"Pregnant at Sixteen"

My new guilty pleasure is MTV's "Sixteen and Pregnant" show. I have now seen two episodes.... each episode is a day-by-day of a high school girl who happens to be pregnant. When I decided to tune my DVR in I expected to see a few responsible moms and then a lot of whiney girls. So far I have been incredibly impressed and moved to tears by these girls.

The situations they are in are HUGE and overwhelming and scary and exciting. I am just blown away by the manor in which these girls... these high school girls have just picked up and became mom. Both episodes were about girls who were star students and devout cheerleaders to boot. They both finished school and immediately started college.... and took labor by storm.

The episode tonight- Farrah.... while getting a tour of the hospital a few weeks before her due date the camera pans to her face and she looks terrifed. The look on her face resinated with me- deep. Hesitating to ask "gross" (her mom's word) questions she looks at her mom for reassurance and her mom rushes her along telling her not to worry about these "gross" questions right now. My heart just sank for her. I wanted to hug her and tell her all about episitomys, mucus plugs, and breast feeding (which she opted not to do because her mom told her it would make her boobs sag).

Farrah's mom made me feel even more grateful for the support of my family- my mom especially. How would things have turned out if my mom had shunned my questions and hesitated to help me labor? I feel like she was this minature (no, seriously like 5'0'') cheerleader clapping and clapping and clapping and cheering her loudest for me (she still does). And Jessica... my backbone! Jessica who didn't give me any dissapointed-in-you looks and was always there for anything my pregnant appetite could have dreamed up. Oh Applebee's Blondies you will forever reside in me... in the form of enourmouse love handles.

Back to Farrah- she's awesome and I feel led to pray and support all of these young moms. Maybe God has something in store for me...

Pregnant at 19.

My room turned nursery. SO TIRED lol.

I still wake up this way. Best way to wake up- EVER.

Recent Girl's Gone Child post.

"Annie, Drop Your Gun "
posted by Girl's Gone Child on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at 12:33 AM

The other day, while walking the dogs, a little boy extended his hand out a window.

"BANG BANG BANG!" he said. "You're all dead."

I was walking the dogs, Fable in her stroller, Archer on his scooter. I turned to him and then looked away. Pretended not to hear him, let it bother me. We kept walking.

Archer didn't respond and I got to wondering how he would have had he known and understood what the little boy was doing. Had he known and understood what a gun was, how it was meant to be used.Violence in any form churns my stomach. Always has. I turn away from violence in movies, forbid my children to watch movies where characters "good" OR "bad" kill one another. (That's why I like CARS. The only "bad" guys in CARS are the character's egos. No one dies or tries to kill anyone. The conflict is on the interior. Much more kid-friendly.) But I digress. I've been thinking quite a bit lately about weapons and violence, specifically the way violence is depicted on television - comic book superheroes saving the world by killing "bad guys"... "bad guys" that lurk in shadows and under beds and behind the mirror glass.

Many of Archer's friends at school carry X-Men lunchboxes, wear Spiderman shoes, Batman T-shirts. Archer doesn't know who Spiderman is. Or Superman. Or Wolverine. Or any comic book superheroes. The only television he sees is peaceful. I turn the television off when there's a preview for a show that involves violence of any kind.

Recently I've been wondering if this constitutes as sheltering.Oh my God, am I sheltering him? Am I?I've written at length about empowerment, about truth and telling it with eyes open, the heart exposed. I believe that fear comes from our inability to see, to trust and understand, educate and yet when it comes to guns, to violence, I can't do it. I can't talk about guns or weapons without feeling sick and sad, even fearful.

So goes my paradox: I'm afraid that by educating my child I will scare him. I will scare myself.We live in one of the largest cities in the world. Where drive-bys occur blocks from us. Where break-ins happen regularly. Where our own things have been stolen, our cars broken into, our things swiped from our porch. Three years ago, a man carjacked my husband at gun-point, stole his car and left him on the side of the road. He had just left the set of his job for his lunch break. There were dozens of witnesses. Everyone watched in shock.Many pro-gun advocates argue that carrying a weapon can ensure ones safety. I disagree. Had my husband been armed with a weapon and used it to defend himself someone could have easily been killed. Instead? Hal lost his car for two days until the cops recovered it in South Central where they arrested and jailed the criminal.

Using gun as defense seldom works to defend. Guns used as offensive weapons? Different story.I lost three friends in gun-related accidents in High School and since graduation. Two were accidental. One was suicide. I grew up in upper middle class suburbia where everyone lived gated existences. There was NO REASON for them to have handguns in the house. None. If gun control existed, I would have three friends alive. PERIOD.

Do I carry a gun in my house? Never. Do I believe in the right to bear arms? Yes. But I believe there should be stricter regulations. I believe that fear is the worst possible reason to carry a weapon and therefor will never understand why so many feel the need to "protect their families," especially when housed in gated communities in middle-class suburbs, alarms activated.

What are you afraid of? Guns are far more likely to kill innocent people than criminals when kept inside the home. Period.That being said, am I being naive to think I can shelter my son from fear by keeping violence away from his eyes? Perhaps. Is it important to teach gun safety to people of all ages? Yes. Will I be teaching my child how to properly use a weapon? No. Because I don't believe he should know how to kill.

To keep a handgun in one's house insinuates, in my opinion, a certain amount of fear, which is why guns are so scary.There will never be a happily ever after story involving guns because guns were invented with the sole intent to take life.For me, it all comes down to fear and teaching our children to resist it as much as they possibly can. I will be educating my children to live peaceful lives. To love and respect and stand up for themselves in ways that are empowering.And in my household? Guns will not be factoring into that equation.

GGC

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My husband's response soon to follow (and also mine)... Until then, you can read the comments on Rebecca's post HERE.

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Also, a preview of my husband's response:

now, to figure out how to get the rest of it off.

update on the wallpaper (addison's).... she took off most of the wall she hadn't touched yet- pretty much one big swipe and half the border is gone. she's like a cat. wish my camera worked because then i'd post a picture of her beautiful wallpaper artwork. since i can't post a picture, just imagine her beautiful little pink and dainty room with TRASHED WALLS.
bless her heart. dsgfhjdskfhdgfjbvh,h

ZZZZzzzZZZzzz

poor kids are sick. tate gasps for air and then coughs- we will be going to the doctor tomorrow.

i'm exhausted and its only sunday.

sigh.

just because this picture makes me smile.

oh look, it was before addison ripped the wallpaper off of her wall...

Ran across this article on AOL news...

"Saturday's D-Day anniversary ceremony in France was meant to be a somber event, memorializing the men who died at Omaha Beach 65 years ago. Dignitaries from France, Great Britain and Canada were in attendance. But as is usually the case when the Obamas are around, all eyes were on the American first couple. Specifically, Michelle Obama. Michelle's outfit, that is. But she wasn't the only one creating style buzz -- the fashion world was all atwitter when both Michelle and the French first lady, former model Carla Bruni, both showed up to the event in white. A coincidence? Most definitely. Still, Bruni's cream Dior dress and Obama's white Narcisco Rodriguez coat, which she wore over a Michael Kors sheath dress and cinched with a Givenchy belt, paired well. Fabulous first ladies think alike -- but did they dress for the occasion?

According to the Telegraph, a UK newspaper, "there will be some questions asked over whether a light, summery colour is disrespectful on a sombre day of remembrance. [British first lady] Sarah Brown stayed with the tradition of sober attire, safely putting her out of the way of fashion attention."

Never one to shy away from bright colors and eye-catching outfits, Obama probably will catch flack for wearing white. By this time, she's used to catching as much criticism as she does praise for her often daring fashion choices. It doesn't stop her from thinking outside of the box when it comes to first lady style.""

By Lauren Williams

You can see the picture HERE


-My opinion? She may not have been trying to offend or disrespect anyone but she wasn't thinking about the possibility, or she did and thought "Who cares?", that says more to me than the white.

warning: sister-in-law... i have sex with your brother and document the fact here. just the fact, not details- don't freak out. read if you please.

oh dear blog, its been so long.

two exciting suprises this week... the hubs came home for lunch not one, but two times in his -gasp- uniform. i confess, i really married him for the uniform. i don't know if you understand, but he doesn't come home for lunch and i never see his uniform. not even to take it to the dry cleaners (but that's another story).

for the past few weeks i have felt confidence in praying that hubs would have this unquenchable thirst and longing for closeness with me even more than ever. and God sent him home for lunch, and then he got to sleep before 5 am and we got to sleep together. and we did it... you know- it, more than never so that was good. great. awesome. and whenever we do it we have jokes for days. i always feel like we have this little inside joke or secret we get to giggle about to eachother from across the room.

the uniform, and also, hubs in it.

hubs. daddy. joshua has also uncovered a whole new relationship with tate. they now have a weekly "daddy and tate day"- no girls allowed (which i am TOTALLY fine with) where they go do some activity just the two of them. it has seemed to just work this incredible morphing miracle on their relationship. josh seems to have miles more patience and encouragement for tate, and tate has these sparkly eyes when he looks at daddy. they have stories to tell mom and addy all about when they get home and souveniers too! this week was their third date and they went to the 51's game with matching mohawks and came home with the worst hot dog breath in the history of hot dog breath. the week before they went to the park and then to papa's house to be men and work on the boat. tate is still talking about the noise the boat made. the week before that was their first date and they went to the shark reef in the mandalay bay- tate came home with a shark t-shirt that he is so proud to wear. so proud. i wish i had pictures to share but they dont take pictures- they are men. or whatever.


in other amazing news my new car is the bees knees to go grocery shopping in.


AND in three weeks we are taking our first... by ourselves... planned by us... funded by us... family VACATION! we will be enjoying sea world as a family, and joining us will be my oldest friend, ashlee bonafede (if she isn't "home" i dont know what is). i cannot wait to see my kids gasp at all of the animals, and touching starfish, and petting dolphins, and getting splashed by shamu (or whatever his name is these days), and eating ice cream while watching shamu.

oh camera, why are you broken?