cravings....

SO i haven't been the best "eater"...i would't classify myself as a picky one either...but i do have favorites and i do eat those ALOT. i have always loved pickles...all kinds...and the juice. that's nothing new! i like basic foods like

-salad (ranch or italian dressing) just lettuce no cheese, no veggies

-meat (burgers, steak, and some fish) usually with bbq sauce or ketchup and mustard

-fruit (i have eaten fruit for many meals) peaches, pears, apples, grapes, WATERMELON, strawberries, pineapple, mandarin oranges, cantaloupe. i should take a picture of my fridge right now...there's prolly 5 of these in there now. :)

-potatoes (fries, baked, soup) for my 2 "sides" i usually get fries and a baked potato :)

-veggies (green beans and corn) NO PEAS for me. blugh!

so when i would could....my menu and mister dennis' menu would usually be pretty basic (a meat of some kind, potato in there somewhere, and either a fruit or veggie or both sometimes. i LOVE having a little side salad with my meals too....

in my list..you may see that BREAKFAST food was missing...dingding. i never used to EAT breakfast...never was hungry and eating in the morning would make me feel sick! NOW i go to bed thinking about BREAKFAST. :)


this pregnancy has ADDED so many foods and mixtures...i don't know if i'll ever be the same!

boy o boy! all i am going to do is list my cravings...

1. fish sticks and mayonnaise (and not a generous amount of mayo on each..i mean dripping with it...makes me sick to think of eating this now...but this was very early on...when my body was trying to tell me something) maybe to GAIN some weight

2. PIZZA (any kind) alot of it!

3. Pancakes/Waffles (have had these for all three meals)

4. Spicy food (Chinese and beef jerkey)

5. MORE pickles....but mixing bread-n-butter and dill together YUM

6. Chips and salsa

7. MORE fruit (mostly strawberries and watermelon)

8. popsicles.....goodness...those boxes of 100 ain't nothing!

9. juices (apple, ORANGE, grape)

these are all i can think of right now... and now i'm hungry! some were already my favorites...which i'm glad! i'll never forget the times...mister dennis would make runs to wal-mart to get fruit or wendy's chili LOL :)

17 week appointment & first day!

my appointment went great! i have gained a total of 7.5 pounds!!!!! it feels like 20! in 3 weeks i'll have my 20 week appointment. this visit will be a very busy one. we'll first have the 2nd sonogram. we get to record it on a dvd! i canNOT wait! ugh!!! i'll also have my normal check-up with my doctor. she's great...so sweet and funny! the same day i'll also be having a quad screening test. they basically take your blood and screen for 4 substances. getting stuck by a needle isn't my favorite thing in the world HOWEVER...it's for my babyboy. so i'll do it....once...and a million times more! for the past two visits....the doctor always checks the baby's heartbeat. i tear up everytime i hear it! UGH. it's so beautiful to hear his little heart beat loud and clear. life is such a beautiful thing and i will never forget that sound. mister dennis is going to record the heartbeat next time...i'll be sharing!

my first day went GREAT too. i was a little tired to begin with....having just went to the appointment but i perked up in time! the day consisted of normal first days on a job stuff...paperwork, videos, handbooks, policies, and the other employees! i really like the people i have met so far! the majority of the women who work there are mamas!!! and pretty and stylish ones at that!!! one whom i haven't met is actually due 10 days before i am! can't wait to meet her! i bought a few things after my training was over....i enjoy the DiSCOUNT. i don't plan on buying too many things...especially shirts..i have plenty of shirts i can fit into now...but jeans...i had to buy some and prolly will have to buy a few more.

here's what i bought:

some Stella skinnies! love them!

a shirt similar to this...but with more colors!

it's so soft and the sleeve don't cut into my armpits! lol

this dark gray one is a longer tee...which is gonna fit me for awhile longer than some of my others :)

belly progress :)

so women are very private when it comes to her pregnancy....however i'm not! it's a beautiful thing how your body changes.....and here's how mine has thus far.

8 weeks!

11 weeks!

14 weeks!

almost 16 weeks! (1st interview with the Buckle)

17 weeks! (wasn't feeling well can YOU tell) lol

graduation day...and we're :):) ready to do it!

ONE word to describe these past few days...CHAOS

so this past saturday...i graduated from college. I never really pictured myself graduating...in 4 years. But I did it! the ceremony was a tad long....but I was so EXCiTED to see my family!

L-R

Bobby(Mellie's boyfriend), Mellie, DAD, gramps, ME, Sheila, Maddie & Jaelee, Aunt Mel, Grams, and Jessica

BUT let's rewind....before saturday morning....let's say midnight EARLY saturday morning....

as most of you know...pregnant women use the restroom alot....well i'm one of them & i get up about 4 times during a night. yes! that's alot...but i crave water and juice (more on cravings later :) ) so you can say i'm mos def hydrated and so is babyboy. back to early saturday morning....i was awakened by partiers that live a few apartments down.....not once...but about 3 times..and you can ask mister dennis. it takes ALOT to wake me up at this point because once i'm asleep im OUT. i used to be a light sleeper BUT that has changed. therefore, I only get up to relieve the bladder and then back to bed. so these people were playing music, laughing, having a good ole' time. Which is fine with me....i tried to sleep through it. so about 3 AM i am awakened by a fight between a girl and guy. my nosey butt gets up and peeks out the window. they were saying very mean things! they were pacing up and down the parking lot...and i told myself OK i'm giving them a little more time and the party is OVER. so i use the bathroom...get a little drink and i lay back down and try to drown them out. THEN at 4AM! i hear a car door slam and speed thru the parking lot. i get UP again and see the same girl standing in the parking lot and the car parked only spots from my car. i sit back down...i'm furious! seriously here kids..i think to myself....i ask myself...aud are you that old? are you really going to go out there and say quiet down?! hmmm....so i sit there...they're yelling...obvioulsy the guy wasn't going to leave. i lay back because this is wearing me OUT. THEN....the defining moment...i hear a word...that makes me sick to my stomach. i hear the guy say a very racisit term....and he doesn't only say it...he YELLS it...probably 3 times...in context with other words. before i can put my glasses on...i am OUTSIDE ON MY PORCH looking down at the scene. they ignore me at first and then the girl looks up at me. i said the PARTY is F-ing over. I'm sorry but you all have been going at it for 4 hours, and I was debating either to come out here...but you're IMMATURE less of a man of a boy friend decided to say something i will not tolerate. you guys have 5 minutes and if you are not gone or silent the police will be here. i went on to ramble...how offensive the word is and that it shouldn't be in any ones vocabulary. THEN the guy decides to look more IMMATURE by telling me to go back in the f-ing house. i said that's okay! i'd rather see and hear what's going on than just hear it. obviously you can't handle your alcohol because you were out of control by midnight and you're still a mess 4 hours later i PRAY you are not graduating in the morning for numerous reasons. he mumbled things under his breath...i'm sure i didn't want to hear nor have them echoed into my belly. the girl proceeds to walk off towards her apartment and say's she's SOOOO sorry. i said thanks but i feel SORRY for you, to even associate with a person like that guy. he didn't respond...they both walked back into the apartment...i went back inside....and layed down on my bed....EXHAUSTED. i thought....hmm..... why did this happen?!?! the first day dennis isn't here....(he was in kansas from friday to sunday for track conference)

I'm not sure what I learned from this situation but i do now realize how much racism bothers me. people are so quick to say such an out-dated, degrading term. and it's sad. i just had to tell myself to calm down and be positive. and so i thought about my baby boy.....i'm sure he'll have questions for dennis and i....and i'll be ready for that chat. im excited to tell him he's was created by both of us! and he doesn't have to pick a side....that everyone loves him and those who thinks he's different are RIGHT. everyone is different...that's why we all look different. thank goodness for that! i am excited to see who's he's going to look like...i can't to see his wrinkly ankles and little ears....and just breath his baby smell in.

Needless to say... i got a few hours of sleep......and the SKiRT fit me...barely :) and i graduated!

afterwards.....we went to eat at Colton's. it was dee-lish. I had peanuts, rolls, steak, baked potato, salad, and 3 waters.....and then the skirt needed to be taken OFF! i was exhausted.....and got home around 4 and went to bed at 7:30....and slept all night...with no interruptions :)

i was at the head of the table :)

this is all the same crew PLUS mister dennis' mama and her fiance Zack! they drove 4 hours to come to my graduation and lunch!

growing belly

well....my stomach is taking SHAPE. This week was a BIG week and by that I mean......my tummy has grown and now it's more apparent I'm having a baby!! I'm excited because i don't look look like I have a gut in my mid-section anymore. I am almost at 16 weeks! I've been reading...and now is when I may start to feel the baby move....and I'm hoping he's an active one! He can kick all he wants....i'm ready! HOWEVER, i'm in a panick...i bought an outfit for graduation: it consists of a beautiful white pencil skirt...(what was I thinking)...a frilly black and white top and TO.DIE for black heels. So the skirt fit me two weeks ago....i haven't tried it on since. But...either way if it fits or not on Saturday...I know i'll have a skirt to wear whenever my bod fits in it!

this past weekend...i had an interview & me and mister dennis went apartment hunting..think we found the one!

we also visited Babys R Us.....o MY goodness....new fave store.

more to come later in the week...i have finals....work...and graduation

extra: i used to be able to eat just half of a totino's pizza...now i'm at eating the ENTIRE thing :) also my backside (okay i'll just say it..my BUTT) is also reaping the benefits of having a baby. I have a little extra back there and love it! I have been buttless and just plain boney for 22 years...about TIME. thanks to my baby boy for that!