I started writing about Elias, in February of 2004, a few weeks after his premature birth as a way to keep family and friends informed on his status. As the days in the NICU turned into months I found this written outlet as important for my own healing and growth as it was to tell my loved ones about Elias's.
I continued to write updates, though not as often, when after 94 days we finally brought our baby home... along with oxygen tanks, medication and a long list of appointments for the months ahead.
In 2006, My friend E-beth who worked for ClubMom in NY asked if I'd be interested in applying for one of their new blogging positions. "What's a blog I asked?"
"Its what you've been doing, a way of journaling on the internet..."
"Oh..."
So I applied and was offered a contract to start From the Mountain Top To the Valley Floor, now archived here. (Though I still need to fix many of the images that got lost in the transfer.)
It was during these years that the reality of Elias's disabilities, as a result of his premature birth, began to sink in and I will be forever grateful to the support of my readers and commenters for helping me through each stage.
The sidebar here, called Our Story in A few Posts, is from these original Mountaintop entries.
After two years writing From the Mountaintop my initial editor contacted me from her new position at Parents.com and asked if I'd be interested in moving my blog to her site; and I'm thankful she did because a few months later ClubMom emailed to say they were closing shop and opening CafeMom, a user generated site that didn't involve paid blog contracts.
With the move came a new blog name, Following Elias, with an expanded community of readers who have rooted for Elias as he moved from a walker to canes, from preschool to kindergarten, from an only child to a boy with a sister on her way.
(As I write this page, I'm 25 weeks pregnant, beyond the point I carried Elias.)
And now after two years writing Following Elias for Parents, they are ending their blog contracts as well, so I have moved on again, this time to my own personal site here, with no contract, no editors, and no annoying pop-up ads.
(At the time of this writing they have not responded to my multiple pleas to take my archives with me--I can take a few posts they say but I want all the words, all the memories-- so soon those two years of writing may just disappear and the link will no longer work.)
I'm not so tech-savvy so it may take me awhile to work on the design of this site and to fill in the missing pieces but what began as a way to write my way to understanding, and connect, will continue-- as needed.
Thank you for being here, for sharing this journey, and for cheering us on along the way.
PS. I carried Elias's sister, Olive, a full 40 weeks and Parents.com never did release the rights to my writing from 07-09.