Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Really? Does this really need to be something that has to be talked about?

     Ok, so I am one of those people that is unbelieveably addicted to 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom.  I watch it every week despite Jeremy's constant making fun of me for watching what he calls "tripe".  I have to admit it is a dumb show and of course the dreaded reality T.V.  The one thing I have realized is the amount of girls that are only 16 years old and are getting pregnant.  Not only that but the amount of girls that are 16 , getting pregnant and think "oh this is gonna be a breeze"  and then are upset when their boyfriends of the same age aren't up to the task of raising a baby or they have to give up everything they loved to do because they now have a child.  What I want to know is, where did this world go wrong when it was ok to be a mom at 16?  I love the show but I not only believe but also know that the show glorifies getting pregnant at a young age.  Yeah it shows the hardships that these girls are going through and at the end of every episode they have their PSA about how teen pregnancy is preventable and to go to such and such a website to learn about it.  My only problem is that if this show is supposed to deter teens from pregnancy then why have they been able to keep finding girls to keep the show going?  So far they are in season 3 and I'm sure have season 4 in the works already. 
     Do we need to up the sex education in our schools to educate this generation about what can happen when you have unprotected sex?  Do we need to hand out condoms/birthcontrol?  Most of the girls on the show weren't even on any type of birth control and obviously not using condoms.  Alot have said that they left the condoms up to their boyfriends and went along with it if they decided not to use them.  Some of the parents on the show admitted that they knew that their children were having sex and still didn't talk with them about condoms and birth control because they didn't want their kids to think they thought it was ok for them to be having sex. Really?!?!?
     We need to be open with our children about sex and realize that at some point and time in their teen years they are going to want to do it despite the fact that we don't approve of it.  If we just sit back and ignore that fact that teens are out there having sex at 14,15,16 years old we are failing as parents and not teaching our children anything.  Yes it's an embarrassing topic but so what. We need to make our kids aware of the consequences and responsibilities of being sexually active.  We need to be open about birth control even though we don't approve of them having sex so young.  We need to express that it is better to wait to have sex but that if they are going to do it then you will be there for  them to educate them and advise them or just to talk.  Sex has always been a taboo subject but I don't think it should be.  We need to find a way to better educate our children and be more open with them to prevent the teen pregnancy epidemic that seems to be sweeping across not only our country but the rest of the world.  We need to make it so that a show like 16 and Pregnant doesn't need to exist.
      My son is only 7 months old but I already have the plan of being as open with him about sex as my parents were with me.  I want him to be able to talk to me about his problems, questions and sex like I was able to with my parents.  It wasn't always a comfortable situation but I always knew that they were there for me.  I want my son to feel the same way.  We need to end this epdemic of teen pregnancy whether it be with openess, education or just flat out offering up birth control when they hit puberty.  Its not necessary but yet more and more teens everyday are getting pregnant so we are obviously not getting the message across.  We need to come up with some ideas soon or we are all going to end up being grandparents way before our time.  We need to educate or children and take the taboo off of the subject of sex if we want to make a difference.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Fell in love with a boy

So tomorrow will be October 1st and on Staurday Timothy will be offically 5 months old.  Where did the time go?  It's hard to believe that five months ago I was lying in a hospital bed in the labor and delivery getting ready to bring this little life into the world, now he's eating solid food and laughing with me everyday. 

If you have asked me five years ago if I thought that I would ever be where I am today I would have probably told you no.  That's part in parcel to the fact that it took me almost 6 years to convince Jeremy that children were a good thing.  He didn't believe me until he saw his son for the first time and I will never forget the look of pride on his face (even through the morphine fog) when he held our little boy the first time.  He had a smile on his face and tears in his eyes.  Even when we were in my postpartum room he was happy to be running back and forth to the NICU taking pictures for me and taking family members down to see our little bundle of joy.  He even jumped up to be the first of the two of us to change one of the first diapers.  When we finally were released from the hospital and got to be at home, he helped me out alot.  He was home with me to help with Timmy for almost two weeks.  He helped feed, change and bathe him, he also took the night shift so that I could get a solid 6 hours of sleep.  I would go to bed at midnight and get to sleep until five or six in the morning when Timmy woke up for a feeding.  Jeremy would take care of his three or four am feeding while I slept and then I would let Jeremy sleep until late afternoon.  Now before you say "awww what a good daddy", it gets better because he would do all of that and still make sure I was eating healthy and getting enough calories to produce milk for our son, cooked me dinner, helped clean the house and would help me move around because I had to have a C-section.  Even to this day he offers to help with house cleaning and keeping an eye on Timmy if I have run out to do an errand.  He still cooks me dinner almost every night and puts up with me after I've had a long day at work and I'm just outright cranky.  He is an excellent father and would do anything for Timothy. 

So ladies in a nutshell, I have the best husband in the world and I really don't know what I would do without him.  I love him for everything thing that he is and everything I know he will be.  I honestly don't think that I can tell him that I love him enough and I wonder sometimes how I got so lucky to have him in my life.  I initially was going to write about my son that seems to be growing like a weed and how bittersweet it's been watching him grow over the last few months but I felt, after I started,  that I would honor Jeremy with this blog and let everyone know what a wonderful man he is, how lucky I am to have him with me and how much I love him.  Now I know by now most of you are gagging and thinking "aww how disgustingly sweet.." but wouldn't you brag if you had a great guy like him too?  With that said I will end this with: Jeremy I love you with all of my heart, you are my soulmate and I am so lucky to have you in my life.  I'm looking forward to the next 50 or more years that we will spend together watching our son grow and loving eachother.  I love you forever and always.


Saturday, September 11, 2010

Little Miracles: The Timmy story

I sit in my rocking chair in the evening holding him watching him sleep and listening to his little sleepy sighs wondering what I ever did without him in my life. 

I had always wanted children and when I finally found out I was pregnant I was beyond happy.  Everyone asked me if I wanted a boy or a girl and was a little put off when I said I didn't care I just wanted a healthy happy baby.  I was talking to a friend of mine at one of my three baby showers about how she was telling another friend of hers that she had a baby shower to go to.  When they asked if it was for a younger sibling they were surprised to hear that is was for someone my age and that it was my first baby.  Ok so I had my first child at 31 but if I would have had him sooner I don't think I would have been as prepared for him as I was.  I was ready to be a mom and I knew that at this point in my life my husband and I could give him everything, if not more, that we had growing up.

On May 1st at around 9 am I went into labor and on May 2nd at 8:55 pm Timothy Warren Byers Johnson was born (on his due date no less). 7 pounds 5 ounces and 20 1/2 inches long.  They of course had to go in after him via C-section because the little booger didn't want to come out on his own.  I told everyone through my whole pregnancy that they were gonna have to go in and get him because he had it good inside my cozy little belly and was smart enough to know not to give up a good thing willingly.  I got to see him for about 5 minutes before they wisked him off to the NICU for the 102 fever he had from a bacterial infection we contracted.  Mine was 100.  As soon as my fever broke and was back to normal I was able to finally got to the NICU and see my son almost 24 hours later.  I sat there holding him the first time marveling over haw perfect he was from his fuzzy red hair, his little ears that stuck out just a bit, to the cute little fingers and toes.  The nurses said that he was the quietest one there and just like us loved to sit with him. 


On May 5th we were released from the hospital and I finally got to take my little pumpkin home.  I thought that taking care of a newborn would be a little harder but Timmy was so easy.  He slept three to four hours at a time, woke up to eat and get changed and then fell back to sleep.  Hardley ever cried, hardley ever fussed and all in all I got more sleep than most new moms because I have the best husband in the world that took 2 weeks off of work to stay home with us and took the night shift so I could sleep.  The first month was a breeze and I was afraid that it would change and my sleep would end but it didn't.  Timmy is like his momma and likes his sleep.  He's been sleeping through the night since he was a month old.  I put him down at around 9pm and he doesn't wake up until 7:30am.  He always wakes up with a big smile for me too.  My heart melts for everyone of those little smiles.

Now my little monkey is a little over 4 months old, teething, drooling, rolling, babbling, smiling and laughing.  He is my precious little man and I love him more and more each day.  Watching him grow and devlop is bittersweet.  I want to see what he will be and what he will accomplish but I also don't want him to grow up so fast.  He brightens up my day with those toothless smiles when I get home from work and always greets me with a smile.  He's a miracle to me.  I never thought I could be so content with my life.  I thought I was just being married to Jeremy and then Timmy comes in to my world and I finally feel complete.  He and my husband fill up the void that I had in my heart after my divorce from my ex.  Jeremy filled most of it when he came back into my life and the day Timmy was born my heart was full.  I look forward to days when I can spend the entire day with both my boys.

 Well there it is in black and white Timmys first semi-biography.  I was prompted to write it in the wake of a tragic event that I don't think any parent should have to go through.  Children are precious and I think that we need to make sure we tell them we love them everyday, hug them, kiss them, even if the duck out of the way and give us the "Awwww mom" look as the wipe the kiss off of their face.  We only have a short time on this Earth and with our children and I think we take that for granted.  So if you are a parent and you read this kiss your babies and tell them you love them and cherish the time you have with them.

And now some pics of my little Tater!







Monday, August 9, 2010

Help Me!!!!

Ok guys, so those of you who know me well know that I work for At&t and have for the last 2 years.  Well I got back from maternity leave and I need to find a way to meet my quotas.  Business has been slow which leaves the probability of making our totals at work that much harder so, I have decided to offer up my cellular knowledge to those of you who have At&t or those that don't but would consider another cellular provider.  

First off, our coverage area is excellent and can rival Verizon.  I have been an At&t customer for coming up on four years now and the only places that I can't get service is up north where phone lines are scarce to begin with and over in the Columbiaville area where no cell phone company can really get anything.

We offer a wide range of some of the hottest phones out there.  We have phones with keyboards for texting, we have basic phones if you just want to make a call, and we have full touch screen phones that can rival the Iphone.

We offer different texting plans to suit the beginner texter (200 messages) to plans to suit someone who texts more than they talk like me!(unlimited!!!!)  We also have internet packages for our phones that start at $10.00 for families or if you have a PDA phone or blackberry(or want one) that start at $15 for 200MB.  We even have feature that has a parental control that you manage online so that you can control what time your kids can talk, who they are talking to and for how long they can use their phone.

We also offer high speed internet and cable services if its available in your area.

Ok now that I have given you all my desperate sales pitch, tell your friends and family to come and see me at MasterWireless At&t  over in Flint on the corner of Court St. and Center Rd.  We are in the Court and Center plaza with a Starbucks and Pro Clean.  I would appreciate your business and need it!!
Thanks Guys!!!!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Two Job or not two job....

     Ok, so I have been back to work almost a month and now I am seriously considering getting a second job.  I know if I did it would take time away from the already little time I get to spend with my husband and my almost 3 month old son, but it might also be a necessity.  The economy has hit everyone hard and that leaves us slower in sales this year than we were last year so of course everyone's hours were cut.  I went from working 40+ hours a week to coming back from maternity leave and lucky if I get 25hours.  It wouldn't be so bad if I worked locally but I also have to drive 20 miles to and from work everyday.  The price of gas added in along with my monthly bills and I can barely afford to get the gas to drive me into work everyday.  All of my paycheck and my husbands goes to bills and food with very little left over to play with.
     I've done the two job thing before( that's how I got the job I'm at right now) and I remember the zombie that I used to be because I was so tired from working both.  I don't even want to think about how much I wouldn't see my husband, miss important milestones in m baby's life and not have one of my own because I would be working all the time along with whatever housework I would have to keep up on and taking care of the baby when I have a moment with him.  I really don't want to be an absentee parent but if I can't find another solution to make some money I may have to opt for the second job.  Or I could always win the lottery.....but the odds of that are about slim to none.  I'm up for suggestions if anyone has any.......

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Where would I be without them...?

So here I am on a Saturday night watching A Cinderella Story for the millionth time on Oxygen musing over how happy I am. My friends from high school came over and we sort of had our own little pizza and baby cuddling party. Cindy, Liz and I have been friends since we were 14 or 15 years old and unlike most have been able to keep in touch over the years. They came by to visit and see baby Timmy. The three of us sat in my living room eating pizza and wings, played with my son, and listened to Bill Engvall on Comedy Central. My husband, whom I have also known since I was about 16, sat with us and we all reminisced about high school and people we knew and about what we were all doing now. I don't want to say it was something I had just realized, but more of a revalation of just how happy I am with the way that my life has turned out and how lucky I am to have it. I have a wonderful husband that I would do anything for and that would do anything for me and May 2nd the second love of my life came into the world, Timothy Warren Byers Johnson. My first child and the only other man I will ever love unconditionally. He is now 2 months old and very happy and healthy. I have a roof over my head, albeit a little small, food in the fridge, and a job that I like that manages to also pay the bills. I couldn't see my life any other way and I wouldn't change a thing about it. Somtimes things get a little rough but we fight through it and in the end things come out ok.

I look back sometimes at all the things I had to go through to get where I am today and I ask myself if I would change anything. I couldn't because I have come to realize that if I changed what I have been through then I wouldn't be who I am now,I wouldn't have the beautiful little boy that I love so much, and I wouldn't appreciate the wonderful husband that I have. I love my life and the way it's turned out and if I had it to do all over I would do it all the same way.