The Daily News

LFCA Latest Issue: Friday, September 25, 2009.

Latest Post on BlogHer: Parenting after Infertility.

My Status: Fed Josh's almonds to the squirrels. They needed them very badly.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Friday Blog Roundup

Setting the scene for you:

It's the second to last week of camp. The Barren Babes are standing on the porch of our cabin, knee socks yanked up to maximum height, ribboned pigtails swinging in the breeze, our sneakers festooned with colourful laces. We've kicked ass in the pool, kicked ass in the rope climb, kicked ass in the sing-along competition. We've shaving creamed our team name across the pavilion in front of the mess hall. Oh, yeah, and we've won the Weblog Awards.

To everyone who is stopping by from the Weblog Awards, allow me to introduce you to our team. We're 1600+ completely rockin' men and women who are all writing about our experience with biological or situational infertility. You can find our blogroll here.

Thank you to all the people who voted. Thank you to the people who asked their friends to vote or who Twittered it, Facebooked it (that verb again!), or blogged it. I am so incredibly thankful to be part of this community. And...at the risk of becoming weepy...I just want to tell you how much I love you. This really meant a lot to me.

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My cousin is coming for the Inauguration and staying with us for the weekend and I could not be more excited even though it means a trip to the airport prior to the aforementioned Inauguration (which I imagine will look a lot like the airport preThanksgiving if two million people had decided to eat turkey in our city). This is the same cousin who worked on Obama's campaign down in Florida, who is my human harbour, who is my partner in Chai from Fire & Water (waves at the three Northampton people who get this reference and then sniffs with them because I've heard it has closed. Sort of? Yes? No?).

Knowing she is going to be here tomorrow is making me want to listen to Tina Turner and jump around the living room.

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IComLeavWe begins in the middle of next week. Last chance to sign up for January. If you are not on the list currently but you signed up, it means you still have the old icon up on your blog. Blue is the current colour.

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And now, the blogs...

If you need a healthy dose of rage, Two Hot Mamas has a post explaining how she feels when she sees pregnant women as well as the helpful warning: "They should really point out in the post-miscarriage self-help literature that one will feel this way." This thought is immediately preceded by wishing for a rabid goat to eat the layette. This post captures the rage, strangles it, holds it under water, shakes it around, and shows anger just how much she can still kick its ass.

Awful But Functioning has a post about how loss changes the way you view the calendar. She writes with aching beauty: "So many Mondays and Sundays and twelves and eighteens have passed underfoot, you'd think I'd be farther than where I am now. That I would've discovered something about myself, or come to some profound conclusion about life -- mine or hers. That the phone might have rung, and someone on the other end might have had an answer. That I'd hurt less. That I'd miss less." You must read the post to understand how loss changes a season, the rhythm of a month, the way you see the clock.

Heeeeere Storkey Storkey has a post about the terrible funk she finds herself in. Today, actually, marks the boys' due date and their adjusted age of one year. She writes: "I've relied on that adjusted age like a crutch. And now? Now that crutch isn't holding me up so well anymore." It is a raw, honest post about the what ifs.

Flotsam has a wonderful post titled "Scattered." It is scattered, in a very real, stream-of-consciousness, grief causing flitting thoughts sort of way. And in another, it is concrete and straightforward and perfectly presents to the outsider the moments from a year ago mixing with the moments of today as she remembers the loss of Ames. The line that took my breath away came in the middle of a thought: "I wonder what it was like for him—was it scary, or like falling asleep? Did Simone know?" Go over to experience the whole post.

Lastly, if you have not gotten a chance to go over and read The Road Less Travelled's post on Glow in the Woods, please do so now. It is beautiful and illuminating and wistful and will remain with you long after you close your browser window.

The roundup to the Roundup: We rocked the Weblog Awards (and thank you for that). My cousin is coming! IComLeavWe starts next week. And many wonderful blog posts to read. See you here Saturday night for Show and Tell.

30 comments:

Tash said...

You? You Rock. Congratulations, you winner, you!!

loribeth said...

Yay!! you won!! And thanks for the mention in the roundup. Enjoy the inauguration with your cousin!

nancy said...

Woohoo!!! You won! You won!

areyoukiddingme said...

Congratulations! You deserved the win!

Michelle said...

CONGRATULATIONS!!! I am so happy you won because you DESERVE IT!!! WOOHOO!!!!

daega99 said...

Congratulations!!!!!!!

Wordgirl said...

Wonderful news -- you absolutely deserve it!

XO

Pam

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on the win!!! Yay!

N said...

Congratulations!!!


And yes, that J of mine has a way with words, doesn't she?

Lori Lavender Luz said...

When you win, WE win.

Yay, us!

annacyclopedia said...

Congratulations on your awesome win, Mel. And I love the scene you set for us. My knee socks are hiked up in your honour, always!

chicklet said...

Woohoo, we all did it! You won you won!

Cara said...

Never had a doubt...never!

andrea_jennine said...

Hooray! I love the prominence that your Weblog win gives to the ALI community.

HereWeGoAJen said...

You won! (We appreciate you trying to share the credit, but it wouldn't have happened if it weren't for YOU!) Thanks, Mel.

ultimatejourney said...

Congrats, Mel!

Anonymous said...

Congrats on the win!! That is awesome, you deserve it! :)

Anonymous said...

YES!!! wooo hoooooo!!!! Doing virtual cartwheels for you, sweetie. Tossing my hat up in the air and singing the Mary Tyler Moore theme song!

SO SO proud of you and ALLLLLL that you do for our community. You are a hunter & a gatherer for us and I owe you so much more than just a thank you.

CONGRATULATIONS!!

Emily said...

Hooray! Three cheers for Mel!! You so deserve this award! Thank you for all you do for us!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations, Mel - well done and much-deserved.

Now I must ask . . . did you go to SMITH??

Aurelia said...

Mel,

Congrats on the award!

I just read your post at BlogHer but I can't comment there so I just thought I'd ask, what was the holocaust reference in the movie?

Just because I have some friends who I know would like a heads up for sure, just in case.

P.S. Thank you cause honestly, I hate the fact that they did that in the movie, and you are big enough to get the attention, dude! Maybe someone will think now.

Baby Smiling In Back Seat said...

Congratulations! I defy the non-IF blogosphere to show me a blogger who works harder or cares more about their community.

Also I can't believe you're already planning Purim. On the years when I don't forget until it's completely passed, my preparation is something akin to, "Oh, Purim starts tomorrow! I guess I'd better start on the hamentashen."

AnotherDreamer said...

Woohoo! Congrats!

Carrie27 said...

YAY!!!! I'm glad all my clicking helped win!

I'm probably more thankful of finding you and your blog then you are of us. We all wouldn't be here without you, so THANK YOU!

Paz said...

congrats, the weblogs just finally recognized what we already know...we have a queen among us.

Phoebe said...

We all have you to thank for bringing us together. You rock my world, Miss Mel. You deserve to win.

..al said...

Heartiest Congratulations, Mel! You Rock!

Suzanna Catherine said...

Sooooooooooo happy you won! You really deserve it.

Kristin said...

Congrats to you and enjoy your time with your cousin!

Bea said...

Congrats on the win, by the way! And congrats on another great roundup.

Bea