779th Issue of the LFCA

Welcome to today's edition of Connections Abound. The point of 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

• Vote: For the past 7 years, I've always kept the new blogs section for blogs that have been created in the last month or two, the idea being that an older blogger will have built their readership through their own commenting/reading, but a new blogger could use the leg-up.  I'd like to move to just add every blog that I add to the blogroll to that section instead of one ones created in the last month or two.  A lot of new blog designs seem to be getting rid of the archive menu (a pity, I think), which makes it time consuming to figure out when a blog has been created.  If no one objects, I'll start doing that with the next update.
• Blog Closure: CDG at Adventures in Infertility is closing her blog at least for now due to some privacy issues.  "I will miss you all terribly but I know this is the right choice for me at this time.  with love- C."
• Project: Bereaved and Blessed asks, "Are you doing the Time Warp this month? Through Time Warp Tuesday we revisit and share some of our favorite blog entries from our archives and reflect on our journeys since we wrote them. The theme is Cancer. (Side note: I had no idea when I chose this topic last month, how relevant it would be this week/this month in our ALI Community.) Most every year on Mother’s Day, since not long after I became a mother, I get up early and walk in our neighborhood breast cancer awareness walk in honor of members of our community who have survived breast cancer and those who have died from it. For that reason, I often associate cancer with the month of May. In this day and age it is hard to not have been touched somehow by cancer. Maybe you or someone you know personally has battled some type of cancer. Maybe a love one of yours has survived or sadly, maybe someone close to you has died because they had cancer. Choose a post from your archives in which you talk about cancer. It might be about your personal experience or a more general post about this disease. Then write a new post on your blog about why you chose the post that you did and what has happened in your life since.  Join us for some great reading, reflection and discussion. Linky opens at 12:00 a.m. (CST) on Tuesday, May 14th." 
• Contributors: The Infertility Voice is currently seeking 2-4 regular volunteer Contributors dealing with infertility who have their own blogs and who are currently unresolved and are either in treatment, in the adoption process, or in the familybuilding decision-making process.
• Research: Maria Rothenburger writes, "I only need 9 more participants!  Hopefully this is the last time I'll need to submit: If you would like to participate in infertility research (and enter to win an Amazon gift card), go here and complete this survey!  Maria, the researcher, is a fellow IFer and PhD Candidate who wants to know more about how one can experience positive changes after infertility (who knew?).  Check it out, and please pass it on!"

Old

• First Time Reading the LFCA: If this is your first time reading the LFCA or you need a refresher about how the LFCA works, please read this post. It has everything you need to know about getting your news in the LFCA.
• Quicklink Resources: Regular ALI Blogroll: If you would like your blog added to the ALI blogroll, please email me directly with your blog url and category pick. More information about being added is contained in that link. Password-Protected Blogroll: If you would like your password-protected blog added to the blogroll, please fill out the form.

NEW BLOGS (started in April 2013 or May 2013)

• Stork with Baby (general IF)
• IVF in Pictures (IVF)
• Hoping4MOSBaby (IVF)

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)

• None Today.

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

• Pepibebe was remembering the anniversary of their first baby's due date on the 10th of May and sadly also had to send their donor home to the Caribbean (from New Zealand) after 7 unsuccessful attempts to conceive again.  Please go over and give them support.

LOSS ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Stacie has been on a roller coaster, with a positive and a loss.  Please go give her a hug.
• Sadly, MLO has lost her battle with ovarian cancer. MLO and her husband fought so strongly to become parents, and it was during treatments that her ovarian cancer was discovered. Her husband Mike requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund or St. Jude's Children's Hospital. 

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)

• Amy received good news from her urologist regarding a kidney mass!

BEDREST BABES: on bedrest following infertility or loss and needing support. Drop in on them and keep them company. Blurbs running underneath the "new" line are from this week, and the ones above that line will disappear on Sunday. Please do not re-list bedrest blurbs.

• None Today.

PREGNANCY ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NEWS

• None Today.

BIRTH AND ADOPTION ANNOUNCEMENTS

• None Today.

Read and Support