Wednesday, March 25, 2009

347th 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 Barren is the New Black. The author muses in her very amusing way on people who don't know that they're pregnant up until the day they deliver. 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!
  • Radio Show: Creating a Family is airing Adopting an Older Child on March 25. "Adopting older children can be rewarding and challenging. What is considered an 'older child' for adoption, and how can you tell if a particular child will be able to transition into your family. The answer may surprise you. My guest will be Debbie Riley, Executive Director of The Center for Adoption Support & Education. Creating a Family can be heard either at the radio page of or downloaded as a free podcast from iTunes. The shows airs every Wednesday from 12:00 to 1:00 PM Eastern Time, and listeners can e-mail questions in advance or call into the show to speak directly with the guest. Email Dawn@creatingafamily.com to sign up for a weekly email notice of the upcoming show topic."
  • Important Read: Eve's wonderful friend who went through the loss of her 6 year old son last year is telling Evan's Story as a guest blogger tomorrow. It's a warning that all parents and want-to-be parents should read.
Old
  • Program Announcement: "The first annual Forever Families Weekend for Jewish Families Touched by Adoption will run June 12-14, 2009 at Camp Nah-Jee-Wah in Milford, Pennsylvania. The program combines Jewish summer camp activities with adoption-specific programming for the entire family. Attached is a press release and a flyer describing the program in detail. The camp webpage can be accessed directly at http://www.njycamps.org/families/html/forever_families.html."
  • Education: DoubleDelight has a series of posts about being an egg donor. She is trying to raise awareness and get people talking about egg donation.
  • Forums: I started some loose forums that can be used to supplement LFCA (or...cough...stand in for LFCA on a day that I can't put it up such as Pesach. I'll give people a heads up beforehand so you know if I won't be posting and to use the forums for support). Everyone is welcome to join, in fact, you are encouraged to join because on non-LFCA days and weekends, this is the way to get support. I'm moderating the entrance to the boards on Ning just to make sure that it is joined by fellow members of the ALI community and not spammers. In other words, if I recognize your email address, no problem. If I don't, I'll send you a note (and you can be proactive and email me with either your blog name or the names of a few blogs you read) to check in before I approve you. And then jump into the conversation on the boards. My only request is that you choose a profile picture that does not contain a belly shot or a baby.
  • 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 February or March 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)
  • Managing the Sweetness Within is celebrating her birthday today. Go sing her a little song.
  • Elizabeth is celebrating 9 years of marriage today. Go wish them congratulations.
LOSS REMEMBRANCES (send in the dates of loss anniversaries and I will post them on the correct day)
  • Busted is remembering the Doodles on their loss date today. Please go give her support.
LOSS ANNOUNCEMENTS
  • Katedaphne is seeking support for a friend who is experiencing an unexpected second-trimester loss. Though her friend does not blog, she is an active and vocal supporter of the ALI community. Her IF and treatment history is long and awful, and this loss is terrible. Please see Kate's blog for details and to leave her friend comments and 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)
  • Io has one of the craziest stories that I've read in a long time. Loved it.
  • Soralis is celebrating her 200th post. Go over and wish her congratulations.
  • Liv got a negative beta for IUI#2. In addition, she cannot do any treatments until June. Go give her a hug.
  • Shaz is having negative hpt's after her IVF. Please take a moment to send her some love.
  • Dora is having her transfer for donor FET #2 tomorrow!
  • Debbie's donor will have her retrieval tomorrow!
  • OHSS may prevent Infertile, Who Me? from transferring her embryos. Also, things are evolving in a less than optimum way as the trigger shot has been delay due to overly high estrogen levels.
  • Pepper had her retrieval and is awaiting the fert report. Transfer is set for either Friday or Sunday depending on how they want to proceed.
  • Henry Street could use a hug. Please go give her support; she is having a sad time.
  • G$ got a negative peestick on this IVF cycle. Go sit with her as she awaits Thursday's beta.
  • Tally needs some good vibes as she approaches her first IUI procedure tomorrow.
  • None of MLG's three embies in culture made it to freeze. Please go give her support.
BEDREST BABES: on bedrest following infertility or loss and needing support. Drop in on them and keep them company.
  • Heather is on bedrest for the foreseeable future after having a cerclage put in. Sweetpea is still doing great!
  • G is home, but now on bedrest. Go give her some love as she cooks these babies a little longer.
  • Hoping for Another Lovebug is on hospital bedrest for the remainder of the pregnancy. Please keep her company. She has Internet access, though reading is easier than typing.
  • Reba found out that her cervix is funneling and she is now on bedrest. Her next appointment is on Wednesday and she could use some support so that her little one hangs on as long as possible.
PREGNANCY ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NEWS
  • Chelle saw 2 beautiful heartbeats on her ultrasound.
  • High Land, Hard Rain has updated for the first time since August to let us know she is pregnant again, but waiting with cautious optimism until the viability scan in a few weeks.
  • Kandi could use some comment love after feeling overwhelmed getting ready for her baby in 11 weeks.
BIRTH AND ADOPTION ANNOUNCEMENTS
  • None Today.
Read and Support

4 comments:

Io said...

Ha! I can't believe my would be intruder made LFCA!

As an update - the guy left behind his social security card. So I had to drive to the precinct to drop it off, since I would prefer he not come back to me for it. But the precinct was closed so I accosted a random cop and made him listen to the whole story and take the card from me. He was very nice about it.

Also, the possum came back last night to hang out in our yard and appears to have recovered from the pepper spray.

bleu said...

After reading Evan's story at Eve's I felt compelled to mention something here.
I use both alternative medicine and western medicine in our lives. I have used many different cough meds throughout the years but when I had bliss I would always use homeopathic meds as a first defense and regular ones as a last defense. Through that I came across a cough medicine that is truly better than any I have ever used, and that is including the big guns stuff with codeine and even stronger stuff I have used in my life.

Boiron makes a cough medicine called Chestal Honey. It is completely safe for children over a year (because of the honey) and works so well it constantly shocks friends I turn on to it. It can be gotten at Whole Foods and most Natural Foods Co-ops and online. It tastes like thinned out honey which is nice when giving it to a child. But most of all it works. Those horrid tickle coughs that keep you up all night? Cures. The painful ones? That too. We ALWAYS keep two bottles available in the house and I just wanted to share.

Since moving to Canada I have yet to find a place to get it here in Nova Scotia but we will order online if necessary when next we run out.


Just wanted to share.

..al said...

I did read Evan's story on Infertility Rocks and it is such a sad story. Such a common medication snuffed out the life of a promising young boy.

I wrote this there, and I write it here again. We really need to be careful about the chemical compositions of what medicines we are prescribed. More than careful, atleat we should be alert and aware.

In my TTC journey so far, I have now reached some level of insight and I now understand that I did not read some of the medication that was administered to me.

One more thing is that in certain countries such as mine, some medicines continue to get prescribed, while they have been banned in nations such as the US. I have to be alert. There is no other way.

Betty M said...

Thanks for the mention - I'm impressed that you and your clickers keep an eye on long dormant blogs like mine!

Evan;'s story is so very sad. I know plenty who thought the OTC cough medicine ban was over the top. I hate that we have to see a real life example of why it was not.