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It's my one year blog-o-versary! 289 posts later. Whew! Sick of me yet?

January 31 is a day that I have met with mixed emotions for several years. Four years ago, it was the day that a high-risk pregnancy doctor took a good look at the little 11-week old fetus growing inside me and switched off the ultrasound machine and shook his head. Next thing you know, he ushered me into a private room with boxes of tissues everywhere and the genetic counselor. Words were coming out of their mouths, but they weren't connecting into concepts in my brain. Lymphatic system, heart malformations, chromosomal defects, 1% chance of survival, stillbirth, termination. Next thing I knew, I had agreed to let them stick a HUGE needle through my abdomen so they could give me information to connect the dots and make sense of all these words.

Four years later, remembering that day is bittersweet. Bitter because I will never forget the fear and sadness that settled in my heart and forever left its imprint. Sweet because, well, look at us now. It's hard to believe that the 3-year old marching around my house in a Cinderella dress and barking orders into a cell phone is the perilous little fetus we were worried about.

Jennifer, who blogs at Pinwheels, and is mom of three, including Avery, who has Down Syndrome, wrote in a recent post, "I wish I’d known we were all going to be okay. And of course, we are."

Exactly.

It was no accident that I started my blog on this day, one year ago. It is my way of saying, we are ok. Not just ok, but better, richer and more grateful.

It has been a wild ride of a year. And one that would have passed into oblivion in this mommy-addled brain of mine, were it not documented here.

You've been with me through flat tires and dead car batteries. Perfect days and crazy days. Shopping and not shopping. (And let's not forget the time I had to step around the S.W.A.T. team to get into Marshalls!) School days and summer days, snow days and holidays. Vacations and staycations. (And don't forget the Brownie camping trip!) A new preschool and a new President. ER visits and doctor appointments. Sleepless nights and more sleepless nights. Rants and raves. Tragedies and celebrations. And let's not forget laundry, cleaning and potty training.

Along the way, I have found a whole new world, of people who make me laugh and cry, who inspire me and motivate me. Who make me write better, dress better, cook better, take better pictures, decorate and be a better mom. People who I feel like I've known forever, and people who live around the corner. And many more who should be linked here, but I need to finish this before midnight or it won't be my anniversary anymore!

I've also found two groups of talented writers who have welcomed me into their midst to share and grow my talents. I am honored and deeply grateful.

I would be remiss if I didn't specifically give credit to the two bloggers who inspired me to put down my laundry basket and start trying to string some coherent sentences together again. Chris, from Notes from the Trenches, who had me hooked as soon as I realized that she had 7 kids, a wicked sense of humor and somehow finds time to combine the two on her blog, and Susan, from Friday Playdate. I felt a strong sense of connection to her ruminations on motherhood and later realized there are some uncanny similarities between her and I. (Unfortunately, they have nothing to do with fashion.) I took them as a sign instead of a coincidence. Although neither of them will probably ever read this blog, I thank them both for their inspiration and continued glimpses into their lives.

But, my dear readers (if ANYONE has made it this far with me) - I also thank you! Yes, YOU! You know who you are! You may not comment, but I know you're there. And I thank you for stopping by every day, being my virtual watercooler, my audience... my people. Thanks.

To show my appreciation, I am giving away a $25 Starbucks gift card! Seriously! You know how much I love Starbucks, and Rocket Man will probably have to pry it out of my hands and stick it in the envelope for me, but I want you (whoever you are, you lucky winner) to go out and get yourself some coffee, on me! (I would send wine, but I'm pretty sure there are laws against sending that stuff in the mail. So coffee it is!)

Leave a comment by Wednesday at noon and I will pick a random winner. And thanks again for stopping by. It's been a wonderful year.

For all you readers who either don't like Starbucks (????), are preggo and can't drink it, or are religiously obligated to avoid caffeine, I'll substitute a $25 gift card to Target. Which will also have to be pried from my mitts. But you have to promise to buy something for yourself! No toilet paper, cleaning products or toddler clothing!

And, if you made it through this WHOLE post and you are still trying to kill some time, here are a few of my favorite posts from the past year:

Stepping off the Roller Coaster

Holy Eucharist, Batman

Pool Politics

The Grace of God

To Beat a Dead Horse (quite possibly my all-time favorite)