Friday, April 18, 2008

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!

Thursday, April 17, 2008

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

Sunday, April 13, 2008

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.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

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.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

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

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

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!