IComLeavWe: September

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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: Sorry, the list is now closed. It will reopen for October on September 29th.
• 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. Weebles Wobblog (open adoption, mindfulness, perfect moments)
3. Elana’s Musings (twins, parenting, randomness)
4. Dragondreamer’s Lair (parenting, secondary infertility, crafts)
5. Baby Smiling In Back Seat (twin pregnancy, infertility, pottery)
6. Our Surrogacy Adventure (ed recipient, surrogacy, life)
7. In Due Time (infertility, pcos, life)
8. Making Me Mom (mfi, iui, faith)
9. Not Knocked Up With Sprog (infertility, loss, hope)
10. eye heart internet (ivf, france, expat)
11. The Pitter-Patter (ttc, mfi, marrakech)
12. Life Happens When You’re Making Other Plans (faith, family, IVF)
13. Hope and Dreams for Us (infertility, taking a break, life)
14. Rolling Around In My Head (disability, life lessons)
15. Can I Get Some Sugar with These Lemons? (endometriosis, infertility, IVF)
16. The Mind of ~Ifer (random, marriage, thoughts)
17. Once an Infertile (parenting after infertility, endo, life)
18. In G-d’s Hands (infertility, pcos, faith)
19. Conception Deception (mfi, ivf)
20. Endo-a-Go-Go (donor egg, ivf)
21. Body Diaries by Lucy (pcos, if, ivf)
22. PCOS SOS (pcos, infertility, ttc)
23. No, I’m Not Pregnant, Just Fat (azoospermia pcos re)
24. The Yerkes Life (ivf, life, faith)
25. No Lingerie Here… (ttc after mc, weight loss w/pcos, everyday life)
26. Babymaking 101 (pregnancy loss, partial mole, waiting to try again)
27. Infertility and Me (male factor infetility)
28. Sticky Feet (twins, parenting, toddler)
29. Infertili- T & A (IVF, waiting, sass)
30. A Fifth Season (life, loss, family)
31. IF You Only Knew (tubal infertility, family, ttc)
32. The Mis- Adventures of a Modern Day Farmer’s Wife (PCOS, farming, infertility)
33. Venting Vagina (ttc, infertility, iui)
34. Communique (life, infertility, ART)
35. Return to Innocence (infertility, PPD, PCOS)
36. Our Journey, but not our plan (ivf, miscarriage, LAP)
37. IF Crossroads (injects IUI, depression, endo)
38. Wishing4One (ivf, waiting, egypt)
39. Within Reach (infertility, music, random)
40. Blue Gingham Jumpers (infant after PCOS, infertility)
41. Three is a Magic Number (varicocele, the beginning)
42. All Things Griffin (donor IUI, 2WW, infertility)
43. Ambivalent Womb (ivf, male factor)
44. A Woman My Age (open adoption, infertility, life)
45. The Baby Makin Chronicles (pregnancy after m
    iscarriage, life, preparation)
46. Our Someday Family (TTC, MFI, early IF)
47. CD1 Again (infertility, ovulation, periods)
48. Whatever He Says (life, humour, faith)
49. Trustee Tracks (education, parenting, special needs)
50. Mindful Meandering (FET, infertility, recurrent miscarriage)
51. A + B, Waiting for C (if, clomid, today’s distractions)
52. Confessions Of A College Angel (random, college life, hotel ramblings)
53. TTC is Not Easy (conception, weight, marriage)
54. Everyone Else But Me (ICSI, ectopic pregnancies, future)
55. Ninapintasantamaria’s Blog (life, pregnancy, snark)
56. Rottweilers Ate My Laptop (rottweilers, technology, life)
57. All Aboard the Pity Boat (infertility, running, life)
58. A Virtual Hobby Store and Coffee Shop (news, food, music)
59. An Infertile Blog (infertility, miscarriage, PCOS)
60. Learning To Let Go (infertility, BFP, anxiety)
61. Fertility Foibles (infertility, humor, adoption)
62. Yes, We’re Parents (parenthood after IF, ttc#2 w/ IF, humor)
63. A Greater Yes (embryo adoption,, infertility)
64. We got hitched. We bought the 4 bedroom house. Now what??? (pregnancy, miscarriage, randomness)
65. (In)fertile Myrtle (IVF, beta, infertility)
66. A Run For My Money (mental health, parenting after infertility)
67. Slice of Pie (ivf, travel, second opinions)
68. Becoming Whole (emotional abuse recovery, uncertain family-building future, ponderings)
69. Will Not Work for Baby (infertility, ivf, taking a break)
70. Musings of a Wannabe Mommy (IVF, hopefulness, feelings)
71. Circus Children (life, love, infertility)
72. Mis(sed)conception (infertility, life, marriage)
73. One Little Pink Line Short of Sheer Bliss (mfi, ttc break, marriage)
74. Infertility and Me (ivf, ttc, infertility)
75. What Wuz I Saying? (kids, adoption, life)
76. Queen Wilhelmina (life, pregnant after infertility with an incompetent cervix)
77. The Conceivable Future (RPL, infertility, IVF)
78. Thoughts from an Overwrought Mind (life, infertility, ivf)
79. Looking for my Keys (infertility, special needs parenting)
80. Justamere IVF (parenting after IVF)
81. Busted Tube: Adventures in Infertility (ttc, pregnancy after loss, funny stuff)
82. Waiting on baby Paramore (miscarriage, IUI, faith)
83. My Infertility Journey (IVF/ICSI, male facter, PCOS)
84. Teddy Lifeslurper, ttc (humour, IVF, ART)
85. Wheresmy2lines (donor eggs, pcos, life)
86. Chasing That Dream (hysterectomy, endometriosis, adoption)
87. Wistfulgirl’s World (pcos, infertility, random)
88. The Secret Life of Sass and Lex (endo, ivf, weight-loss)
89. FET Accompli (surrogacy, hope, expecting)
90. Ova-Ez (babies, love, life)
91. All My Peccadilloes (MFI, dIUI, waiting)
92. Sparkly Things Distract Me (40+, whats next?)
93. Donor Eggs Journey (donor eggs, IVF, medical tourism)
94. ~Baby Manatee~ (pregnancy, life, randomness)
95. Wandering Wonderment (mama-dom, student-dom, dumb-dom)
96. Adding To The Pack (iui, mfi, pcos)
97. Creating a Family (adoption, infertility, adoptive parenting)
98. Two Is A Family (adoption, life, humor)
99. Adventures in Glass (IVF, life, barely PG)
100. Invivo (infertile, pregnant, life)
101. Getting There (infertility, moving on, adoption)
102. Cheryllookingforward (pregnancy after loss)
103. Heeeeere Storkey, Storkey! (twins, life, FET)
104. Hubby, baby and me…would make 3 (infertility, pcos, life)
105. Meepit On Parade (infertility, life, loss)
106. Baby Steps…My Journey to Motherhood (infertility, ivf, recurrent miscarriage)
107. Baby Hungry (clomid, IF, life)
108. All Grown Up (domestic infant adoption, waiting, random)
109. Twists of Fate (life after miscarriage)
110. karlinda (open adoption, adoption process, veganism)
111. Tales of My Follies (waiting, day to day, pcos)
112. Melissa’s Thoughts and Realizations (infertility, hypothyroid, grad school)
113. Peanut noodle (infertility, miscarriage, ivf)
114. Melissa’s Life… As She Knows It (TTC #1, clomid, hope)
115. That’s My Answer (questions, life, fun)
116. Outside My Head (family, books, movies)
117. Semi-fertile (RPL, grief, life)
118. Not a Fertile Myrtle (male factor, pcos, endometriosis)
119. Raining Raining (marriage, (in)fertility, life)
120. Roy’s Progress (cancer, family, humor)
121. A Page In My Book (family life, if grad, special needs kids)
122. Hoping For Another Little One (infertility, open adoption, family)
123. Lifeslurper (IVF, DE, 40+)
124. On (In)fertile Ground (infertility, IVF, life)
125. My Little Drummer Boys (IVF twins, parenting ,daily life)
126. Ambivalent Womb (if, mf, ivf)
127. Smells Like Popsicles (kids, photography, family)
128. Ethi-hope-ia: The Journey To Our Sweet Baby Boy (international adoption, miscarriage, motherhood)
129. Gas Passer aka UUer (unicornuate uterus, gestational carrier cycle, anesthesia)
130. Lookingforaplussign (infertility, dreams, costs)
131. I-V-F YOU! (infertility, iui, ivf)
132. Maybe Baby? (pregnancy, miscarriage, infertility)
133. Last American Girl Standing (first medicated cycle)
134. offmymind.but from my heart (adoption, infertility, openess)
135. Plaid with Polka Dots (adoption, infertility, life)
136. Sorry, the list is now closed.

Q: What if I miss a day?
A: Catch up the next day by doubling your comments–12 comments instead of 6.

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 cranberry, the next month it will be red, 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).

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.