404th Issue of the LFCA

Welcome to today's edition of Connections Abound. The point to Lost and Found is to level the support playing field. When LFCA works correctly, the newest blogger with the smallest readership can receive the same level of support as the oldest blogger with the largest readership. Anyone can submit news to LFCA by clicking here.

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

• Kirtsy'd Pick O' the Day: Please vote for this one from Rising and Setting. A breathtaking, moving post. The author retells a visit with her daughter's shadow on the eve of when her daughter should have been turning one. She writes: "What a living, breathing, beautiful reminder of everything we're missing, everything Charlotte never got to do." How do you vote? Simply by clicking on the words "this one" above and then clicking on the post's title. Why the Kirtsy'd Pick O' the Day? Click on that link in the header navigation bar above for the story. And send me stuff!
• Giveaway: Shannon over at Musings of a Fat Chick is giving away 2 $50 gift certificates to Auntie's Beads. Go over there and get you some goodies!
• Radio: Creating a Family: Talk about Infertility and Adoption June 24 Radio Show is about endometriosis. "What are the latest developments in the treatment and diagnosis of endometriosis and how does this condition affect fertility. My guest is Dr. Dan C. Martin, a reproductive endocrinologist, endometriosis researcher, President of the Fertility Institute, and Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. The show airs live at 12:00 PM Eastern Time. You can listen via the radio page or download all archived shows as a podcast after they air.
• Question: Rach is asking for suggestions to help her compile a list of 31 things for her new http://project30one.blogspot.com/ blog. She already has a start on her list but is hoping for inspiration to complete her list and would love to read what others would put on their list.
  

Old

• Offer: Are you equally smitten with the interactive image MLO helped me design for the blogroll blueprint? She is now offering to make interactive images and badges for the rest of the community as well as other cool things such as mouseover effects. "For WordPress or Blogger: Simple Shapes (Square, Rectangle, Triangle, Circles) with existing and accurate picture cost 10 links or less, $20.00. Each additional 10 links $10.00. MouseOver effects such as tooltips: $10.00 per 10. All packages include testing, and 3 unique troubleshooting emails (emails subsequent to a unique issue are not counted against the 3 unique issues). What I need from you: (1) Picture, (2) existing link locations (can't link to something that doesn't exist. Use your blog's future publishing date and give me an ID to see the posts.), and (3) indication of which blogging platform you use. If you have an unusual picture that has irregular shapes, I will need to give you an estimate. If you need help with a picture, I can provide really, really skeletal stuff a la xkcd, but nothing fancier. Depending on what you want done, I can give you an estimate." It's a very cool way to create one badge that can lead to multiple places. She made another one for me that I'm revealing at Show and Tell this week.
  
• Project: Fertility Stories is collecting stories right now. She writes: "Fertility Stories: In Search of Parenthood is a project to collect stories from women, men, and couples who have experienced fertility problems and use those stories to create a theatrical performance piece that will change public awareness and perception. It is my hope that this project will contribute to public conversations about fertility, assisted reproductive technology, and all the various ways that we aim to create family; that it will provide a means for healing and challenge what we think we know about who seeks fertility treatment and why. How You Can Get Involved: (1) Share your story – email me your story at andreamj09@gmail.com or post a short version of it as a comment on the blog. (2) Consider being interviewed for the project. Send an email to andreamj09@gmail.com with details about how to contact you to schedule an interview. (3) Consider becoming an interviewer and collecting stories from others. (4) Share the link to this website with friends, family, coworkers – you never know who has been dealing with infertility silently.
• Project: Inanna writes: " I wrote The Doctors (tv show) a letter, and I'd like to encourage every baby-loss mama who reads my blog to write them about your loss as well. Tell them your story. We all know how much we hate getting new 'members' to this little club of ours. Let them know there are women out here who are suffering, and maybe, just maybe we can get The Doctors to talk about stillbirth awareness and prevention and help us keep our numbers down. That would be a blessing, wouldn't it?"
• Vote: Carly Marie, of To Write Their Names in the Sand, is entered in a contest called Creative for a Cause. If she wins, $60,000 will go to SIDS and Kids Australia and she will receive a new camera package. Carly Marie does so much for the babyloss community and really deserves to win for her beauiful photograph. Please go vote for her by clicking here. Voting is easy and does not require registration, so go vote once for each email address you have.
• Password Protected: Michelle at Mommy Someday? is moving her blog from Typepad to Wordpress so that she has the ability to password protect some of her posts. Please follow her to her new site. If you would like the password, please email your name, email address, and blog address to her at mommysomeday@charter.net.
• Contest: Creating Motherhood writes: "You can win a free 23andMe genetic test (That’s a $399 value that includes access to detailed information about your traits, family background and health predispositions) on Cali's review blog this week. I wrote about my experience with the test and found it to very eye opening. Their data includes a lot about genetic infertility and pregnancy symptom predispositions."
• Vote: Weebles Wobblog is up for an award and she needs your vote. I've made the message 140 characters so people could tweet it too: "Help my friend: Go here http://www.socialluxelounge.com/blogluxe/ Go to "most inspiring." First row--vote Weebles Wobble. Please RT." Or, er, and don't just tweet it; vote too! And daily. Through July 6th.
• Forums: If you are not a member of the forums, you will not have access to the LFCA on days when we are utilizing an open thread in the forums instead of posting on this site. Any blog reader or writer can become a member of the forums by clicking here and registering. On days when we don't have the LFCA, it also follows that I'll be slow on approving new members (that whole lack of Internet access thing) so please be patient.

NEW BLOGS (started in May or June 2009)

• 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)

• A Sibling for Celia may have closed her blog last week, but it is her birthday on Thursday, so swing by and sing her a little song.
• Stirrup Queens is celebrating her blogoversary on Thursday. But, you know, she's a celebration whore so she'll be partying all week.
• Wordgirl is celebrating her birthday next Saturday. Go over and sing her a little song.
• Dora is celebrating her birthday this Friday. Go sing her a little song.
• A Somewhat Ordinary Life (password protected) had her blogoversary last weekend. If you can get on her blog, you can leave her congratulations on this LFCA post.
• Mrs. Spit Spouts Off is celebrating their anniversary today. Go wish them congratulations.
  
• Rachel is celebrating her 30th birthday tomorrow and it's also the one year anniversary of her Dad's passing over the next day. Please give her support.
  

LOSS REMEMBRANCES (send in the dates of loss anniversaries and I will post them on the correct day)

• Two years ago, Princessoftides had to cease pregnancy with her twins. Please go over and give her support.
• Still Life With Circles is remembering Lucy, six months later. Please go give her love and support.
  

LOSS ANNOUNCEMENTS

• So it Goes's beta is going down. Please go give her support and comfort.
  

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)

• Reba and her family suffered a house fire last Thursday. Everyone is fine and damage can be cleaned and repaired but she could use some good words.
• Just Want to be a Mom had a great retrieval with 5 embryos still going strong. She will either have a day-3 or day-5 transfer this week. Go give her good thoughts.
  

BEDREST BABES: on bedrest following infertility or loss and needing support. Drop in on them and keep them company.

• Mrs M@sk has been put on bedrest at 26 weeks with incompetent cervix. She will be there until her little girls are born, which will hopefully not be too soon. Her doctor is aiming for 30 weeks. Go keep her company and send her good thoughts.
• Michele's 15w5d appointment showed that Robert and Maya are doing very well and healthy. Her cervix is still over 4, and her OB assured her that the cerclage is still holding. She is going through some anxiety because her children were born between this week and 2 weeks from now. Help send her positive vibes that this pregnancy will go full term and the twins will be born healthy.
  
• Courtney at PrayingforaLittleOne is still having contractions even with the procardia and will be on bedrest until Henry comes.
• Empty Arms is experiencing several signs of incompetent cervix and is currently on bedrest. Please go keep her company.
• Devon is on bedrest at only 17 weeks after a weekend of cramping and the fear that her placenta previa will cause bleeding. Devon is on Lovenox after losing her twins last year at just 23 weeks. Please go give her support.
  

PREGNANCY ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NEWS

• Infertility on the Brain went for her u/s yesterday though it may have been too early. She is going back on Friday and could use good thoughts until then. It is really hard to be in limbo.
• The Real Bean is experiencing some scary bleeding, but everything is still okay. Please go sit with her as she waits.
• It looks like Bella got her 2 lines! Go join in on the happy dance.
  

BIRTH AND ADOPTION ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Ernessa from Fierce and Nerdy gave birth to a girl, Betty, yesterday. Go over and tell her congratulations.
  

Read and Support