Personal News: Growing Our Own Bookworm

I'm not in the habit of sharing much personal news on my blog, beyond my plans to watch Red Sox games (30 days and counting to opening day). But I have some personal news that is going to be relevant to my blogging, and it's well past time to share.

Mheir and I have been together for more than 20 years (we met in college) and have been married for six years. During our time together, we've given many, many children's books as gifts, and talked with lots of people about the importance of raising readers. We've purchased beautiful custom bookshelves, and filled our house with books.

And now, we've decided to try our hand at growing a bookworm of our own. This may be surprising news to readers who assumed that anyone who talks about children's books as much as I do must already have several children at home. But we're expecting our first child in mid-June. A girl. The doctors say she's quite healthy, and she's certainly energetic already. We're having all of those reactions common to first-time parents - from excitement to terror. But happy. Definitely happy.

My blog friends won't be surprised at all to learn that we're reading to her already. We haven't been able to judge her reaction to the books yet, but Mheir is starting to have some favorites. I'm already keeping a reading journal for her, as Susan recommended recently at Booklights. [Mine is html-based, so that I can easily share the lists on the blog, if I so choose.]

Ironically, growing a bookworm of my own will probably mean that I have less time to talk about children's books and growing bookworms here on my blog. But I'll certainly be enhancing my knowledge in the picture book category in the short term. And I look forward to having the chance to put my "Tips for Growing Bookworms" into action longer-term.

I ask for your patience in the coming months, when my blogging will be a bit less regular than usual. Mheir and I would also love to hear your book recommendations for babies. We've started a wish list on Amazon - I used Betsy Bird's Top 100 Picture Books poll for some ideas, and I'll be tuning into Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast with extra attention, too. Of course we have some ideas of our own, too, but we could always use more.

Thanks for sharing in our news!