Hello, it's me...

Welcome to the new blog! Did you miss me? Did you have a good summer? Did you travel? Staycation? If we haven't talked, I want to hear from you!

So just to recap, for those of you who have followed me along the way (and newcomers who have no idea where they've landed), back in June I decided to shut down Creating My Monster (CMM) after 7 years keeping it going. I think I had subconsciously decided to do this long before, as you can see from my lack of posting towards the end, but one day I finally decided that it was time once and for all and I pulled the plug. 

CMM was created out of a need for self expression in a very grey and lonely period of my life; a place I could creatively pour my troubles into, keep a diary of sorts about my medical journey TTC, and later my pregnancy. But, also, there was a possibly to help others through their own personal journey's too. It was a time of struggle, self discovery, failure, determination and, ultimately, triumph. If anything I wrote helped just one person through their own struggle, then I am truly rewarded for all of the time I invested into CMM. But the main focuses of CMM (TTC, PCOS and IVF) are certainly not all of who I am, despite the fact that they consumed a decade of my life. While they will always be a part of my journey, they do not dictate it anymore.

When I shut down CMM, I wasn't completely sure that I wanted to keep writing so publicly and I needed a break, in general, so I devoted the rest of the summer to reconnecting with my family, my friends, books, movies and, of course, myself; my thoughts, my creativity, my health and my precious (lacking) sleep too! However, not far into my hiatus, I realized that I did want to continue blogging but that I needed a fresh, new, start and this is when "I Am - Because You Are" was born... the Summer of 2017! 

If you are following me across multiple social platforms some things may seem repetitive, and similarly like you are stalking me, but I do plan to have mostly unique content here as I have had in the past. Specifically, anything and everything relating to the new chapter in my life, which includes the very special and honorary title... MOM. 

As I write this post, I can't believe that our little girl we tried so desperately for is about to turn 2 years old! She is everything we dreamed of and so much more. She is funny, smart, gentle and kind. She has a strong character, is wildly independent and has a wonderful, magnetic personality. Her smile and the sound of her laughter are infectious. I may have given her life, but life gave me the chance to be her Mama and she was exactly what I needed to feel whole for the first time ever. 

I am everything that I am, now, because of her.

I am not a perfect mother, but when I look at my daughter I know that I am doing something incredibly right. She is happy, and generally healthy, and that makes me smile. My hands are full juggling a home, a full time job, my health, frequent periods of "single parenting" and a million other things.... but my heart is full now too, and it's a wonderful feeling. It wasn't an easy road to travel, getting where I am today. But life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain!

So, if you are still with me, welcome to my new journey! I promise to share what you can expect to find here soon. And, don't forget to subscribe if you haven't already!