IComLeavWe: October 2011

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 October list is closed.  The November list will open on 10/30.
• 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. The 2 Week Wait (infertility, TTC, pregnancy)
3. Eggs in a Row (PCOS, marriage, humor)
4. InDueTime (life, infertility, miscarriage)
5. Hiding Scars in my Yarn (loss bereavement hope)
6. Geebaby (mfi, planning, early)
7. Waiting for the Nugget (infertility, endometriosis, general life)
8. Created Family (TTC #1, unexplained infertility, social worker)
9. Becoming Parents (raging undiagnosed infertile)
10. Endoandbeyond (repeat miscarriage, trying to get pregnant, food)
11. My Lady of the Lantern (neonatal loss, grief, pregnant again)
12. Colours of Cattiz (ivf#2, male factor, uk)
13. One Day: Ill get my baby bump (miscarriage, now on Clomid, TTC #1)
14. Through the eyes of a stranger (infertility, adoption, random)
15. Feeling Beachie (life, humor, family)
16. Here We Go Again (parenting, random, babyloss)
17. Dragondreamer’s Lair (parenting, secondary infertility, crafts)
18. His & Her Infertility (Just Like The Matching Towels) (PCOS, azoo, international adoption)
19. Cablearms (art, life, miscarriages)
20. kate; uncensored (life after IF, relationships)
21. Donor Diva: Mother via Egg Donation (egg donation, parenting,TTC again)
22. Somewhere in the Middle (dia, waiting, grief/loss)
23. Not Just An Army Wife (infertility, military, iui)
24. Trying (pregnancy after IVF)
25. Mommy Odyssey (miscarriage, suspected ectopics, generally crazy)
26. Four of a Kind (parenting, secondary infertility, loss)
27. Bring on the Babies… (IVF, recurrent pregnancy loss, miscarriage)
28. Survive and Thrive (infertility, IVF, hope)
29. Write Mind Open Heart (open adoption, mindfulness, perfect moments)
30. BabyandtheGeeks (mif, ivf, rants)
31. It’s Him, Me, and Our One Day Baby (infertility, donor egg, love)
32. Living Our Miracle (infertility, embryo adoption, motherhood)
33. Where Do We Go From Here? (infertility, pcos, family)
34. An Engineer Becomes a Mom (adoption, infertility, stupid things people say)
35. Wistfulgirl’s World (adoption, ttc, parent death)
36. Creating A Rainbow (TTC, PCOS, miscarriage)
37. Tippy & Tidy’s Tumultuous Trip To Toddlers (TTC#1,unexplained, donor eggs)
38. CD1 Again (infertility, taking a break, life)
39. Taking the Long Way (rpl, third trimester, preterm labor problems)
40. Bohemian Transplant (infertility, pregnancy, life in general)
41. This Space for Rent (infertility, army, family)
42. Our New Normal (pregnancy loss, adoption, life)
43. Fearlessly Infertile (domestic adoption, adoptive breastfeeding, military)
44. Marriage 2.0 (infertility, adoption wait, life)
45. The Rocky Road to Motherhood (life after ivf)
46. Production, Not Reproduction (open transracial adoption)
47. Witty Infertility (anovulatory, age 30, 1 year ttc)
48. A Second Line (baby, infertility, stillbirth)
49. Creating a Family (infertility, adoption, adoptive parenting)
50. HimPlusMe (infertility miscarriage ttc)
51. Searching for Serendipity (ivf, faith, randomness)
52. The Days of Our Lives (adoption, homestudy, marriage)
53. BattleFish (life, fet/ivf, randomness)
54. Greetings from Nowhere, NM (hypothyroidism, varicocele, knitting)
55. Hapa Hopes (infertility, diagnosis, intercultural)
56. Lil Family Blog (motherhood, lesbians, adoption)
57. A Miracle in the Works (autoimmune issues, preparing for IVF#1)
58. Ambition: Motherhood (pregnant, MFI, dIUI)
59. Polycystic Inside (2nd cycle with RE, introspective, sometimes artsy)
60. Sybil and Alex (ivf#2, fet#1, 2ww)
61. Of Seeds and Thorns (college graduate, crafts, moving)
62. Notes From the Ninth Circle (insurance, frustration, stalled)
63. Flogging the Muse (art, painting, creativity)
64. Holly’s Narrative Dream (life, secondary infertility, writing)
65. Invisible Mother (reproductive immunology, food, miscarriage)
66. The Long Way Around (ttc, miscarriage, pcos)
67. Just Let Go (rpl, domestic adoption, life)
68. Legos & Jets (first-time mom, former IF, photography)
69. Going For It (beautiful adopted daughter)
70. The Stork Drop Zone (infertility, humor, life)
71. Hopefulicious (No Blog) (IVF, TTC, IF)
72. Every Day Is A Country Song (rpl, faith, possible use of sperm donor)
73. A Blog of Joy & (Dis)quiet (life, spirituality, inquiry)
74. Our Regularly Scheduled Program (parenting, food, life)
75. Not a Fertile Myrtle (azoo, PCOS, dIUI)
76. The One in Eight Couple (IF, IUI #1, hope)
77. Cradles and Graves (success post-IF & loss, contest, signing off)
78. As Good As It Gets? (infertility, parent, adoption)
79. Infertile Is the New Black (infertility, failed frozen cycle, what next?)
80. IFSerenityNow (pregnancy, if, life)
81. Getting There (adoption, parenting, life)
82. Where the Wright Day Takes You (infertility, jealousy, living child free)
83. Removing Roadblocks (adoption, faith, infertility)
84. Pink Lipgloss & Prenatal (ivf, miscarriage, amh)
85. Miss Conception (ivf, twins, infant loss)
86. Lessons From and Infertile Social Worker (adoption, infertility, family)
87. One Wheeler’s World (life, parenting, home)
88. A Writer in a Wheelchair (writing, disability, life)
89. Weathering the Storm (parenting after adoption, transracial adoption)
90. IUI to Roux-en-Y (weight loss, surgery, my journey)
91. Dreaming of babies (donor egg, ivf, pregnancy)
92. Our Life Journey (infertility, embryo adoption, faith)
93. believing in june (parenting, infertility, ttc #2)
94. Team Baby (IVF, hope, forty-three)
95. A Greater Yes (embryo adoption, parenting, infertility)
96. Life and Love in the Petri Dish (RPL, end-stage infertility, donor egg)
97. This Hampton Life of Mine (secondary infertility, PCOS, only child?)
98. We’re Making a Baby (raising twins, twin pregnancy, job loss)
99. Bio Girl (parenting, infertility, endometriosis)
100. Between the Paper Sheets (infertility, weight loss, marriage)
101. my dusty uterus (humor, anovulation, pregnancy)
102. Embracing the Rain (rpl, infertility, life)
103. The October list is closed.  The November list will open on 10/30.

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 yellow, 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.