IComLeavWe: April 2012

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 list for May will open after April 28th)
  
• 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. Life and Love in the Petri Dish (FET pregnancy after six losses, humor, wonder)
3. Navigating Cyberloss (grief, loss, recovery)
4. Follow Every Rainbow (male factor infertility “dynamic”)
5. Our Pathway to Parenthood (infertility, IVF, septate uterus)
6. The Adventures Of An Infertile Myrtle (naprotechnology, infertility, creighton model method)
7. Bereaved and Blessed (parenting, secondary infertility, loss)
8. It Is What It Is (Or Is It?) (donated embryos, ttc #2, infertility)
9. The Empty Uterus (infertility, IUI, life)
10. Weathering Storms (parenting after transracial adoption)
11. The Quest for Little Lambies (spirituality, pregnant, hope)
12. Baby-Making Merry-go-Round (IVF#1, emotions, teaching)
13. The Infertility Voice (donor egg, infertility, empowerment)
14. Bébé Suisse (miscarriage, ttc, switzerland)
15. Carneyexploits (IUI #1, gardening, PCOS)
16. (In)fertility Unexplained (IVF, unexplained infertility)
17. Non Sequitur Chica (IUI, exercise, garden)
18. My Bum Ovaries (premature ovarian failure)
19. From Gutter to Stars (new blog, therapist, infertility & adoption)
20. Endometriosis: Journey of a Woman Warrior (endometriosis, loss, infertility)
21. Life in the Last Frontier (open adoption, parenting a toddler, pcos)
22. Waiting For Baby (pcos, ttc, thyroid)
23. MoJo Working (infertility, RPL, ttc 10 years+)
24. My Lady of the Lantern (unexplained infertility, neonatal loss, new baby)
25. Feeling Beachie (life, humor, husbands and wives)
26. Living Our Life in Cycles (ivf, pregnancy, change)
27. Meier Madness (pcos, fet #2, calming the crazy)
28. 1000 Oceans (babyloss, IVF, grief)
29. Searching for our silver lining (FET, pregnant after loss, finding balance)
30. If You Don’t Stand For Something (MFI, geekiness, life)
31. Created Family (tcm, miscarriage, social worker)
32. Living With Endo (and Infertility) (endo, infertility, life)
33. Writing for Life (stillbirth, healing, new hope)
34. David & Elizabeth Adopt (infertility, adoption, life)
35. Three Geminis and a Sagittarius (parenthood, twins, life)
36. My Hormonacoaster (finally pregnant after 10+ years of trying)
37. Our Journey (PCOS, diabetes, TTC#1)
38. Lessons from an Infertile Social Worker (domestic open adoption)
39. Finding My New Normal (stillbirth, egg donor, pregnant again)
40. Our Growing Gardunn (secondary rpl, clomid, septum)
41. The 2 Week Wait (infertility, pregnancy, humor)
42. Bread of Baby (health, low carb, infertility)
43. The Pussy Palace (pcos, iui, books)
44. Notes from the Ninth Circle (waiting, IVF, PGD)
45. Not All Dreams Are Free (Infertility, planning, miscarriage)
46. Destined to be an old woman with no regrets (RPL, parenting after loss, life)
47. Life After Stillbirth (stillbirth, hope, ttc)
48. Musings of a Hormonal Egg Basket (parenting after IVF)
49. I’m Just Ducky, Thanks (adoption, RPL, surrogacy)
50. MRKH Musings (infertility, mrkh, surrogacy)
51. The Bickerstaff Blog (coping, miscarriage, life)
52. A Woman My Age (adoption, infertility, parenting after 40)
53. Naturally Knocked Up (natural fertility, PCOS, miscarriage)
54. The Stork Drop Zone (infertility, parenting, hobbies)
55. The Childless Mom (ivf-icsi, fet, pregnancy #1)
56. Return To Go (infertility, pcos, miscarriage)
57. The Brooding Woman (ttc, weight loss, anejaculation)
58. Inconceivable! (donor egg, step-parenting, daily life)
59. Marilyn and Thetan’s little Angel (pregnancy after IVF)
60. My Journey to Get Fit and Battle PCOS (PCOS, weightloss, IF)
61. Locked Womb Mystery (IVF#1, long-timer, geeky stuff)
62. Cease and Decyst (pcos, anovulation, irreverence)
63. Life is Simple, It’s Just Not Easy (fet #1, post cancer, life)
64. TheStorkDiaries (ttc 2+ years, 30-something, IUI)
65. Tiny Bits of Hope (infertility, iui, stress)
66. ErnieGirl (infertile birthmother and mommy, TTC#2)
67. Lori Does Maryland (PAL, ivf, parenting)
68. Dog Mom Chasing the Stork (infertility, PCOS, married life)
69. The Barreness (art, infertility, wandering)
70. Adrift on a Dandelion Breeze (stillbirth, secondary IF, IVF)
71. Infertility Unexplained (fet, unexplained infertility)
72. My Life in a Nut Shell (pregnancy after loss, repeate miscarriage, coping)
73. Between the Paper Sheets (infertility, iui, marriage)
74. The Misadventures of MIssohkay (adoption, pregnancy loss)
75. The In Between (recurrent miscarriage, infertility)
76. Creating a Family (infertility, adoption, parenting)
77. The Hopeful Pink Lady (infertility, hope, faith)
78. Zero Guarantees (after years-suro twins)
79. She’s Gone Crunchy (infertility/health, natural parenting, cloth diapering)
80. Cherish This Day (2 girls, PCOS, trying again)
81. Tales from the Waiting Room (infertility, iui, ttc)
82. The Ladies in Waiting Book Club (infertility, community, photography project)
83. The Elusive Second Line (TTC #1, PCOS, depression)
84. Living Our Miracle (embryo adoption, premature ovarian failure, motherhood)
85. A Page In My Book (family, IF grad, special needs kids)
86. MissConception (twin loss, FET #1, TTC#1)
87. Journey to Somewhere (IVF, FET, unexplained IF)
88. Dwelling on dreams (early pregnancy, recurrent miscarriage, loss)
89. Getting It Sorted: life after loss and the steps to remain sane (pregnancy after loss)
90. A Half Baked Life (food, parenting after loss, yoga)
91. Thefertilitydaily (free micro-ivf contest, infertility, donor egg [commercial space])
92. No Kidding in NZ (infertile, no kids)
93. Scrambled Eggs (ivf, autoimmune, cats)
94. Believing in June (failed IVF, looking for answers, TTC #2)
95. Conceptionally Challenged (infertility, life, randomness)
96. Bloggers for Hope (ivf, loss, endometriosis)
97. Tippy & Tidy’s Tumultuous Trip to (Twin) Toddlers (donor eggs, pregnant after infertility, infertility awareness)
98. Infertile in a Fertile Land (egg donor, expat)
99. Journey to the Finish Line (infertility, running, the kitchen sink)
100. Infertile FirstMom (ivf #1, infertility, adoption/birthmotherhood)
101. Modern Medicine Miracle (military, donor sperm, pregnancy loss)
102. Nursing Infertility (pregnant after bilateral tubal occlusion)
103. Being Jamielynn (infertility, life, randomness)
104. infertile myrtle (parenting after infertility, accutane, traveling spouse)
105. for all the things we hope for (endometriosis, long-term infertility, nursing school)
106. A Blanket 2 Keep (IUI, life, hope)
107. Inconceivable! (early pregnancy after FET)
108. Breathe Gently (infertility, ivf, everydaylife)
109. Hapa Hopes (ivf, ivf, ivf)
110. The list is now closed (the list for May will open after April 28th)

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 blue, 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.