Gavin is 5 Months Old Today

Gavin is 5 months old today! Wow, where does time go? He is growing and changing so fast. I wish I could pause his life right now, so he'd stay this size for a while. We've reached some milestones: He sleeps through the night pretty consistently now, although he has a few nights every now and then where he wakes up. But when that happens, all I have to do is put his pacifier back in his mouth and walk away. The nights of sleep have been sooooo needed, even though I'm still tired (just not as much). Jason and I have talked about starting him on oatmeal cereal. We don't give him rice cereal because when we tried it in the past, he screamed every time he was finished with it. So, we quickly said no to that. We gave him a little bit of oatmeal in his bottle last night. He kept it down pretty well. I think we're going to start off giving it to him at night for a little bit and then start adding it to his normal daytime bottles. We tried feeding some to him with a spoon first, but he hasn't quite figured out what to do with his tongue - he kept pushing it out. So, we'll have to practice more with it. We're working with him to get him to roll over. He spends a lot of his time on his back because he doesn't lay on his tummy very well. When we give him tummy time, it usually only lasts about 5 minutes - for 2 reasons...1) He throws up when he's on his tummy. It doesn't matter if he just ate 1 minute ago or 1 hour ago...he's going to throw up - And 2) He doesn't know how to relax his butt cheeks. He keeps them squinched (is that a word?) together. His legs go straight out and he looks like he's doing the "super baby". He bobbles around on his belly! It's actually quite hilarious to see him do it. But anyway, we're still working on that one. He's getting to where he can sit up more by himself for a few seconds. Then he just slumps over face forward into the carpet. Sometimes Jason and I will just sit there and look at him when he does it - partly for our amusemet because he looks so funny when he does it (aren't we mean?); and because we want to see if he'll try to push himself up with his hands. So, my little boy is growing up. I'm looking forward to more milestones.

Go Red for Women

Red! What a sassy color! It's bold and gets people's attention. If you're not into wearing showy colors, that's ok. But just once, do it for this reason...

This Friday, February 1st is National Wear Red Day to raise awareness for the Go Red For Women national movement founded by the American Heart Association to help you to fight back against the No. 1 killer of American women. A friend of mine from school has a mother and sister both with heart disease. I am sure many of you have been effected by it as well. If you'd like to participate, it is easy! All you have to do is wear red. For more information visit http://www.goredforwomen.org/

What To Wear: National Wear Red Day has its own dress code. Wear your favorite red clothes or accessory - a red blouse, a red dress pin, a fabulous red handbag - put on red lipstick, or sport some red socks. Go red in your own fashion to show your support for women and the fight against heart disease.

Why You Should Wear Red: Too few people realize that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women (and men), but the good news is heart disease can often be prevented. Spreading the Go Red For Women message “Love Your Heart” raises awareness of heart disease and empowers women to reduce their risk.

To take a look at some statistics and graphs, visit this website: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1200026

Be sure the spread the word to other women you know!

Wordless Wednesday

Here are 2 of my favorite recent pictures:

Life is Sacred

Today begins Sanctity of Human Life week. Abortion...how can I ever begin to describe my feelings on this topic without tears welling up in my eyes. And I really don't need to go into it because you already know what it is and how it's done. There are a couple of websites that I'd like to share with you that I found interesting: 1. Focus on the Family http://www.family.org/socialissues/A000001095.cfm 2. Pro-Life.Com http://www.prolife.com/ I went to a birthday party last night for Jason's nephew. While I was there, a lady brought in a newborn baby - like a "fresh out of the hospital" newborn...or so I thought. I wondered why in the world this mom would have her baby out in the cold damp air! I found out, as I eavesdropped, that this baby wasn't a newborn afterall. He's 9 weeks old, but only weighs 7 pounds! So, I'm thinking, "Oh, he must have been a premie, then." When I finally got up the nerve to talk to her, I found out some interesting things. To begin with, the baby wasn't hers. She is in the process of trying to adopt this tiny little boy from a family member. The mother (and father) of this baby were on methamphetamine throughout the pregnancy, and the baby was addicted to meth when he was born. This baby was not a premie! He was a full term baby, weighing in at only 5 pounds when he was born! The lady and the doctors just now weened the baby off drugs last week. She said that as he went through withdrawals he would shake all over and scream all day. I asked her what the long term effects would be. One side of the baby's head is smaller than the other side - the eyes, ears, skull, etc, but she said the growth would eventually even out. He also has some kind of muscular problem with his neck (I can't remember the exact name). She has to take the baby to therapy 3 times a week. And she also said that he would be a slow learner. I'm just having a hard time understanding how someone could continue to take drugs even though there was a baby growing inside her. I do understand that when someone is on drugs he/she doesn't think clearly and that the drugs have a complete hold on him or her. But could she have not tried to get help - at least during the pregnancy? My blood boils as I type this. So no, this has nothing to do about abortion, but it has everything to do with protecting a life and respecting what God created - the same meaning behind Sanctity of Life Week. I challenge you to say a prayer each day this week (and always) for all the mothers who are considering having an abortion - that God will place someone in their path to encourage them to make a different choice. And pray for God's protection on all those sweet little babies out there, that they'd be given a chance to live.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things I Love About Gavin: 1. The way he smells when he's just had a bath at "Nana's Bath & Spa" 2. His fat rolls on his thighs (and cellulite on his hiney) 3. His breath (but not when he burps or throws up) 4. When he grabs my face and holds it 5. How he loves to be naked 6. How he splashes in his bath water (he loves taking a bath) 7. The sound of his laughter when Jason or I tickle him 8. The way he tries to be a big boy and hold his bottle by himself even though he can't always keep a good grip on it 9. How he surprises himself when he squeals out loud 10. His poo-poo faces 11. The way he always pulls the blankets over his face to cover his eyes 12. When he grins at me when he catches me peeking into his crib in the morning to see if he's really awake 13. When he growls at me if I try to take his bottle out of his mouth to burp him

Wanted: New Recipes

I love to cook and try new recipes, but I'm finding that lately I'm cooking the same old thing all the time . I'm tired of cooking spaghetti, pork roasts, and cube steak. I've run out of fresh ideas. Do you have any favorite recipes you will share with me? I'd love to try them out!

Truths About Parenting

Some truths about being a parent: Those who say they "sleep like a baby" haven't got one. The best thing to spend on your children is time. Insanity is inherited; you get it from your kids. Having children will turn you into your parents. For adult education, nothing beats children. It now costs more to amuse a child than it once did to educate his father. *These were taken from www.bellaonline.com/articles/art37589.asp

Plead Insanity

I copied this from a friend's blog. I just had to share it with you. 20 Ways to Maintain a Healthy Level of Insanity 1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down. 2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don 't Disguise Your Voice. 3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, Ask If They Want Fries with that. 4. Put Your Garbage Can On Your Desk And Label It 'In.' 5. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks. Once Everyone has Gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to Espresso. 6. In The Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write 'For Smuggling Diamonds' 7. Finish All Your sentences with 'In Accordance With The Prophecy. 8. Don t use any punctuation 9. As Often As Possible, Skip Rather Than Walk. 10.. Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat with a serious face. 11. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is 'To Go.' 12. Sing Along At The Opera 13. Go To A Poetry Recital And Ask Why The Poems Don 't Rhyme 14. Put Mosquito Netting Around Your Work Area And Play tropical Sounds All Day. 15. Five Days In Advance , Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You're Not In Mood. 16. Have Your Coworkers Address You By Your Wrestling Name, Rock Bottom. 17. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream 'I Won!, I Won!' 18. When Leaving The Zoo, Start Running Towards The Parking lot, Yelling 'Run For Your Lives, They're Loose!!' 19. Tell Your Children Over Dinner. 'Due To The Economy, We Are Going To Have To Let One Of You Go.' 20. And The Final Way To Keep A Healthy Level Of Insanity.......Send This To Someone To Make Them Smile.

Calling all Clean Freaks!

Clean freaks, I need your help. Ever since Gavin was born, I cannot keep my house clean. It's laundry, dusting, floors, vacuuming...It is so hard to keep up with everything. I come in from work, play with Gavin, feed Gavin, unpack and repack his diaper bag, wash bottles, get dinner started, eat, clean up dirty dishes, get Gavin to bed, get my clothes and lunch ready for school, and then it's 10:00 pm before I know it and time for me to go to bed. One of my favorite websites is Fly Lady (it's linked on the side of my page). The ladies who run the site give you ways to declutter and keep your house clean each week; but I think her things work best for stay-at-home moms. I don't have the time to complete her house cleaning projects, and take care of everything else too. So - I need your help! Is there anyone out there who can share some efficient cleaning strategies with me? Do you have any shortcuts that work well for you? Any cleaning secrets? I've got to get my life and house back in order!

Pray for America

America the beautiful...land of the free... Aren't we so fortunate that we live in this great country? I believe we are. We get to choose our careers, choose where we want to worship, feel free to say Jesus's name in public, and show our pride in being Christians. But sometimes I'm disappointed in America and sometimes feel ashamed of what our country is becoming. I watched and listened to all the main stories on the evening news the other night and my heart was broken at the mess people are getting into - bank robberies, people being stabbed to death, homes being broken into, car-jackings, ...and the list goes on and on. Back in May, the man who was my wedding photographer (Ray Emery) and his wife were brutally murdered in their home - beaten to death by a hammer in the middle of the night. The guy guilty of it had a record a mile long. The story was written about again in the newspaper a couple of weeks ago when investigators believe they found evidence showing that Mr. Emery's wife was possibly sexually assaulted either before or after she was beaten in the head with the hammer. The newspaper article stated that when he was asked about it, all he said was, "prove it". I'm so glad I wasn't one of the interrogators. I probably would have lost my cool and beaten the tar out of him one good time. (In my personal opinion, I think the justice system is moving a little too slowly, and this guy should have already been "taken care of", if you know what I mean.) Stuff like this happens everyday in the United States. What a sad thing to think about. And what a scary thing to think about. I fear for our safety each day, especially Gavin and the future for him. I'm so scared that some crazy person is going to do something stupid and hurt us. My fears are one way Satan pulls me away from Christ. He always finds a way to get inside my brain - he gives me bad thoughts, worry, what-ifs, and bad dreams. There's a verse I claim when I start feeling Satan make his move on me. It's 2 Timothy 1:7, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." Whenever I feel Satan getting closer, or whenever Jason goes out of town and I'm alone at night in the house with all the weird noises, I pray this verse over and over. And I can literally feel a peace come over me and calm me down. (I even prayed this verse when I was getting my epidural when I was in labor with Gavin! I hate needles! And I survived!) But getting to my point. There are so many things we need to be praying about with this nation. One of the biggies is the the election this year. I received an email a couple of days ago that had been forwarded to several people down the line. It was about Barak Obama's background. It talked about how he grew up in a Muslim family and how he was sworn into office on the Koran, not the Bible. So, seeing that this is very disturbing information, I forwarded it on to several other people. My critical-thinking brother-in-law was one of them. So, being the fair person he his, he did his homework and found that several of the facts in the email were untrue. But even though the email wasn't completely factual, it made me think about what kind of effect the next president can have on this nation. What if someone like that took office? What would happen? Although President Bush is far from perfect, I believe he is a good man and good president; but as it stands, I believe America is quickly going to hell in hand basket. The man that is put into office this year can help get us there or stand for the Truth. In church this past Sunday, our congregation was challenged to pray for the election. The verse we were given was 2 Chronicles 7:14, "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." Friends, we are called by His name, and it is time now. Although the election isn't until later in the year, we need to begin praying now. We need to earnestly pray that God will not take his hand off America just yet. We need to pray that God's Will will be done and the right man will be put in office. We need to pray that Christians will come out and vote for a Godly man who stands for Godly principles. We need to pray for the healing of our nation. Will you pray with me?

Meet Gavin

Here is my pride and joy. Gavin Ridge Varner was born on August 31st. Jason picked out the name "Gavin", and "Ridge" is from my maiden name - Ridgeway. My dad wanted us to call him Ridge, but if any of you are familiar with soap operas, Ridge is a character on Bold and the Beautiful. Sorry, but I just don't go for that. Gavin was really active in my belly when I was pregnant, and he's still just as active. He's always moving, and gets bored sitting in his bouncy seat (unless he's watching Curious George). He loves to be walked around the house. When we hold him, we have to hold him facing outward because he's so nosy (he gets that from his Nana). He has to have a clear view of everything going on. He's such a mess. Gavin is officially 4 months old now. It's hard to believe it. Where does time go? It seems just like yesterday I was in labor with him. He has grown and changed so much. And of course, he's spoiled rotten to the core. We had a great Christmas with him. He got way too many gifts! Jason and I didn't have to buy him much for Christmas because everyone else in the family took care of all that for us! I'm sure Gavin is thankful for all the gifts, but I bet he would have been perfectly satisfied with just a ball of wrapping paper. He loved the crinkly noise the paper made, and also liked the way it tasted. There's one thing he got for Christmas that has been a lifesaver - the Exersaucer. His Nana and Pops got it for him. He loves to play in it and chew on the animals' heads. And one of the best things about it is that it makes him use the bathroom! Yep! If he hasn't pooped all day, I can put him in it and have a poo-poo diaper within 10 minutes - guaranteed! And speaking of my spoiled child, he is now getting tired of listening to The Wheels on the Bus on one of his noise making toys, and beginning to fuss. He seems to need personal attention, as if he doesn't get enough already. Until next time...

Thanks to Meredith and Stephanie

I have to thank Meredith and Stephanie for introducing me to blogging. They gave me their blog information and I have enjoyed keeping up with their postings. I have to say this is definitely new for me - a little out of my comfort zone. But after seeing several other people's blogs, it seems like it is going to be a lot of fun. So, thanks Meredith and Stephanie.