IComLeavWe: October 2010

Welcome back to IComLeavWe. It stands for International Comment Leaving Week, but if you say it aloud, doesn’t it sounds like “I come; [but] leave [as a] we”? And that’s sort of the point. Blogging is a conversation and comments should be honoured and encouraged. I like to say that comments are the new hug–a way of saying hello, giving comfort, leaving congratulations.

Here is the vital information, pure and simple (a more detailed set of rules follows below the list):

• The list opens the 1st of every month. It remains open until the 21st. You can add yourself at any point. The list is open to everyone in the blogosphere–blog writers and/or blog readers.
• Add yourself to the list by filling out this form: the list is now closed.  The November list will open on 10/31.
• Click here to cut-and-paste this bit of code to add to your sidebar (if you have the old code from another month, remove it and replace it with this one). You need to add the icon or a link to the current list on your blog (see below) and will not be added until it’s up.
• Commenting kicks off every month on the 21st. Please mark it somewhere (calendar, post-it note taped to your computer…), though I will be sending out an email reminder on the 20th. Commenting week runs from the 21st to the 28th. Every day, leave 5 comments and return 1 comment for a total of 6 comments. You are highly encouraged to choose the blogs you comment on from the participants list below, but this is not required.
• I will send a second email on the 28th to remind you to remove the icon from your blog.
• Read below if you want to find out about Iron Commenters.
• The commenting ends on the 28th. We catch our breath and the whole thing starts again the next month on the 1st. Drop in and out according to what is happening in your life between the 21st and the 28th.

1. Stirrup Queens (twins, books, writing)
2. Born From My Heart (motherhood, adoption, PCOS)
3. Aisha Iqbal (parenting, writing, life)
4. Musings of a Hormonal Egg Basket (pregnancy after IVF)
5. Maybe Baby . . . (or maybe the loony bin?) (IVF, infertility, life)
6. Riding the IVF Roller Coaster (IVF, ICSI, infertility)
7. Banking On It (on a break, ivf in 2011)
8. The Road Less Traveled (IVF, infant loss, embryo adoption)
9. Bio Girl (parenting, family, infertility)
10. A Half Baked Life (pregnancy after loss, cooking (mostly vegetarian)
11. Ready For My Bundle…. (infertility, adoption, family)
12. ErnieGirl (pregnant infertile birthmother)
13. First and Only IVF? (first ivf, 2 week wait, infertility)
14. Dragondreamer’s Lair (parenting, secondary infertility, crafts)
15. Grief, Interrupted (grief, acceptance, special needs)
16. The New Life of Nancy (life, schnarkiness, opinions)
17. The Other Life of Nancy (children, life after IF, parenting)
18. All in One Basket (hypothalamic amennorhea, egg donation)
19. Alex’s Adventures (iui, infertility, fear)
20. Whole Heartedly (ivf, hypothyroid, mfi)
21. College & Endo–AKA The Crazy See-Saw I Call My Life (college, saving for ART, relationships)
22. Not a Fertile Myrtle (azoo, endo, pcos)
23. Planting a Pumpkin Patch (loss, ttc, yummies)
24. Little Steps to Baby Steps (IVF #3, miscarriage, god)
25. Do I Have to Be a D.I.N.K.? (ttc, ivf, miscarriage)
26. Plans Change (adoption, infertility, teaching)
27. My Lovely Lady Bump (pregnancy, family, life)
28. Stolen fertility (infertility, emotions, thoughts)
29. Waiting for a baby bump (TTC, IVF, male factor)
30. Romancing the Stone (IVF, new baby, miracles)
31. As Fast As My Baby Can (infertility, ivf, unexplained)
32. Just Beginning (pcos, clomid, anovulation)
33. The Journey To 40 And Beyond (foster care adoption)
34. Storm in My Teacup (IVF, TTC, happy)
35. Life in the Waiting Womb (misadventures with infertility)
36. The 2 Week Wait (TTC, infertility, humor)
37. Cherish This Baby (PCOS, infertility, baby #2)
38. Ponderings on Infertility, IVF and Miscarriage (infertility ,ivf, miscarriage)
39. Musings of an Everyday Weight Loss Guru (weight loss, life, emotions)
40. Woman Anyone? (surprise pregnancy, unexplained infertility, baby#1)
41. Digital-Damita (frugal, green, technology)
42. The Infertility Therapist (psychological aspects, infertility)
43. Eggs out of Time (ivf, pregnancy, loss)
44. Find Joy Now (joy, adoption, life)
45. CD1 Again (infertility, life, appointments)
46. Our New Normal (preeclampsia, pregnancy loss, adoption)
47. Cradles and Graves (recurrent cord-related loss, IVF, freak of nature)
48. Can I Walk With You… (infertility, loss, Christian)
49. Someday (azoospermia, DI, anxiety)
50. Child Bearing Hip (loss, toddler, babies)
51. Keep Calm and Blog On (adoption, infertility, parenting)
52. SaM’s Town (twins, after infertility, photography)
53. Lil Family Blog (motherhood, lesbian, giveaways)
54. Are We There Yet (pregnancy, high-risk, anxiety)
55. More Room in my Heart (secondary infertility, male factor infertility, formerly athletic person)
56. My Hopeful Journey (positive support, advocacy)
57. On Tap for Today (life, humor, Boston)
58. Calmly Chaotic (ivf, icsi, design)
59. Flucky Mom (parenting, life, art)
60. Infertility And Me (MFI, azoospermia, pregnant)
61. Waiting Lisa (adoption, new baby, infertility)
62. Lifeslurper (donor eggs, over 40, IVF)
63. Your Great Life (fertility, family-building, support)
64. The Unfair Struggle (mfi, speedskating, life)
65. Searching for the Missing Piece (loss, fear, life)
66. Our Miracle In the Making…A Great Joy is Coming (pregnancy after multiple losses, immune issues, pregnancy after IVF)
67. Hearts Joined, Hands Fast (infertility, cycles, waiting)
68. I Blog Because of Peer Pressure (twins, toddlers, photos)
69. The Busey Life (pregnancy after infertility)
70. PrayingForPregnancy (hope and rpl)
71. Autism Mom Rising (autism, spirituality, overcoming adversity)
72. Finding Her Way (infertility, male factor infertility, life)
73. Enchilada Sunrise (knitting & spinning, bipolar, life)
74. Countering… (autism, community building, parenting)
75. Mommy In Waiting (ivf, ttc, mfi)
76. Chois-R-Us (adoption, waiting, life)
77. The Deep Breath Before the Plunge (infertility, options, ttc 4 yrs)
78. Walking An Unknown Path (ttc, infertility, G-d)
79. Baby Magnesi (MFI, TTC, depression)
80. The Panda Diaries (prepartum depression, art, life)
81. Infertility Doula (support, advice, news)
82. Creating a Family (infertility, adoption, adoptive parenting)
83. Life in the House That Asperger Built (autism, family, kids)
84. The King and Eye (autism, family, parenting)
85. Acting Balanced (family, life, reviews)
86. A Blog of Joy & (Dis)quiet (spirituality, life, G-d)
87. Biz Mommy (inspiration, blogging, working at home)
88. Project Baby (donor sperm, infertility, IUI)
89. Raising Cain (someday) (waiting, IVF, infertility)
90. Sharee’s Stolen Angels Blog (infant loss, hope, spirituality)
91. Whitterer On Autism (humor, family, autism)
92. The Rocky Road To Motherhood (IVF, infertility, life)
93. Autism Herd (autism, family, humor)
94. The (In)fertility Diaries (TTC, adoption, life)
95. Hobbit-ish Thoughts & Ramblings (pregnant after losses, life, cooking)
96. Silk Road Visions (shamanism, spirituality, dreamtime)
97. Laughing Through Tears (autism, twins, life)
98. The Birds and the Bees (ivf, unexplained, life)
99. Change of Plan (formerly Relaxing Doesn’t Get You Pregnant) (pregnant after bs, cynicism, sarcasm)
100. Sarah Q (infertility, pcos, marriage)
101. Here We Go Again (parenting, life after, humor)
102. All I ever wished for…. (infertility, IVF, life)
103. Venting Vagina (ivf#2, unexplained, testing)
104. Growing As They Grow (adoption, kids, life)
105. My Ordinary Miracles (success after infertility, toddler, twins)
106. Eating Myself to Life (2nd trimester, diabetic, crazy life)
107. NOT so Fertile Mertile (ivf, infertility, hope)
108. Time Well Wasted (infertility, IUI, positivity)
109. A journey of needles & herbs to the fertile land (infertility, traditional chinese medicine)
110. Wanna Bee (adoption, loss, craftiness)
111. Life by the Day (infertility, pregnancy, life)
112. I Spy A Family (motherhood, adoption)
113. Blawnde’s Blawg (multiple IUIs, PCOS, support)
114. Waiting for that Positive (TTC, emotions, life)
115. Outside My Head (family, photos, running)
116. That’s My Answer (question of the day, life, fun)
117. Quebecker’s Bilingual Blog (Quebec, life, pictures)
118. Waiting For Our Miracle (FET, IVF, PCOS)
119. Chasing Mommyhood (IUI#3, endo, ttc)
120. Inconceivable! (ttc, step-parenting, life)
121. For We Are Bound by Symmetry (ttc, infertility)
122. A Little Blog about the Big Infertility (IVFs, loss, bad eggs)
123. Out of the Fog (autism, parenting, acceptance)
124. Flogging the Muse (art, painting, creativity)
125. Barefoot and… (parenting, secondary infertility)
126. My Infertility Journey (motherhood, infertility, TTC#2)
127. We Wait in Joyful Hope (adoption, waiting, life)
128. The Denver Autism Wheel (sons, autism, optimism)
129. Write, Baby, Repeat (adoption, donor eggs, infertility)
130. Circus Children (life, love, miracles)
131. A Greater Yes (embryo adoption, pregnancy, faith)
132. A Woman My Age (adoption, infertility, parenting after 40)
133. My Infertility Woes (infertility, staying positive, adoption research)
134. Lily in the Valley (infertility, marriage, stepparenting)
135. Arizona Mamma (pregnancy, secondary infertility, pcos)
136. Infertility Unexplained (unexplained infertility, acupuncture, iui)
137. The Gist Fam (PCOS, faith, daily life)
138. My Infertile Confessions (pcos, gods will, infertility)
139. Getting There (adoption, waiting, life)
140. Life With Endo (endo, emotions, gi issues)
141. Hannah Wept, Sarah Laughed (infertility, life, foodie)
142. Salvageable (pregnancy, work, family)
143. Because Of Match.com (PCOS, infertility, IVF)
144. Tales of My Follies (injectables, waiting, day to day)
145. Trying Not to Scream (infertility, loss, trying again)
146. Going For It (preparing for IVF #2)
147. Attempting to Love Life Without Her (infant loss, foster/adoption, faith)
148. Random Thoughs from Angie (IVF, life, humor)
149. Junebug’s Musings (PCOS, moving, traveling)
150. The Infertility Overachievers (secondary IF, IVF, son)
151. The Fertilely-Challenged Black Sheep (ttc, infertility, life)
152. The Inadequate Conception (infertility, adoption, humor)
153. Infertile Follies (infertility, IVF, ectopic pregnancy)
154. Hello Goodbye (loss, ttc, parenting)
155. No Suzy Homemaker (IVF, RPL, stillbirth)
156. A Virtual Hobby Store and Coffee Shop (news, music, food)
157. Life and Love in the Petri Dish (pregnancy #6, recurrent miscarriage, hope)
158. A Nuttier Life (TTC, PCOS, randomness)
159. InDueTime (infertility, pcos, life)
160. Reach In, Reach Out, Reach Up (adoption, christ, infertility)
161. For The Love Of Harper (angel, daughter, grief)
162. Cloudy With A Chance of Hope (infertility, child loss, grief)
163. If Life Weren’t So IFfy (infertility, life, kids)
164. My Sweet Kenny (stillbirth & infertility)
165. the list is now closed.  The November list will open on 10/31

Q: What if I miss a day?

A: Catch up the next day by doubling your comments–12 comments instead of 6.

Q: What if I have two blogs? Can I sign up twice, listing both blogs?

A: Yes, but you also need to double your comments. If you have two blogs listed, you should be leaving 12 comments per day.

Q: What is an Iron Commenter?

A: Not for the faint-of-heart. People who wish to be an Iron Commenter and be entered on the Iron Commenter honour roll need to leave a comment on every blog on the participants list (exceptions are blogs that require you to have a special log-in, such as some LiveJournal accounts or other similar situations). You can spread out this commenting any way you wish over the whole week, but the final comment needs to be left by midnight on the 28th (EST). Reaching Iron Commenter status is done on an honour system. Please email me if you earn Iron Commenter status so I can add you to the wall of honour.

Q: Why do I have to add that bit of code to my sidebar?

A: The code is the latest icon (the icon changes colour every month so you know that you’re on the right list). This month, the icon is orange, the next month it will be green, etc. The reason is two-fold: (1) it enables more people to find out about IComLeavWe and (2) it gives you easy access to the current list once the commenting week actually begins and better ensures that you’ll use it. Too many times, people sign up and forget to actually do IComLeavWe and this icon gives you a daily reminder (with the dates on it) every time you open your own blog. The icon is linked back to the current list. On the 28th, remove the icon from your blog. A new one will be created for the next month.

Q: It’s the 23rd and I just saw this for the first time on my friend’s blog! I want to join the list–why can’t I?

A: Because IComLeavWe happens every month, once the list is closed, it’s closed. If you’re finding out about this on the 23rd, you can’t join the current month. But leave yourself a note to check back in a week on the 1st and you can sign up for the next month.

Q: You said the list closes on the 21st. Well, it’s still the 21st where I am. Why aren’t you moving my information onto the list?

A: All dates and times are U.S. Eastern Standard Time (UTC/GMT -5 hours). The list closes around 11 p.m. EST on the 21st.

Q: What if no one comments on my blog and I have no comments to return?

A: Well, that really doesn’t happen for the most part, but in that case, simply choose another blog and add an additional comment. The goal is to hit 6 comments daily as a minimum. Going over that is fantastic and encouraged.

Q: Mel, my question wasn’t covered at all. What do I do?

A: Email me; I’m quite friendly. It helps to place “IComLeavWe” in the subject line. You could also check this post which contains the history of IComLeavWe and see if you can glean anything there.

Looking for the comment section? It has been closed on this post. Use the form in the directions to add yourself to the list.