J. Conlon and Sons

Friday, May 22, 2009

I'm back!

I've had a hankering for some crafting and blogging lately but I haven't wanted to put anything in writing just in case the hanker was short lived. I have been catching up on Bloglines (There were just under 30,000 new posts since I stopped reading regularly. Yes that was typed correctly, THIRTY THOUSAND. I know I was away for a bit but I think that large number has more to do with the number of blogs I subscribe to then the length of time. I'm now editing them down to a more manageable amount.) and there are many new beautiful projects out there to be inspired by and to attempt. So here it goes...I'm jumping back in...

First, a bit of an update: After a not-so-easy pregnancy, I had a baby boy on January 20, 2009. He was born 17 minutes before noon which means he's a Bush administration baby. I do not want to introduce politics to this blog but I will admit that I did ask the doctor if they could wait just a bit before the (unscheduled) c-section. I think they thought I was kidding. Then again, he can now say he was alive for the inauguration of our first Black president. That is pretty cool.


I returned to work after three wonderful months with my baby boy and was soon laid off...just about 4 hours after I showed up. (Just so you know, I was among a large-ish group laid off that day and I hold no ill will toward my formal employer. It's just the economy, such as it is at the moment.) So I love having more time to spend with the little boy but a bit freaked out since I really need a job to support my family. Anyone out there looking for a web designer?

I am also now contemplating how much to share about the new person in my life. Do I share his name? How about a picture or two? A story about his goofy antics (he's only 4 months so there haven't been much of those yet)? I'm just not sure. Honestly, I'm not clear on what the ramifications of sharing him with the world might be. So for now he will remain anonymous. (His grandma just sighed with great relief.) Does anyone have any advice for me? Have you shared information about your children on your blog? Has anything negative—or positive—come from it? I'd love to hear about your experiences.

So stay tuned. I'm back.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Jen, So glad you are back and congratulations! Terrific to hear that you have had a healthy baby boy. You are now probably set into a little bit of a routine and used to being sleep deprived as well. Can't wait to see what crafty goodness you will be up to.

As for advice, although I do have 2 children, who are definitely normal teens, I made a decision to make my blog purely quilt related. Occasionally there may be a reference to family, but I felt it was better that way for me. While that is what I have chosen, many people do otherwise and it works for them. I truly feel this is a personal decision and that you ultimately have to be comfortable with the decision that you make. Whatever you choose, we will be behind you! Welcome back!

Louise said...

Good to see you back! Coincidentally, I had a baby boy on January 19-- we were in DC and got stuck there over the day of the inauguration because all the bridges were closed, so watching the inauguration on tv from my hospital bed was the first thing we did as a family of three. I felt the same way you did about having a Bush admin baby: "Can we just wait another day, little man?"

As for sharing about our baby on my blog, I've shared some photos since he has been born, and I've used his first name (which is a pretty common one), but now that he's beginning to look more like a real person, I've decided to phase out images of his face and instead focus on crafts, but there may be some "funny baby" stories from time to time. Glad you're doing well.

jacquie said...

congratulations jen! i'm so glad you have a healthy little one and some time to enjoy him. as for sharing about him...i write about my family occasionally...it's hard not to because they are the number one part of my life, but my kids are of legal age (supposedly they can take care of themselves) you'll figure out what you are comfortable with. again, congrats!!!

Jen said...

Congratulations! Having a baby for the first time certainly is a life changing experience but brings lots of joy and wonder into your life (as well as hard work).

I do write about my kids on my blog but it's not a dedicated craft blog like a lot of those out there. I have put their names and pictures but I try to hide any more details than that. I do occasionally worry about it though!

2ndAvenueStudio-Rachel said...

Im so happy your back! Congrats on the new addition. I have no kids but an opinion - isn't that just the way? sheesh!-
I like to see pics of the kids and hear about them, but if I don't really know 'em nicknames are fine.
Really you were missed.

Tania said...

Hey there...I just happened to be pootling by and couldn't resist popping in to add my congratulations to the list. Hope the sleep situation is well under hand!