. :)

(p.s. on thursday, i posted a list of search terms through which people found my site, and i figure you probably didn't see, but one of them was "wonderbaby designs pants." i thought you'd get a kick out of that.)

9:37 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Happy birthday to the wonderblog!

9:50 PM  
Blogger Amy said...

Congratulations on your new life as a writer, baby. And thank you for inspiring me all the while. Cheers.

9:50 PM  
Blogger jo(e) said...

Happy Blog Birthday!

10:15 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I hope we have more years of cute wonderbaby pics to come. Man she's adorable.

10:15 PM  
Blogger Lawyer Mama said...

Happy Birthday!

And what an adorable inspiration you have.

10:31 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

happy happy birthday!

I came on board late around here, but I am looking forward to the next year (and those after)!

11:05 PM  
Blogger NotSoSage said...

Happy Birthdy, HBM! At least you don't have to worry about the "when's the next one coming along?" questions with this baby.

Mme L has that same shirt (I have to admit, it has always freaked me out, just the tiniest bit).

11:24 PM  
Blogger Scribbit said...

You have eloquently described the reasons why I started blogging. It's not about having an audience or recording my life--it's all about creativity and the need to create. I think that is what drives all writers more or less.

12:47 AM  
Blogger Susanne said...

Happy blog birthday! Only a year old, who would have thought. And yes, creativity and the need to create, like scribbit said. That's what it's all about.

4:53 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Happy Bloggy Birthday :)

I'll admit that I haven't been reading since the very beginning, but I still loved this post!

7:40 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

happy blog birthday!

keep writing!

7:45 AM  
Blogger Chicky Chicky Baby said...

Happy Blog Birthday! Can it really be that you're a whole year older, 'cause you look fabulous. Not a day over 200 days old.

9:50 AM  
Blogger Beck said...

A whole year! Good stuff. I'm very Johnny Come Lately to your blog, but I'm always amused and enchanted by your writing. Here's wishing you many years more.

9:57 AM  
Blogger crazymumma said...

It's been a pleasure.
Thanks for having us.

9:58 AM  
Blogger The Mama said...

I'm a very new reader to your blog but have laughed my way through the older posts and have enjoyed reading everything. I've even read some of them to my husband who nods enthusiastically along with me. Keep it up. This is one of my new favourite things - to read your adventures.

10:44 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Congrats on your first year!

11:27 AM  
Blogger Redneck Mommy said...

So glad you decided to share your Wonderbaby with us, Catherine.

Congrats. Here's to another fabulous year and all the posts about hurdles, and accomplishments that follow.

11:43 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Happy birthday Catherine's blog!

12:22 PM  
Blogger Gabriella said...

Happy One year Blog Birthday. So glad you started one and shared it with us!

1:22 PM  
Blogger Christina said...

Congrats on your one year blog birthday! I'm glad we found each other from our shared experiences of motherhood and Siamese cats! :)

1:56 PM  
Blogger Namito said...

A very happy bloggy birthday, you bad mother.
and here's to a brilliant new year of great writing!

2:04 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

happy happy blogibirthday....I am so grateful that you were 'born'...You inspire me.

Enjoy and keep blogging...

3:15 PM  
Blogger GIRL'S GONE CHILD said...

Happy One YEEEEAR! You're amazing. Many happy returns.

4:35 PM  
Blogger kittenpie said...

Happy happy - we're so glad you started this! Can't believe it's a year (nearly one for me too) and we've met all these neat people and wrote and read so many stories. I hope to see you busting out some balloons and cake again this time next year. I'll be there!

4:36 PM  
Blogger metro mama said...

Happy bad blog birthday!

4:37 PM  
Blogger Kyla said...

Happy blirthday, HBM!

5:42 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

so glad I found you this year.

Happy birthday!

5:44 PM  
Blogger AMANDA said...

Hi. Found you through Blogging Chicks. I love your writing. And your baby is just beautiful!
Happy Bloggy Bday!

5:59 PM  
Blogger Mimi said...

The first anniversary is 'paper', non--very writer, but not very blog? Oh wait, not an anniversay, a *birthday*. So cake then! And, as everyone knows, cake has no calories on your birthday ;-)

7:53 PM  
Blogger Nicole said...

happy first! I just found you (via ??) and you reminded me that my first was also Saturday. Cheers!

7:54 PM  
Blogger Blog Goddess Brethern said...

Happy anniversary. Yours is one of my absolute favorites.

8:29 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Congratulations on one year of blogging. I honestly can say that your voice in the blogsphere has been one of the most comforting and welcome ones to me during these past few months.

8:58 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Congrats on the anniversary for your blog. You've become one of my daily check-ins for several reasons - one because you're from 'close to home', but also because the way you write pulls me in.

I go through spurts with my LiveJournal, where I post frequently and then disappear. I wish I could be as eloquent as y'all are... Mebbe that's why I disappear - because I know I couldn't ever be.

9:35 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oops. The above is me. I'm a dork ROFL

9:35 PM  
Blogger Grim Reality Girl said...

Happy Blog Birthday to YOU,
Happy Blog Birthday to you,
Happy Blog Birthday HBM....
Happy Blog Birthday to Y O U!!!!

Glad you are blogging -- I love your writing!

9:50 PM  
Blogger Lady M said...

It's hard to believe how much powerful and positive impact you've had on the blogging world in just one year. Congratulations!

And by the way, Wonderbaby keeps getting cuter.

12:10 AM  
Blogger Girlplustwo said...

and what a year you've had. i know for me, you've been a source of insight and inspiration.

constantly. you.

12:43 AM  
Blogger the mad momma said...

hey..congratulations... here's to many more birthdays... and here's to continuing to inspire us...

3:56 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Congratulations on your anniversary!!

Or is it Feliz CumpleaƱos!!

9:03 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wooooooo! Happy Birthday, Blog!

9:41 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Happy 1st year! ~Mimi

10:35 AM  
Blogger ms blue said...

I would have baked your blog a cake.

Congrats to you on your creative and always captivating words. Here's to many more blog birthdays!

11:34 AM  
Blogger Run ANC said...

Joyeuse Naissance! Truly, we are so glad you are here. Simply stated - the blogosphere simply would not be the same without you.

12:28 PM  
Blogger Mom101 said...

I know it's totally lame to simply comment on the photos but I am moved to do so. She is more stunning by the day. (Ok, so the hair helps as we've both learned.)

Happy year!

3:07 PM  
Blogger Mocha said...

Hold a sec...there's this pain...yes...there it is. Right in my uterus from that delicious baby

Owwwwww.

Beautifully stated, my dear. You are right to state that the joy is in the doing.

3:12 PM  
Blogger Diva Dee said...

HAPPY BLOGIVERSARY!

Interesting blog!

We'd love to have the chance to review it on our new site!

We're looking for bloggers willing to be our first!

4:16 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Congratulations HBM!

You've added a unique voice to the blogging world...looking forward to much more!

4:54 PM  
Blogger Granny said...

Happy blog birthday (a little late, as usual).

Thanks for including the links to your other posts. I hadn't seen them.

5:17 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Congratulations! What gorgeous photos!

6:10 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing it with us.

7:40 PM  
Blogger Blog said...

Happy Blogaversary (or whatever!) :). And, our little monkeys are the greatest inspirations aren't they -- not just for the writing! :)

10:30 PM  
Blogger KJ's muse said...

Happy Belated Blog Birthday!

For you I willingly clean my hard drive when it says I'm running out of disk space. :)

Keep up the great writing!

11:07 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Happy Blog Birthday! I love this blog, you, WonderBaby, the whole package. Looking forward to many more great years of your writing!

11:34 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Glad you're here. Cheers!

10:41 AM  
Blogger AngelHawk said...

happy 1yr blog anniversary, and just so you know- both your babies are amazing! keep up the great work!

11:56 AM  
Blogger PunditMom said...

Happy day! And thank you for all your wonderful prose!

12:21 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Happy birthday to Her Bad Mother! Thanks for allowing me to find you.

7:38 PM  
Blogger Creative-Type Dad said...

Happy blogiversary!

1:27 PM  
Blogger Amanda said...

So, first, happy one year creation of something personal and wonderful. It's a pretty grand thing to throw something out there and meet with an echo, an embrace or just a sense of satisfaction.Second,since we all know that each of us has the most beautiful, wonderful, talented and splendiferous child(ren) in the world, I just wanted to take a moment to say:
Oh My! Your child is, gulp, truly magnificently beautiful. Really. Wow. Bravo, mama, bravo.

4:32 PM  
Blogger urban-urchin said...

Awww HBM, look how much you've grown! happy blog birthday.
That girl is so damn cute.

12:40 AM  
Blogger Ruth Dynamite said...

Thank you for sharing the joy.

7:12 AM  
Blogger nonlineargirl said...

Wow, talk about late... oh well, happy one year to you. (Late at night tipsy posting, plus late in days to say congratulations.)

2:17 AM  
Blogger Catherine said...

We started blogging within 5 days of each other...and I think we have the same name. This is my third comment in five minutes, but only my first visit. I'm happy to meet you.

11:49 PM  

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