"Clomid For Christmas" Holiday Medical Treatments by Teri Brown.

I found this article on line yesterday. Not only is it timely, but the coping suggestions are perfect.

Limit your participation in family celebrations. If your family's holiday traditions include children opening presents, you may want to come at the end of the gift opening, or skip it altogether. If you are feeling particularly depleted or vulnerable, there is nothing wrong with giving yourself permission to protect and take care of yourself. It is OK to say, "No, we really can't make it this year." If you want to limit the time... more

4. Define 'On Time'

"Being on time is really respecting other people's time," Post says. "Communicate about what 'on time' means to you. It means different things to different people."

Post also advises to call if you're running late and check with the host first if you plan to arrive early. If you are the host, let family members know what time you would like them to arrive, rather than what time you plan to start the meal. Don't assume people will come early to help unless you ask them directly.

5. Avoid Re-Gifting

"You don't have to break the bank for a really nice gift," Post says. "The key is to find something the person will really like. Stay... more

As we're heading into the holiday weekend, here are some more ways to avoid some of the possible stress. The following hints are from www.webmd.com

1. Be Realistic

Post tells WebMD the first step toward enjoying the festivities is to set aside idealized images of how things should go. "Be realistic," she says. "Don't think anything is going to be perfect."

2. Anticipate Conflicts

"Plan ahead and try to be as calm as possible with other people," Post says. If you can anticipate the types of conflicts that are likely to come up, you can plan a response in advance. This can help avoid the knee-jerk reactions that... more

Chris and I were just remembering that this time last year was the time that we got our news about Becken. The above photo is the one that came with our referral, our very first photo of our beloved son.

I had been nervous and removed and quiet as soon as I knew that they were sending out the information to us. I had spoken to our worker at our agency on the phone when she called to tell us about him. I was in shock I think because we hadn't expected a call until February and here it was only December! I went to Chris' work to tell him about our... more

Well, my aunt was at it once again. I came into the office this morning and found another sweet little handmade gift tucked into my computer keyboard. If any of you need a last minute stocking stuffer idea, or just want to hand out a small gift that won't cost a lot of money, this project could be just what you are looking for.

To describe it, I'll do my best and I'm sure that you will get the basics of it. My scanner really wouldn't do it justice since the font and the papers are so small. She took a piece of thick white paper and cut it decoratively to about 3x4 inch dimensions. On top of this she glued a regular piece of blue copy paper so that only the white showed as a border.... more

I can't think of too many things more stressful on couples than dealing with infertility. Add in the holidays and it can become unbearable. From www.about.com I found some helpful hints for couples to use during the holidays in coping with the extra pressure, regardless of fertility issues or not.

What The Two of You Can Do Eat healthy meals and drink plenty of water.

Watch how much caffeine you consume and try to cut back on it.

Make sure you discuss money and how much you both are comfortable spending on gifts.

Set a holiday budget together and stick to it.

Talk over your expectations of the holidays... more

As you can tell by the photo, I found an appropriate Christmas style outfit for Bec! Ivy already had her little outfit that was purchased for her by my mom last Christmas but didn't fit. It is a little sweatsuit by Ecko with the white fake fur around the hood and sparkley rhinestones in a star pattern on the jacket and pants. It is odd because Ivy is 3 but can fit into a variety of sizes. For instance, this outfit is 18 months!

We took the kids to our local mall to have their Santa pic taken before it got too late in the season. I was resigned... more

Here is a very interesting post that I found from Lisa over at www.adoptionshare.com

The way that the table copied onto this site, the numbers for 2006 are listed first, with the numbers for 2005 underneath.

The following data lists the number of children adopted by parents in the United States from countries outside the U.S. in 2006 and 2005. They are listed in order of highest to lowest. These numbers were recently published by the U.S. Department of State and the stats for years prior can be found on their site as well.

Fiscal Year 2006 Fiscal Year 2005 ... more

Well, have I got the blog for you!

Christmas For All

And talk about the "For All". The posts on this site run from instructions on how to decorate with lights on the outside of your house, all the way through to the Brad and Angelina wedding planned in South Africa this Christmas. The posts are pretty put up pretty regularly and are very lengthy and fun.

The blog started back in August with a post on "Christmas Party Ideas". The blog is written by Sean Carter who also has blogs titled, "Thanksgiving", "Valentine's Day" and "Halloween For All". There are lots of links for almost every Christmas need and also... more

Yet again while I was reading this book, I found another story that I need to pass along. These quotes are all from the same segment, yet I've skipped some of the entries.

And this is how I ended up participating in the blessing of a baby who had reached the age of six months, and who was now ready to touch the earth for the first time. The Balinese don't let their children touch the ground for the first six months of life, because newborn babies are considered to be gods sent straight from heaven, and you wouldn't let a god crawl around on the floor with all the toenail clippings and cigarette butts. So Balinese babies are carried for those first six months, revered... more