Hilarious ad

I'm not a big internet video watcher, but a friend at work showed me this one and its great, you have to watch it!!

Boots of a different feather still flock together

On my feet!
While at the water cooler after lunch, I looked down at my right foot to see that I had worn my black boots with stitching down the middle. Not liking these boots much I was surprised at my choice to wear them. Then, I looked at the left foot and realized that I was wearing one of my new boots on that foot. Gotta love getting ready while holding your clingy toddler and running late!

Lethargy and Blessings

I've been stumbling through the week thus far feeling zombie-esque, disconnected, and unable to concentrate as well as usual...with no clear reason why. Isn't it funny that when you feel this way you can't muster up enough brainpower to figure out what the cause is and thus can't figure out a solution. Maybe its a sinus infection? Maybe the onset of a cold? Maybe the weather changes are taking their toll? Or could it be the minimal exercise so far this week? Could it be the bag of yummy cookies and goodies from my sweet friend (shoutout S.H.) that I practically ate in one sitting? Probably a combination of all of these things and I imagine the general consensus right now.

This morning I had to stop for gas, usually a non-event. I got out in the upper 20 something degree weather and got the pump going but couldn't handle being out in the cold so I sat in my passenger seat and waited. There were hundreds of birds around the Exxon sign just flying around in what seemed an aimless dance. This being our coldest day of the year so far, I was baffled at the fact that these birds weren't headed South like their cohorts I've seen lately. I guess some do stick around seeing as we are relatively pretty far South, but how cold is too cold for a bird? I'm sure it depends on the bird and the wind, and who knows how many other variables. Maybe a bird expert will happen upon my blog and answer these questions for me.

Anyways, as much as I knew in my heart that these specific birds (grackles) could surely tolerate the weather or they wouldn't be there, I couldn't help myself from wanting to round them up and put them in my car and keep them warm. I sat there and pictured myself grabbing handfuls of them in my arms and placing them in the backseat and all of us sitting comfortably together in the warmth.

Inevitably that led me to think of the fact that there could be children out in weather this cold or colder and how horribly sad that is. I can't and don't want to imagine the unbearable yearning they and their mothers must have for warmth in the cold like this. Naively, I'd like to believe that really this isn't happening anywhere in the world, but I know better. Its nice to have the option to take such a painful thought or feeling and push it away because it doesn't affect me directly but many people don't have that luxury....and I'm still trying to figure out a way to somehow help them all!

The long and short of this story is that this cold weather and those crazy birds out there in it took me out of my little sheltered world for a minute and made me remember that having a home- with heat and cozy blankets and soft beds for my family is such an incredible blessing. Maybe God hit me with this sluggishness so I'd slow down and realize how truly, exceptionally wonderful my simple little life is.

Shantell's Bday!!

What a fun night! Though those who are still out partying every weekend may have considered our night out lame, but it was a blast for me and probably the latest I've been out (without baby in tow) since my boy was born. I love meeting new people, and Shantell's friends were all such fun and intersesting women that I'm so glad I got to meet or see again.

One in particular that I'm somewhat selfishly glad showed up was Erika, who is an amazingly creative person who makes these beautiful cakes. This is the one she made for Shantell which was dark chocolate with ganache, rasberry, etc. along with the adorable fondant margarita glasses and limes. It was absolutely delicous! Seriously, anyone reading this should check out her website HERE and look at the pictures of some that she has made...talk about talent. I can hardly ice a cupcake well, so I'm a bit jealous. :)

After dinner we weighed going out to a bar or going shopping kid-free, and guess what us party animals chose? Shopping! And what did we buy? Mainly stuff for our kids. But we were out really late, so we're still hard-core.

Congrats also to Stephanie, Jeremy, and Jesse...you guys have such a sweet family and I'm so happy I got to be there to help surprise you guys after such a wonderful experience!!!! Jesse is lucky to have such great parents.

Gardner Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celeb - Collage - Morph

Take a hint, Mom

Last night, I was on the computer searching for and booking a hotel for an upcoming trip that I had to get done last night. I kept trying to do my best to engage Cooper while I was busily searching. I would read him the hotel rates, locations, and amenities, etc. but still felt bad for being pre-occupied but it had to be done right then. He kept walking up to me with that toothy grin, bringing me random books and toys he probably hoped I'd play with. :(

I frantically finished the search and found and booked a place. Meanwhile, I had heard Cooper moving around in his room and it sounded like he was searching through the closet. As I was finally entering my credit card info, he walks up to me and hands me a shirt that was tucked away in the far corner of his closet where the hand me downs for next year are hung(Thanks Shantell & Caleb!). And the shirt said.........

"I want My Mummy!"

Of course I find more meaning in things than I probably should but how perfect was that timing? That boy got more hugs and kisses than he ever wanted and will probably think that he should always bring me shirts from his closet now since it made me so happy.

Stomach bugs

The past two days have been filled with unmentionable stomach issues, hours cuddled under numerous comforters trying to fight off the fever chills, extreme exhaustion, and the fear that I may drop my child if I tried to pick him up because I was so weak. I wondered what was wrong with me since my family and immediate co-workers did not have any issues...maybe I had food poisoning or some rare intestinal disease...or an ulcer from worrying about rare diseases anytime someone I love gets sick.

Upon my return to the electronic world, I've discovered an inbox I don't want to tackle and 9 people in my circle of friends/co-workers who've suffered through the past 2 days just as I have! NINE people. This is just the people I've had the opportunity to talk to so far today. Some were friends at a party and others weren't there nor did any of us have direct contact. I'm always so flabbergasted at how quickly/voraciously these types of bugs pass! I wouldn't wish that kind of sickness upon anybody so if I've come into contact with you directly or indirectly....I'm SORRY!

And....if you've been sick too tell me so I can add you to my list of sick people to be amazed about.

A Post from Stoppage Lead Palin

I'm sure you've all heard Sarah Palin's children's names and they are quite interesting. This by no means should indicate my political preference, its just funny!
Go to the Sarah Palin baby name generator. It gives you your name if Sarah Palin were your mother.

Its really hard being back at work today in the dreary, rainy weather after such a great weekend with my speedwalking son Trowel Ogre Palin and his wonderful Daddy, Thump Hummer Palin, so I was glad to run across something that was mildly humorous.

Sundry thoughts

I am an overthinker and overanalyzer hence the reason I hardly ever post blogs, it has nothing to do with the lack of content, just can't figure out how to make things concise or just pick one topic! So, I'm just going to write a few things that are in my head today in bullet format. Why? Because I know everyone is waiting around with bated breath to read the latest installment of my blog.


-Nobody blogs anymore, hardly any of my friends are posting and I miss it! Come on guys!!! I dare you!!!


-My son is an incredibly sweet, lately moody toddler boy who has unknowingly discovered new paths and crevices in my heart and filled so many of the empty holes.


-Being close to 30 is so much better than being in my early, or even mid-20's. Things are so much easier now, having a more rational vision of what life should be, knowledge that life, myself, and others cannot live up to my expectations, and being at peace with that (most of the time).


-Increasingly annoyed with those who often use the phrase "are we still in high school?" and act the most adolescent. Although I've been guilty of this in the past.


-I'm intentionally trying to ignore the economic/political turmoil in our country. Ignorance is bliss, right? How irresponsible of me as a voting citizen!


-Anybody know how long cows milk stays safe to drink if not in the fridge? i.e. in a sippy cup for hours?

My Quest for selflessness, Grace, and REST

My vision of myself as a mother is not the woman I was last night. A few nights of 4 a.m. wakings mixed with female issues do not a happy Mommy make.
He did not fall asleep until near 11, I did not until near midnight. Then, the dreaded 2 a.m. wake up whine came...and it all went downhill from there. He was fussy at first, surely because of another evil tooth on the verge of arrival, so I gave him ibuprofen expecting he would soon feel better and be able to rest again. His plans were different, he felt better and he wanted to play! I tried my hardest to (gently) force him back to sleep for another hour, to no avail. At one point I contemplated letting him cry it out, but I wasn't built for that, some nights I wish I was. I melt at the sound of his or any child's cries, they are truly heart-wrenching to me, I sometimes wish I was a little less emotional and affected by things like that and some days I'm glad I'm so overly sensitive.

By then, it had been 2 hours already and I was cranky, to say the least. I took him out to the living room thinking maybe he hadn't had enough dinner and was hungry. I got him some Cheerios and we sat and read a book and were peaceful for a while, until he started to throw the Cheerios on the floor and try to stuff them into the couch creases...the boy is one year old and rules and commands like "No!" don't really register completely with him but I proceeded to tell him no, but I didn't just tell him, I yelled at him...several times. He looked at me with this confused and forlorn face, like "but, I thought we were having fun?" It was really an eye-opening incident for me. I don't want to be that mother who yells at her kids when its really unecessary, I've seen it in action and not only is it nerve-wracking but its counterproductive in most situations. So, I sat there staring at that doe-eyed little angel who brings me more happiness than I could ever imagine and he smiles and kisses me....how beautiful and forgiving these little creatures are.

By the grace of God, Steven woke up and told me to sneak back in the bedroom and get some sleep. I could hear Cooper in there squealing and squawking with delight....at 4:30 in the morning! He and I were running on 2-3 hours of sleep and I have no clue how he was still going! Steven brought him back to me around 5, and he proceeded to want to play and dawdle until he finally passed out around 6...when my alarm goes off. I got up and left a voicemail for my amazingly understanding (male!) boss that I would be in late. So, I did get another 2 hours of sleep.
This boy has been a super-sleeper for a while now, barring any teething nights or illnesses, and I sat there contemplating what might be causing his restlessness and wakefulness but came up with nothing besides new teeth.

What I did come up with is guilt for not being the kind of Mom I really want to be in this situation...and in many nighttime situations. I want to be calm, nurturing, caring, and selfless. I want to be concerned more with his health, happiness, and well-being than I am with my impending 6 o'clock alarm buzzing. I want him to know that his Mommy will be there for him when he's uncomfortable and doesn't feel good or can't sleep....I don't want to be B@*$^y and impatient and worried about surviving and being halfway coherent at work on 2 hours of sleep. Other women have had to do it, and some do it with grace too....its just part of being a Mom, right? I pray and have prayed that someday (sooner than later) I'm able to find that grace and selflessness and just accept that this is bound to happen and surely will many more times in his life. It just doesn't seem like nocturnal gracefulness was ever in my cards, I'm too much of a sleep-lover.

From the words of my dear friend Tressa, his youth is only a 'short season in' my life and I will miss it when its gone, so I need to appreciate every little nighttime kiss and hug and cuddle while I can get it, even if I'm missing sleep, right?

Whille I may regret publicizing my meanness for all the world to see, my excuse is sheer exhaustion and the effects of only 4 broken hours of sleep. Plus, I thought if I blogged about it, I'd have to hold myself accountable to being a better nighttime Mom. :)

For my superbly, genuinely talented friend

Remember:

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."


Don't give up on what you're meant to do because others are unable to find their own path and must follow yours!

The New Classics

I have so missed reading over the past few years. I went from being in school and having time only for reading textbooks, to being pregnant and only wanting to read pregnancy books, to having a baby and having time for nothing other than baby.

Oddly, in this age of horrifyingly high gas prices, I am thankful for my hour-long commute each way. Why? Because I've discovered the wonderful world of audiobooks! I am seriously obsessed and cannot read (listen to) them fast enough. I actually look forward to my drive everyday. No, more than look forward to it...I am excited for it, I crave it. Thank you audiobooks, you've changed my life! :)

So, I came across this list of the "New Classics," and this blog challenging everyone to read at least 6 books they haven't previously read from the list between August 1, 2008 and January 31, 2009.

Anyone else want to join me?

I've highlighed the books I've read in bold; I am planning to read the books in red.



1. The Road , Cormac McCarthy (2006)
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling (2000)
3. Beloved, Toni Morrison (1987)
4. The Liars' Club, Mary Karr (1995)
5. American Pastoral, Philip Roth (1997)
6. Mystic River, Dennis Lehane (2001)
7. Maus, Art Spiegelman (1986/1991)
8. Selected Stories, Alice Munro (1996)
9. Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier (1997)
10. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami (1997)
11. Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer (1997)
12. Blindness, José Saramago (1998)
13. Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (1986-87)
14. Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates (1992)
15. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers (2000)
16. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood (1986)
17. Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez (1988)
18. Rabbit at Rest, John Updike (1990)
19. On Beauty, Zadie Smith (2005)
20. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding (1998)
21. On Writing, Stephen King (2000)
22. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Díaz (2007)
23. The Ghost Road, Pat Barker (1996)
24. Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry (1985)
25. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan (1989)
26. Neuromancer, William Gibson (1984)
27. Possession, A.S. Byatt (1990)
28. Naked, David Sedaris (1997)
29. Bel Canto, Anne Patchett (2001)
30. Case Histories, Kate Atkinson (2004)
31. The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien (1990)
32. Parting the Waters, Taylor Branch (1988)
33. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion (2005)
34. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (2002)
35. The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst (2004)
36. Angela's Ashes, Frank McCourt (1996)
37. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (2003)
38. Birds of America, Lorrie Moore (1998)
39. Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri (2000)
40. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (1995-2000)
41. The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros (1984)
42. LaBrava, Elmore Leonard (1983)
43. Borrowed Time, Paul Monette (1988)
44. Praying for Sheetrock, Melissa Fay Greene (1991)
45. Eva Luna, Isabel Allende (1988)
46. Sandman, Neil Gaiman (1988-1996)
47. World's Fair, E.L. Doctorow (1985)
48. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver (1998)
49. Clockers, Richard Price (1992)
50. The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen (2001)
51. The Journalist and the Murderer, Janet Malcom (1990)
52. Waiting to Exhale, Terry McMillan (1992)
53. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon (2000)
54. Jimmy Corrigan, Chris Ware (2000)
55. The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls (2006)
56. The Night Manager, John le Carré (1993)
57. The Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe (1987)
58. Drop City, TC Boyle (2003)
59. Krik? Krak! Edwidge Danticat (1995)
60. Nickel & Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich (2001)
61. Money, Martin Amis (1985)
62. Last Train To Memphis, Peter Guralnick (1994)
63. Pastoralia, George Saunders (2000)
64. Underworld, Don DeLillo (1997)
65. The Giver, Lois Lowry (1993)
66. A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again, David Foster Wallace (1997)
67. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini (2003)
68. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel (2006)
69. Secret History, Donna Tartt (1992)
70. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell (2004)
71. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Ann Fadiman (1997)
72. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon (2003)
73. A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving (1989)
74. Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger (1990)
75. Cathedral, Raymond Carver (1983)
76. A Sight for Sore Eyes, Ruth Rendell (1998)
77. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro (1989)
78. Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert (2006)
79. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell (2000)
80. Bright Lights, Big City, Jay McInerney (1984)
81. Backlash, Susan Faludi (1991)
82. Atonement, Ian McEwan (2002)
83. The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields (1994)
84. Holes, Louis Sachar (1998)
85. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson (2004)
86. And the Band Played On, Randy Shilts (1987)
87. The Ruins, Scott Smith (2006)
88. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby (1995)
89. Close Range, Annie Proulx (1999)
90. Comfort Me With Apples, Ruth Reichl (2001)
91. Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (2003)
92. Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow (1987)
93. A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley (1991)
94. Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser (2001)
95. Kaaterskill Falls, Allegra Goodman (1998)
96. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown (2003)
97. Jesus’ Son, Denis Johnson (1992)
98. The Predators' Ball, Connie Bruck (1988)
99. Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman (1995)
100. America (the Book), Jon Stewart/Daily Show (2004)

Pure Joy

This picture evokes more emotion in me than any photograph has before.

Grandma (she's no longer Mom to me anymore, but Grandma) calls it "The Joy of Cooping." You know, like the old cookbook which was a staple in our home"The Joy of Cooking."

Everytime I see it, on my desktop background at work, I get this nauseously happy feeling in my stomach. Its the weirdest thing. Like: "oh my gosh, this beautiful, cheerful child is mine, all mine!"

I can't soak in this smile enough, its his new thing, I'm thinking he likes to show off his pearly whites. He throws his head back and smiles with his lips as high up on his gums as possible and it melts my heart everytime I see it. I'm so glad I was able to capture it.

Every Mom probably has a picture of their Child(ren) that just makes them giddy and filled with love like this one does for me, I'd love to see these pictures from my friends. Hint, hint.

Blog Tops!

Cooper has a new and exciting blog header, made by an extremely talented graphic designer, Natalie Ward. She will design your blog top and the proceeds will go towards her deserving family who will soon be going on a mission trip, so if you'd like her to design your own beautiful and unique blog header, click Here.

How to leave a comment

Since embarking on my blogging journey, I've discovered many people having technical difficulities understanding all of this blog stuff. So this is my first attempt to clear things up....

Leaving Comments

When reading a blog, the blog author would love to get your feedback on the topic at hand. Its always nice to hear what people think or to know that anyone is reading your blog at all. So, here is my simple 4 step guide to leaving comments:

1. Find the hyperlink (highlighted, clickable words) below the blog text stating either (1)how many comments there are or (2)"Post a Comment" and click on it:

(1) Posted by The Gardner's at 8:55 AM 3 comments
(2)Post a Comment

2. Write your comment in the "Leave your Comment," section.

3. Choose your identity
You have 4 options:

• Google/Blogger ID- If you aren't a Google member already, you should be, but if not you have other options.
• Open ID- You can use your OpenID and sign in here
• Name/URL- Pay close attention! You can just type in your name here and thats it! No need to enter a URL, just type in your name.

Example:

Name: Megan

• Anonymous-Even easier, just click this one and you can be an incognito commenter.

4. Click on the "Publish your comment," button and Voila! You have left a comment!

Sleep deprivation

I remember those good ole days of sleeping in until noon or sometimes after because I had stayed up so late the night before...and thinking "Man, I'm so sleep deprived." Or coming into work after not being able to get to sleep until midnight or later and complaining to co-workers how unbelievably tired I was.....I didn't have a clue.

Now that I'm in the throes of a 9.5-month old with a tooth that is perpetually "just about to cut through," who woke me up numerous times last night unable to sleep through the pain, I realize 1) How stinking lucky I was, rest-wise, back then, and 2) How incredibly sleep-deprived I was the first 3 or 4 months of Cooper's life.

I find it so strange that I'd never really heard anyone talk about how serious sleep deprivation is. You can't function or create complete thoughts properly, and it just puts you into this haze where you feel like you're no longer a contributing part of the living world. I guess other mothers don't want to scare new Moms by telling them how truly hard this is, or maybe its just not something you can properly put into words...or maybe they try and block that all out. Truly, its nothing you can ever properly prepare for unless you've got a live-in nanny or family that lives close-by and are able to help out. Even then, if you're nursing, there's not much relief.

Trying to find compassion for your hungry/hurting/helpless child when all you want to do is close your eyes is so frustrating. I have found myself praying at night for God to give me the patience and sympathy to help Cooper instead of groaning at him when I was really exhausted.

I still sometimes find myself jealous/resentful of my husband's uninterrupted, lenghty rest and have found myself intentionally being louder than necessary in the hopes of interrupting his sleep too. Am I just plain evil or is this common? I'm pretty sure its something a lot of mothers secretly do but don't always admit. (I hope Steven doesn't read this).

Two of my good friends had babies after I did and when they sent me pictures, I saw these two and thought "Wow, there's a picture of me with those same tired eyes." But, you'll notice the blissful smiles we all have too! This is what gets us through...this unfathomable love for our little munchkins.

Renee & Kirsten

Tara & Ryeland

Me & Coopy

New 'Do

I'm sporting a new 'do.

I was apprehensive at first, as I'm not one who is big on change. Its hard to tell in this picture, but I got highlights for the first time and this is really short for me, but I'm glad I did it. I love it!

Thanks to Danielle Newby at A.J. Passini, she is one of the best muti-taskers I've ever seen.

I think Cooper likes it too, but you can't tell from this picture.

Music Monday: Favorite Soundtracks

A really great friend-of-a-friend blogger, Kat, posts these fun, interactive, weekly blogs called "Music Mondays." This week's is about favorite soundtracks. I have always been a soundtrack lover since the beginning of my love for music. I have a tendency to bore of the same artist over and over, but love the variety of soundtracks, so here are some of mine:

Garden State-

This entire soundtrack is just excellent, not a bad song on it! I especially love the Shins
"Caring is Creepy"

I would listen to this song in the car before tests in college, it always calmed me down for some reason. Plus, Coldplay's on it. How could you go wrong?

Brokedown Palace

I just love it, any album that starts out with Sarah Mclachlan is just destined to be an all-around fabulous CD.

Top Gun

This brings back my childhood fantasies of falling in love with a fighter pilot. What a great movie. I still get taken back to the 80's when "Take my Breath Away," comes on the Lite Rock station...oh yeah. Who would have guessed that my future husband and our other neighborhood buddy would end up smashing my Top Gun CD with their skateboards? Abd can you believe I still married the guy? I tried to act like it was okay because I was "too cool" at the time to own that album anyways, but it hurt....real bad. :(

The Lion King
Last but not least, my favorite soundtrack from an animated movie is The Lion King! Elton John's "The Circle of Life," always reminds me of my little sister and how much she loved that movie. We watched it over and over and over for months, maybe years. It makes me all teary-eyed thinking of my little tiny sister, who is no longer little and tiny.

Anyone else have their own favorites?

P.S. M&A, this is a perfect opportunity for a new blog for you guys.

1st picture w/my Long-time Bestest friends

This Sunday was the first time I've ever taken a picture with both Tressa and Annie (and most of our children)! I'm so excited about it that I wanted to show it off, even though I look like a boy with no hair. :) Here we are...

B.F.F.U.T.E.O.T.A.F.A.E.A.

Vote for My Boy!

Cooper is in a contest on Shantell's website-please vote for him!! He's in Picture 5.

http://shantellwyatt.blogspot.com/2008/04/my-first-contest.html

Thanks!!!!!!

Megan

Moral dilemna

Is it not our responsibility as adults to speak up for those who are not able to do it for themselves or don't comprehend the danger they are being placed in?

Speaking from what I think is sound mind right now, I would hope that if my friends saw me placing my kids, husband, or animal in a situation that could
potentially be deadly were I in a position not of sound mind, they would speak up. Please do so, if you ever see this happening! My families' well-being is more important to me
than the temporary anger I'd feel towards you.

Why do we always sit by and watch a possible catastrophe in the works? How is it possible that this is something so innate in humans to do? We just sit back, not wanting to seem as though we're meddling in other people's business. This is what keeps us from speaking up and taking a stand for an innocent little being that has no control whatsoever over the situation they are placed in...and its become normal to them, which will in turn repeat the cycle for generations to come.

A couple of completely different occurences with different people have come up in the past few weeks bringing me to this topic. This is the internal battle that I'm having: Will it matter or make a difference if I have my say...with the hopes that it may provide a needed realization that may lead to some sort of change? Or would it fall on deaf ears? If I don't, could I live with myself if something happened?

I am, by no means, a perfect person or parent(although I do have a friend who is: shout-out S.W.!), but these situations aren't the typical "turn your head for half a second and the baby fell over," its just bad, bad stuff that rational people would find apalling, but these people have accepted as commonplace. Maybe because they've never been caught by official authorities, or because they have never even been called out on it, or they just really believe its okay.

One thing I want to come out of writing this, if anything at all....is if you see me putting my family (or any family, for that matter) in danger in any way, I hope....no, I beg of you to speak up and stop me!

I welcome your thoughts.....

Enough Said? Things weighing heavily on my mind currently

This weekend, I encountered two circumstances which really hit me hard and make me so angry both at the fact that people are careless enough to allow these things to happen and angry that I am essentially helpless to do anything to fix the problems. It really makes me want to become a child/animal right's activist. Anyone want to join me?

From the MADD Website:
1) “Driving intoxicated with children in the car is a form of child abuse pure and simple. It must not be tolerated by lawmakers, communities, or family members. No child should be put at risk by having to ride in the car with a drinking driver. We call on lawmakers and public safety officials to do more to stop drivers from taking deadly chances with the lives of kids.”
Glynn Birch
MADD National President
http://www.madd.org/Drunk-Driving/Drunk-Driving/Programs/View-Program.aspx?program=2


From the Humane Society of the U.S.:
2) Why You Should Spay or Neuter Your Pet
By making sure that your pet can't have puppies or kittens, you'll have peace of mind that his or her offspring won't be euthanized in an animal shelter.
Many people are surprised to learn that nationwide more than 3 million cats and dogs are euthanized in shelters. You might think that these are animals born in the streets or there is something "wrong" with them. But often they are the offspring of cherished family pets, even purebreds. Maybe someone's dog or cat got out just that one time or maybe the litter was intentional, but efforts to find enough good homes failed.
Still the result is homeless animals that have to be euthanized because there are more dogs and cats entering shelters than there are people willing to provide them with loving care. Even if you do find homes for your pet's puppies or kittens, that means there are fewer homes available to take in other pets from shelters. Spay/neuter is the only permanent, 100-percent effective method of birth control for dogs and cats.
http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/why_you_should_spay_or_neuter_your_pet.html

Thank you, Cooper

• Thank you for helping me realize all that I had taken for granted before as I was still childlike in many senses prior to having you
  
• Thanks for really teaching me things I thought I knew the meaning of like: sleep deprivation, fear, love, and happiness
  Now I have lived it and understand it all fully and have felt all of the pain it entails....and am better for it.
  
• Thank you for helping to me to be a little more selfless and a little obsessive over every detail of your little bitty life, for its
  made me focus less on the petty day by day drama that I allowed myself to be sucked into and create before.
  
• Thank you for helping me to proudly release my inner dork and help to teach me that being "cool," is subjective, and it doesn't matter at all in the grand scheme of things...as long as I am a good mother to you and good to others.
• Thanks for slowing me down and giving my life meaning, the kind of meaning I'm so proud to have and the responsibility I would never wish to relinquish.
  
• Thanks for making me appreciate all that my Mom went through in raising us and what a phenomenal job she did, which I never gave her credit for until now.
  
• Thanks for making the hurt so much deeper now when I see other children or parents hurting, you have given me more compassion than I thought possible.
  
• Thanks for teaching me that the world is a much better place when it doesn't revolve around me.
  
• Thank you for giving me so very much to be thankful for that I could never possibly express it all!

Cooper's own blog

Hey guys!


Cooper has a new blog of his own now. Please check it regularly to keep up with whats going on with him and his life.

We're hoping that some of his friends will follow suit and start a blog of their own because we'd love to keep up with them too.

Cooper's blog

I'm getting a big head

Thats right, ladies, be jealous-I've got a good-looking fella after my heart.




He screams with joy when I walk into a room, flaps and flails his arms and legs around in delight, and listens to me intently with a look that says that all that I say is profound and meaningful...and laughs hysterically at my cheesy jokes. These are things that I've been trying to convince his Daddy to do for years!



As if just having a child wasn't wondrous enough, I've given birth to my biggest admirer, and I'm soaking it in while I can! I know this will soon be gone and I'll be that nerdy Mom that he wants nothing to do with. So bring on the fanfare, Cooper! I'll curtsy and bow when you clap for me and allow myself to secretly enjoy that you're sad when I leave the room.



For this moment in time, we can both be one another's biggest fans!



And the clencher......this is what he did when I came back from the bathroom a minute ago...this kid knows how to make his Mommy feel good.

Angel Babies

A friend of a friend of mine lost her precious baby girl last Monday. Though I never met Lilly, I was lucky enough to share in a little of her short life because my friend would give me updates and share pictures with me. Lilly was truly a beautiful baby and I am heartbroken for her family.

Please take a minute to visit these blogs and shower this family with your encouragement and prayers.

http://lillyinspirations.blogspot.com/

http://www.babylillyspad.blogspot.com/


This week also marks the unfortunate anniversary of the passing of Steven's cousins baby girl, Ava Grace. She too was a beautiful child with so much spirit. I attended her funeral while pregnant with Cooper and it was so hard for me, I cannot imagine the pain these mothers and families are going through.

Please pray for their comfort and for some sort of peace to come at some point, and include them in any prayer requests or chains that you are a part of.

Time with my Grandparents (from Cooper)

As you may already know, I lead a pretty busy life. Its nice to just have a day visiting with the grandparents every once in a while. A couple of weeks ago my Saturday started with Grandpa Charles coming over. He's my Daddy's Dad. Mom started taking pictures the second he walked in the door.
After awhile, Daddy and Grandpa (he loves to hear this word) had a "tea party," apparently we Gardner's do it differently than most. I'll have to remember for future reference that we use iced tea in plastic cups and break out the sausage and cheese from Daddy's Christmas gift set, which Mommy said was the most disgusting thing she's ever eaten, but Dad and G'pa ate it up! I sat at their feet like Shiner does sometimes, hoping for a dropped nibble, but nothing.
Later in the evening, we took a trip to see Grandma (Mommy's Mom)! She just sits there and looks at me and talks about how funny I am, but as you can see from the picture below...she's the funny one! Mommy bought her a nativity scene for her Christmas decoration (note that decoration is singular)and it plays music and lights up. Someday I'll understand what this all means, but for now I understand that Grandma is lots of fun and a great cuddler too!


This was a little later after the fun had died down...these adults seem to enjoy sitting on these elevated pillows quite a lot! I've noticed that all of my grandparents and Mommy and Daddy love these things! Something else for me to ponder.... My other grandparents live far away so I don't get to see them as much, but I know that they really love me and miss me. Here's my visit to see Grandma (Daddy's Mom) on New Years:

She had lots of presents for me to open, and then put the bows on my head. It was so funny!

Here's when I went to see Grandpa (Mommy's Dad) for Thanksgiving. Can you believe how young I look? Grandpa has a neat log cabin house and Mommy says he has mini elephants living in his beard. I can't wait to get bigger so I can search for them.

I really just wanted everyone to know that my Grandparents are the best and I love them so much!

P.S. I know some of you Grandparents have trouble deciphering this technology stuff, but its easy to leave me a comment. I'd love to hear from you!

G"old" friends

Any of you who were Brownies or Girl Scouts should remember the song:

Make new friends, but keep the old.

One is silver, and the other's gold.

I'm not really sure why this is really one of the only things that stuck with me from my short service as a Brownie, but it resonates in my head every once in a while.

I have two Gold friends that have made such an impact in my life, I had to blog about it.

First, there's Tressa. From those first days in the first grade with our unintentionally matching hot pink dresses covered in brightly colored geometric shapes and our deep conversations about Bon Jovi and how we were both such big fans, to today with our children and our less glamorous, yet more fulfilling lives, we were meant to be friends. God made this obvious by putting us in eachother's paths repeatedly. We first met in Central Arlington where we went to Key Elementary together, Tressa and her family moved away a few years later. Another few years later, my family moved to a neighborhood in South Arlington where it just so happened my old buddy Tressa had moved to a few years earlier. We were inseperable after that.

Similar story with Annie. In the 9th grade I moved to San Antonio to live with my Dad for a while. There was this girl I kept seeing in choir, PE, and at another anonymous event outside of school. We finally started talking and I invited her to stay the night at my house so we could ride together to sing with our choir on the Riverwalk for Christmas! My 1.5 years in S.A. were pretty much spent with Annie, we too were inseperable after that. When I moved back home, I went back and visited a few times but sort of figured we'd drift apart and eventually lose touch. Not so! To my happy surprise, Annie moved to the metroplex to go to college and now I have her here near me!

As we've all grown, we haven't always been in the same stages of life as eachother and our correspondence has sometimes lacked. This just happens.

In the past few years, our lives have all become similar again and I feel as close to them as ever-even though we hardly see eachother. We don't have to. It doesn't matter how long its been, its always so comfortable like no time has passed at all. These girls are my sure things-as cliche as it sounds, they really are family to me. To make it even better, they like eachother a lot too, which I love.

What I really wanted to relay in writing this blog is what amazing women they've both become...and I've been lucky enough to witness this (not that they weren't equally wonderful young women). Since having a child, I often find myself asking "What would Tressa/Annie do?" Maybe I should have WWT/AD? bracelets made for myself. :) They are both such strong, spiritual, creative, caring, loving, intelligent, and capable women. I often find myself in awe of them and all that they are able to accomplish and have accomplished with such peace and grace. Seriously, I'm blessed to have shared the majority of my life with two such beautiful people.

I love you guys!!!!

7 Weird Things about me

Okay, so I got tagged by my lifelong best friend Tressa, to post seven weird things about me. Seeing as I'm a generally weird person, this shouldn't be too hard.

1. If I have the time, I like to compare the words in my sentences to see if there is an even number of letters throughout it.

2. If I see a hawk-I know it will be a good day.

3. I have a serious obsession with lists...and turning those lists into spreadsheets and somehow making the data quantifiable so that I can keep track of it. This is something I'm working on.

4. I am so in love with my son, that it actually physically hurts. I know this isn't weird but its fairly new to me and I can't quite explain it. Steven says he knows exactly what I mean.

5. I've recently joined an audiobook club so that I'll have something to do on my 2 hour commute each day. I now look forward to my drive! If anybody has any book suggestions-I'll add it to my queue. I'm currently listening to Dan Brown's Angels and Demons, which was a book I started before I was pregnant with Cooper and never had a chance to finish.

6. I really miss being in school.

7. Two of my best friends are about to have babies (possibly even on the same day)-Annie and Tara. I am so excited for Levi and Ryeland's arrivals but really wish they could come on a weekend so I can come visit! This is stressing me out, and I think thats weird how much I let it bother me that I probably won't be able to be there for them. Why can't you guys plan to have your babies around my schedule? :)

There you have it! I am tagging Shantell and Annie now-since they are my only other blogging friends.

Crazzzy Cooper's 1st ear infection

So, as of Friday both Cooper and I have confirmed ear infections. While its the bazzillionth ear/sinus infection for me, its Cooper's 1st-and boy is it a new adventure! None of my veteran mother friends ever told me that amoxicillin (aka bubble gum medicine) turns docile, sweet babies into crazed lunatics! If I had known this, I may have chosen a better time (besides right at bedtime) to give Cooper his medicine.



While I love to see my son's energetic smile, flailing hands, and hear him screaming out in happiness and glee about his newfound hyperactivity, its not my favorite thing at 10 o'clock at night (past my bedtime too) especially when I too am feeling awful. After an hour so of hearing Mom beg and plead for him to go to sleep, Cooper finally gave in.



So, we got through the night somehow and today is a brand new day for us to experience even more of the new Cooper. We started out the day with breakfast and his first dose of medicine at 8 a.m. As I'm writing this blog, its 1:15 p.m. and Cooper has yet to nap (he's usually napped twice by now). He's so wide awake right now that he'd even like to add his own viewpoint to this blog:


I have no time for silly old sleep, there are things to scream about and laugh at, like Shiner and pictures of Mommy and Daddy...oh, and the door! Aaaaaaahhhhhh! hahaha! Mommy knows that I don't feel good, so I've discovered that there are little things that I can do to really get her attention. Things such as fussing for prolonged periods, making little coughing noises, and snorting make Mommy want to hold me and kiss me and make me feel better, I can even get her to say "Oh, poor baby," if I really make a sad face. This is all just a ploy to get close to her so that I can grab her glasses and her nose. Then I'll pull on her hair and act like she's a horse and I've got a hold of her reigns! Whatever this new sweet, liquid food she's giving me twice a day is, I want more! I've never felt more invigorated in all of my nearly 8 months of life! Aaaaaaaaaaa! Da-da Gaga Baba! AAAAAHHHHHH!!!



This morning, a few hours after breakfast, Mom made a futile attempt to get me to take a nap. It was absolutely hilarious! She nursed me, rocked me, put me in my crib with the mobile on, read to me, walked around with me, laid in bed with me, she tried everything! I wasn't going to give in that easily. The funniest part was when she thought that putting me in the swing, even though she always tells Daddy I'm too big for it, would help anything! Watching my parents is so funny! hahahahahaha Aaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!!



So now you see what I'm dealing with...

I really hope that its actually the medicine causing the hyperactivity and this isn't just some milestone that all babies reach around this age...or maybe its just a milestone MY baby has reached. If that turns out to be the case, I'll need your prayers.

Inspired to blog

My two oldest, best friends have been blogging for a long time and I LOVE reading updates on their families. They've asked me to write my own but I didn't think I had enough time-then I realized that I write in my journal every so often, whats so different about doing it online?

Plus, I got an email about another new blog from my friend Shantell/Cooper's caregiver/photographer/jack-of-all trades, that got me all misty-eyed because it was about my little Coopy and the beautiful pictures she took of him! Here's the link to the blog I'm speaking of
http://shantellwyatt.blogspot.com/2008/02/coop-deville_16.html

So, this is my new blog...it doesn't even have to be read, its a good tool for chronicling my families life and its therapeutic to boot! Best of all, it will make my Mom happy.