Through stirrup-queens and sperm palace jesters I found the following link for "I Probably Shouldn't Be Writing This" from Thalia's blog.

This post is in the Creme de la Creme of The Best from the Infertility and Pregnancy Loss blogs 2006. Thalia writes about the "what ifs" from all of her fertility treatments and unprotected sex. What if each one would have taken hold? She talks about how old each child would be and what they would be doing at this time. It is eye opening to say the least, and... more

While I was dealing with infertility, I felt frustrated at how elusive pregnancy was for me. I was angry thinking back to health class and the terror that was instilled in us about unplanned pregnancies. I wish that infertility statistics would also have been included, to round out everything else we had learned. But then again, I wonder if this is a recent trend with prolonging parenthood into later life with my generation? In my state, largely in part to education, our teen pregnancy rates are down. Would this also mean that our infertility rates are up? Hmmm.

Googling "infertility prevention" I found the following link.

The... more

I have been cleaning out my files on the computer, getting it somewhat ready to take in for yearly maintenance. It should have been done a couple of times before this, as my laptop is about 3 years old, but, better late than never! In purging some files, I came across some saved articles and links that I had planned to post on while on this site, but didn't get around to. Now that my move is planned and in the process, I thought that I'd better share them while I have the chance.

amfAR This group's mission from their website is as follows:

amfAR's mission is to prevent HIV infection and the... more

I'm following in the blogging footsteps on Jan Baker in her wish to you all for a Happy New Year, one day late. To read her post, click here.

In my last post, I let you all know about the move of the fertility blog over to it's own site, which can be reached through www.fertilityblogs.com The move has been a tad slower than any of us could have expected, so I'm still here! I will probably be over there starting on Wednesday or Thursday, so keep checking back if you can. Since I won't be able to let you know that I've actually moved, you'll have to come and find... more

Hello everyone,

It's a cyber move! Within a few days, or sooner, you can find me and my blog over at

www.blogs.fertilitycommunity.com which you can also get to by typing www.fertilityblogs.com

Please keep in touch and it has been great writing and reading with you,

All love,

Karianne

Massage Techniques - Wrap your hands around your feet with thumbs on the soles and fingers on the top of your foot. Start by making circular motions with your thumbs and cover the entire area of the heel, soles, ball, and toes.

- Next, use your thumbs to make long, deep strokes on the soles of your feet, moving upward from the heel to the ball. If you feel some soreness in one area, spend extra time there to soften it up.

- Don’t forget your toes! Spend a good 30 seconds or more on each toe. One at a time, rub and massage your toe all the way from the base to the tip. Use small circular motions and then long strokes from base to tip, and don’t forget in-between... more

Being a massage therapist, I know the power of touch. For the majority of my clients their favorite section of the massage is the feet. There are a few though that really cannot stand to have their feet even lightly touched. If you are like those very few clients, you may not want to read this post as it will teach you how to enjoy your very own foot massage. The detailed way that this is written is better than what I learned in massage school. The only thing that I would add to these steps is to put on some relaxing music before you start and also to remember to breathe deep to help internalize the relaxation response.

From www.lifescript.com

Even... more

One of my younger brothers called me today to tell me that now every time he hears the Band Aid song, Do They Know It's Christmas, he thinks of little Bec. He said that having Bec has totally changed the way that he understood the song from when he was he was younger.

If you grew up in the 80s like we did, you have to know this song. I hadn't heard it on the radio yet this year, so I listened to it online. I did have different images for me as well, and I'm glad that he shared this little tidbit with me. Here are the lyrics, just in case you just got them out of minds!

Lyrics With Performers (Paul Young) It's Christmas time There's no need... more

Coley's most recent post inspired this post from me. She writes about how a Christmas letter has changed and does change with growing up. It reminded me of this Christmas song that I listen to every Christmas on my Merry Christmas To You CD by Reba McEntire.

Artist/Band: Reba McEntire Lyrics for Song: A Christmas Letter Lyrics for Album: Merry Christmas To You

At an antique desk An old man sits alone It's Christmas Eve And it's almost time to go

He signs his name to a letter he just wrote Then he reads it back with a voice as soft as snow

I want peace on earth for Christmas In a world where there's not... more

Tomorrow I am foreseeing a sticky and uncomfortable evening with an in-law. This is nothing new and is actually the norm for the past 5 years. With some new developments within the last month though, I'm not really sure how things are going to play out.

I've decided to try out some of the coping strategies that I've been posting lately. Here is what I've been doing or what I will do:

Limit your participation in family celebrations. In years past, this coming up function would have required Herculean stamina as a short 2-3 hour visit would have been "rude" so we would stay at least 5 hours, including driving time would make it 6. Now, we will head out around the... more