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