In my two-plus years of being a Facebook member, I?ve never had the enormous outpouring of responses to a status update as I did a month ago.
Sure, I?ve had the typical Facebook birthday, where online friends post short messages all over my wall. But even my special day has never compared to my post in October.
Curious?
For those not involved in the Facebook madness, let me explain. A status update is where you post your current action, current thought, current complaint. You get the idea.
Politics (as usual) gets the blood flowing, even on Facebook. So, if you want a big response, mention something political.
But my high-response status update had nothing to do with politics.
Moms, in particular, are always sympathetic to status updates dealing with sleepless nights or sick kids. When my 19-month-old was a newborn, I would always get several other moms to respond to my status, ?Malinda Just was up every two hours and is tired? with ?I?m sorry? or ?It will get better? or perhaps the mom who then describes a night that makes yours seem like a walk in the park.
But my October status update had nothing to do with a sleepless night?my daughter now sleeps for at least 11 hours?or a sick kid, although we?re still in and out of doctor?s offices even after seven months of testing.
A few weeks ago, many of my Facebook friends used their status updates to complain about the lack of sunshine. Although I was probably among those complainers, my announcement had nothing to do with the weather.
And sometimes people post sensitive, private matters on Facebook. I often can?t believe some of the things posted on an oh-so-public enterprise. But I suppose I can?t talk. I write a newspaper column?.
Last month, though, I didn?t air my dirty laundry.
Instead, I changed my profile picture from an adorable, smiling toddler to a cinnamon roll in an oven. The photo change enhanced my status that went something like this, ?Malinda Just: The timer has been set for 5.18.2010.?
And the responses poured in. More than 40 Facebook friends responded to my ?bun in the oven? news within several hours of my post. Guess a mix of clever excitement gets people going, too.
But the excitement didn?t begin with Facebook?I?m not quite that ?21-century.? I still shared my news face-to-face with many people, beginning with my daughter. Yes, though she was only 16 months old at the time, she was the first person (after me) to learn of the impending birth of her brother or sister.
She and I spent some time that afternoon drawing and coloring a picture of a family consisting of a daddy, a mommy with a belly and a little girl. She gave the picture to Daddy when he came home from work.
A few weeks later, my daughter also helped tell her grandparents the big news. She replaced a photo brag book for her Just grandparents?she had ripped off the old photo album?s cover?while Daddy explained that a few end pages needed to be saved for May.
We had the camera posed for the inevitable look of surprise on Grandma?s face?nearly the same look we captured with our first announcement back in 2007.
The next day we traveled to my hometown?Marquette, for those who are interested?to spend the afternoon with my parents. My daughter didn?t cooperate as well this time. She was supposed to take Grandma and Grandpa a new book for them to read to her called, ?The New Baby.? But instead of reading, my daughter wanted to color.
So the detective she is, my mom caught a glimpse of the book?s title before she had a toddler comfortably settled on her lap. But even though she wasn?t completely surprised, the Olson grandparents are still thrilled.
As are all the aunts and the uncle.
And with this edition of Lipstick & Pearls, the good news continues to spread, although now my status goes something like this, ?Malinda Just can?t believe she?s now out of the first trimester. These nine months sure are going fast?.?
