Friday, May 2, 2008

Friday's Connections Abound

Welcome to today's edition of Connections Abound. The Face-to-Face Lost and Found page is permanently located beneath this current post. Old Connections Abound can be accessed via the date or subject archives listed on the sidebar. Check the submissions page, FAQ, and ways to get involved for additional information. Email me at thetowncriers@gmail.com with any questions/concerns.

Lost and Found is open to anyone in the
infertility, pregnancy loss, adoption, pregnancy-and-parenting after infertility, assisted conception, living child-free after infertility or loss community (as well as anyone I inadvertently missed on that list). Please support the list as well as anyone posting announcements below.

Connections Abound

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS
New
  • Join NaComLeavMo--National Comment Leaving Month (national refers to wherever you're living at the time...), this year's answer to the Commentathon.
  • Fundraising: We're in the last few days to contribute to the March of Dimes. Make a donation to Team of the Road (the walk is this Sunday). Altogether, the three participating teams have raised $3692. You can still make a donation!
  • Meet-the-Clicker: this new feature introduces you to the people who are clicking through your section of the blogroll. Take a moment to head over to their blog and give them some love; especially if they are clicking through your section and even if you belong in another one since they often send in all things they read along the way.
  1. Jen of Here We Go Again shared that the current name of her blog is actually the second name: "I will have to admit that for the first couple of weeks (long before anyone in the whole world read me), my blog was simply called Jen’s Blog. I wasn’t feeling creative. But I renamed it Here We Go Again because it was about starting over after the miscarriage and trying again. That is also what I thought on every cycle day one, “well, here we go again.”
  2. She clicks through Stillbirth and Neonatal Death on the blogroll.
  3. Her IF story in 100 words or less: I am a Lost and Founder through loss. I’m not infertile, the longest I have gone without a success is nine tries, which I am sure sounds ridiculously short to all of you. But at my age, it is supposed to take two tries, so I am not super fertile either. My cycles are irregularly short, usually as little as 24 days, and I cannot measure ovulation with either temping or sticks (although my doctor swears I do it). My husband has diabetes as well, which also caused some problems.
  4. The rest of her world in 100 words or less: The best husband ever (also one of the tallest- 6’10”) and two fabulous dogs. I am currently you-know-what. We are building a new house which should be finished in about a month and I will have to move again. (I’ve moved six times already since getting married in 2003 and countless times before that- eleven different schools as a child.) My husband and I run our own recruiting business and I work out of my living room. My dog keeps me company all day and I can do the laundry and read blogs during work. On the other hand, I have to work all the time and my office phone is in my living room.
  5. What is your favourite room in your current home?: Can I use the new house we are building? Because we are currently smooshed in a townhouse full of cardboard boxes. In my new house, my favorite room is going to be my kitchen. I picked out the greatest tile, cabinets, countertops and sink for it. I actually had a happy dream last night about my sink. I am such a dork.
  6. Jen's question back to you (leave her a comment below): What is your favorite thing you have in your house that I should get for mine? Either for organization or for prettiness. I like things to be clean and clutter-free looking.
  • U.T.E.R.U.S. update: We are wrapping up all the loose ends from the auction. If anyone has any problems, now is the time to let us know. In other words, if you haven’t gotten shipping money, if you bought something but haven’t gotten it, etc. Leave a comment here or send us an email.
  • Off-topic Question: Fertility Challenged in Florida has a question about Canadian passport renewal--"Could anyone having experience with the thoroughly ridiculous Canadian passport renewal process shoot me a note? Especially helpful would be Canadians currently living in the U.S. who have had to do it.
Old
  • U.T.E.R.U.S. update: We have started a listserv for U.T.E.R.U.S. Click here to join U.T.E.R.U.S. and get on the email list. Please list your blog name/url in the sign-up form. We will be taking our brainstorming session to the listserv soon so sign up now. This is the same listserv we will use for all future brainstorming sessions when we do this again to help the next blogger.
  • New Blogroll Category: new categories are added all the time, but this one maybe required an explanation. The title is Secondary Mourning and it was started by a grandmother whose daughter had a loss at 13 weeks after 5 years of trying-to-conceive. She needed an outlet for her own grief at watching her daughter go through infertility and she started a blog. It is eye opening to read about secondary mourning--even though it is something we all go through at some point in life connected with different forms of loss. The blog is listed under "New Blogs" below and is also on the sidebar. If you know of others who have started a blog like this, please let me know and I'll add them to the category.
  • New Site: This one is also listed below but also requires more description. Six bloggers have come together to create Glow in the Woods, a blog/support site--a safe space for talking about loss, stillbirth, and neonatal death. This quote from the site speaks volumes: "One of us, only half-joking, said this will be a place where us medusas can take off our hats, none minding the sight of all the snakes. Because not only can we bear the sight of each other—we crave it." For anyone who is a babylost mama, please go over and join the campfire.
  • If you notice another loading slow down or receive error messages for Stirrup Queens or Lost and Found, please let me know. Now I'm nervous every time I add anything to the side bar!
NEW BLOGS (started in April or May 2008)
  • None Today.
BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES (celebrate your birthday or blogoversary with the community. Send me date at any point and I'll post them on the correct day)
LOSS REMEMBRANCES (send in the dates of loss anniversaries and I will post them on the correct day)
  • Yesterday was the two year anniversary of Ivonne's first loss. Please give her a hug.
LOSS ANNOUNCEMENTS
  • Thinking Miracles is currently experiencing a loss. Please go over there and give her a hug.
  • SuperOvum lost the twins. Please go over and give her support.
MISCELLANEOUS SUPPORT AND CELEBRATIONS (scary scans, anxious waits, OHSS, and a host of other reasons why these bloggers could use some additional support right now. Also, celebratory retrievals, transfers, and other good news)
  • Dramalish at BabyQuest could use some additional support. Her day-3 FSH was surprisingly high and she is dealing with huge emotions about it.
  • Soulbliss's first IVF cycle after the loss began this week. Please go wish her good luck.
  • Serenity's son, Baby O, had an ultrasound to check for hip dysplasia and results came back borderline but so close to normal, she isn't too worried. Reflux/gas issues improving as well.
  • Riding the Roller Coaster is awaiting beta results.
  • Will They Have His Eyes? is in the wait following her FET yesterday. Go keep her company.
BEDREST BABES: on bedrest following infertility or loss and needing support. Drop in on them and keep them company.
  • Elizabeth from The I Word is in the hospital and on bedrest with mild preeclampsia. Go over and keep her company.
  • Leah at Tales from My Dusty Ovaries is officially on bedrest.
  • Tracy is on modified bedrest and will probably remain like this for the remainder of the pregnancy.
  • Schatzi is on "increased rest" and will most likely be on bedrest for a large portion of her pregnancy.
  • When All Else Fails... is on bedrest due to a shortened cervix.
  • Geohde is on increased rest too as she keeps in the twins to 32 weeks.
PREGNANCY ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NEWS
BIRTH AND ADOPTION ANNOUNCEMENTS
  • Caro gave birth to Theo on April 30th. Go over and wish her congratulations.
  • Exile in Kidville gave birth to a baby boy on April 29th. Go wish her congratulations.
  • Vicious Cycle of Cycles had a c-section yesterday but hasn't posted news yet. Stay tuned...
Read and Support

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hmm, I must not see the link, or I missed the post... where is "Meet the Clicker"?

Jess said...

Hey Jen!

We built our home in 2004 and I think the best thing about it is the ENORMOUS bathroom. I loooooove a big bathroom and now that we have the babies, we have room for a travel swing in there and even if someone squalls through an entire shower, I know they're not squalling for a reason and can plainly see they're ok and not eating each other. YES YES YES on the big bathroom.

You totally want several lazy susans in the kitchen. ESPECIALLY FOR BABY CRAP. And a tall cupboard in which to hide your trashcan.

Our best friends recently built and they put in plant ledges on which they did plants with white christmas lights and it's ooooh so pretty.

And a sink in the laundry room. And cubpoards in there, too. Must have!!

Julia said...

Hey Jen! Thanks for clicking through our corner of the blogosphere.

The one thing I say to get for the house, especially if you like things organized is to make your closets be Elfa from Container Store. It's very modular, very easy to put in, and amazingly thought through in terms of capabilities. Much less room is taken up by the parts themselves than, say, with California closets or the IKEA version, and it is actually cheaper. The only annoying part is you are finishing the house now, and the store has a 30% sale on all Elfa closet stuff every year, but not until starting the weekend before Christmas, and going through the start of Feb.

Brokenornot said...

http://www.milenka.com/2008/?p=37

Very little amniotic fluid found at her 20 week scan. So little that they couldn't do the scan,

Helen said...

April (former IF blogger under a different name) had her son on Thursday.

http://sighingsoftly.blogspot.com/

kate said...

My favorite thing in our house is our bookshelf by the door holding all manner of keys and books, and mail, and items that must not be forgotten. And on top of that are two bowls, one for my keys and one for all the miscellaneous detrius that seems to be required for my husband to leave the house. That's the "revolutionary" organizing tool that we use that I couldn't do without.