The first month of 2007 has been a busy one here on the blogs. We've added new bloggers, tackled tough topics and learned a lot from one another. Personally, I've found this month to be quite invigorating when it comes to my own writing journey!

My Faith and Adoption series has been, thus far, a hit with readers of all types, including birth mothers, adoptive parents and mothers who have chosen to parent their children. The response and general feedback that has been offered regarding this series has been a boost to my own personal faith. On top of that, my readers continue to share stories about their own triumphs and struggles with the issues of faith in their lives. From every single one of these stories, the good and the bad, I have continued to learn about my own faith. While simultaneously encouraged and discouraged regarding how Christians treat one another, it has helped me understand what kind of Christian I want to be. (For more reading, try:)

I talked about being in and out of the proverbial birth mother closet in some depth this month, prompted by a great question by Sandra on two different posts of mine. It also prompted others (Coley, Deb, Jan) to talk about their lives in and out of the adoption closet. The three post series was interesting for me to write as I got to reevaluate how far I've come since placement. While I can't ever truly say that I am proud to be a birth mom, I am proud of the strides I am making to be "okay" with myself.

I also started a series entitled Fresh Outlook Friday. As with most things that are "fresh" and therefore "new," some of the ideas presented haven't been widely accepted or appreciated by all sides of the triad. However, no great new thing was ever accepted over night. I will continue to present fresh new ideas about what open adoption can be like every Friday! Keep reading!

I started my book review series, reviewed my first book and asked why more books aren't written from the birth parent perspective. (One commenter misunderstood it as a general lack of fictional books concerning adoption. However, the point of the post was to ask why, when there are a good number of books about adoption, there aren't more written from the birth parent perspective. Still somewhat bothersome to me!)

Quite popular was my list of the Top Ten Things Not to Say to a Birth Mother in Open Adoption (parts one and two). To come to a consensus, I posed the question on the forums and got a great response. By great, I mean a good deal of people participated in the discussion. It was not, however, an uplifting time. I am saddened by the manner in which birth parents and open adoption are perceived by both those inside and outside of the adoption world. I can only hope that continuing to talk about these issues and pushing the envelope will help change perceptions and foster understanding.

Some fun posts this month included D's birthday and, of course, four separate Love Thursday entries that make me smile even now. Of course, my favorite "fun" post of the month was the National De-Lurking post in which I learned a LOT about my readers on levels that I don't always get to see in comments. Thanks to all who took the time to comment on the post; it was great to get to know you and I look forward to hearing more from each of you.

February looms ahead of us tomorrow. I can tell you that it will bring the awaited series on birth parents who go on to build families of their own. My Faith and Adoption series is about to bring new and recent stories. I have found the book that I want to read this month to review. (I may review two adoption books this month, time allowing!) And I have another idea on how to get to know my readers in another fun fashion. February will also be hard for me in some respects, which I will share with you as the days pass.

Thanks for your continued support and readership. I learn, with each and every comment my readers make, not only about YOUR stories, but about my own story, beliefs and goals. Thank you for constantly challenging and supporting me! Here's to a great second month of the year!