Happy Birthday, Dear Blog

Four years ago today (on my hubby's birthday!), in my first year of marriage and my tenth year of teaching and my sixteenth year of studying French, with my sister-in-law's blessing, I wrote a little something about how I was trying to share the French language with my baby nephew and then posted it to my brand-new blog.

That baby nephew is now a dynamite four-year-old who called out "Tatie!" and ran up to me in the library today and gave me a hug, but who when I saw him half an hour later only glanced up from his book long enough to say, "Don't bother me please, I'm reading!"

And since starting this blog, I've transitioned from a full-time university instructor to a part-time program coordinator at a public library, and I've learned tons about literacy and working with young people.

And I now have my own bilingual baby--no, make that "bilingual toddler"--who tells me he loves me in English and in French and makes observations about the world around him with whatever words come to mind first. ("It faire du soleil! It faire du soleil in my eyes!")

Other people's blogs and profiles and listservs about languages or parenting or teaching (or all of the above) have opened my eyes to other cultures and other approaches and other classrooms (both literal and figurative); I am so grateful to these inspiring people who share their ideas, make me laugh, and make my jaw drop in amazement. Not to mention my readers, whose comments, questions, words of wisdom, and words of support remind me that writing about raising Griffin bilingually is a good use of my limited time--thank you!

Big thanks, too, to my husband, Ed, who freely admits that our toddler speaks much better French than him and who puts up with my saying, "I'll be done in ten minutes and come join you," and then finds me still hunched over the keyboard with an empty mug two hours later putting the finishing touches on a blog post, several soggy teabags making puddles on the table.

I'm proud to be an imperfect but enthusiastic non-native speaker of the language I use with my son, which ensures that I learn something every day. (Today, it was the French word for "dulcimer"--un tympanon--thanks, Patty!)

This fourth "blogiversary" also comes--amazingly!--on the day that my visits counter hit 50,000! Feels like a good number.

Joyeux anniversaire, cher Blog! Now it's time for some gateau.