4th of July

Mason and I finally made plans for the 4th of July.  I am extremely excited!  We are going to see some amazing fireworks, and have a great night together.  It will be just us with Jason probably kicking me like crazy.  Neither of us have ever seen fireworks as amazing as we're seeing on Wednesday.  Normally our town doesn't have that great of fireworks because we're a small town and we don't have the money, but this is different.  It will be like nothing we've ever seen before. 

So far Mason and I have never got to really spend a holiday together without anyone else, and this will be the first time that we'll have the night to ourselves.  It will be absolutely amazing. 

I cannot wait!  Please let me know how your 4th of July goes.  I'll be sure to let you know about ours.  We've also decided that we're going to do this every year, and when Jason's old enough, we'll take him too.  We don't want to take him when he's really little because of the crowd, and being far from home.  We might not go when he's little, or we might have our family friend babysit him.  But in the end, this will become a tradition that I'm sure he'll love. 

It's amazing how everything falls together so perfectly.  Thanks for reading and have a great day!

25/26 Weeks Pregnant

I have finally reached the third trimester!  This pregnancy seems to be going so fast.  All the sudden I'm huge, and it's definitely beginning to be noticeable.  He is kicking all the time, and you can see it from the outside clearly.  He loves to roll and freak Mason out, and every time Mason touches his hand to my stomach, he kicks. 

Anyways, you're probably wondering why I didn't update in my 25th week.  Well, nothing seems to be changing that much.  Because of this, I figured I would update every two weeks since I have appointments every two weeks.  This way my updates are longer, and less boring. 

First, I POPPED.  I seriously feel huge now, and everyone says I'm getting big.  It's as if I have a basketball under my shirt.  Every one says that this shows I'm definitely having a boy since I'm carrying so much in front. 

Back pain came along with the hugeness of my belly.  You can obviously see the bend in my back, and I can feel it.  I've already used Mason for a massage which helped a lot.  I would recommend taking advantage of a family member to give you a massage every once in a while.  It is extremely relaxing, and definitely helps with lower back pain. 

My hips have also been hurting me a lot which I think is from the added weight.  They always feel like they have to pop, but instead they grind together and it's pretty painful.  I haven't found a way to relieve this yet so if anyone can help, please do.

Surprisingly I still haven't had any swelling that I've noticed.  I can clean for three hours straight scrubbing floors, vacuuming, dusting, and everything else, but still not have any swelling in my feet.  My feet will hurt, but they just don't swell up. 

Of course I've been having cravings.  My number one craving has been strawberries, but now that I ate so many of them in such a small amount of time, I'm getting tired of them.  Besides that I'm still craving sweet things, but I haven't been fulfilling this craving.  I also found out that I love tater tots.  So far I haven't had that bad of cravings though which is good. 

Now for weight gain.  I have gained about 14 pounds total which is scary.  I don't want to gain too much weight during this pregnancy and then not be able to lose it.  I know that I have to gain weight though, so at the same time I'm proud that I'm on track and my baby is healthy. 

I have had some doctors appointments since I last updated.  First, I had to get a holter monitor.  This was because I was having spells where I would get dizzy and weak.  Nothing abnormal showed up on this test.  Then, on Monday, I had my sugar test a little early.  This also turned out normal.  As for the drink; I almost couldn't hold it down.  It wasn't the taste so much, but holding it down afterwards was hard.  I think it was because of having to drink it so fast; it didn't want to settle in my stomach. 

After my sugar test, I had my regular appointment.  During this appointment he was kicking the whole time.  My OB checked my measurements which she started doing at the last appointment.  She said we were both right on track and that his heartbeat was normal.  That is always a great thing to hear.  I feel blessed to have such a healthy baby. 

Well, that's how my pregnancy is going.  If anyone else is pregnant and reading this, I hope your pregnancy is going just as well.  Thanks for reading and following my journey.  Have a great day!

New Job!

I am so excited.  Mason's coworker gave me a job cleaning her house every week.  I went and cleaned some quick stuff for her, and she asked me if I'd do it every week, and gave me a tip. 

I am happy that cleaning with my mom has finally paid off and I'll get the credit for the good job that I do.  When I clean with my mom, she gets the credit for everything, but this is my job and I'll get the credit now.  Plus the money goes to me, and I have the chance to make a tip. 

It may not be much, but I am extremely excited.  A little extra money goes a long way. 

Long Relationship

This is just my funny fact from yesterday.  Mason and I went to hang out with one of his friends that he hasn't seen in a while.  First we stopped at a unimart to get a drink because I forgot my water.  As usual the guy checking us out says have a nice day.  Mason goes, "Thanks." and then I say, "You too."  This is how you know you've been together for a while.  We thought this was funny, and I thought I'd share it with you.  Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Offroad

It's amazing to explore nature, and do things that you've never done before.  Mason took me on a road that I had never been on that was surrounded by trees.  Sadly many of these trees were marked to be cut down.  I may not be a tree hugger or anything, but I can't help but think how that road would look if all of them would be cut down.  I have the answer to that question: empty.  It wouldn't be full of nature, and you wouldn't have the beautiful shade that it provides.  It would not smell like a fresh forest, but it would smell of dead trees.  To add onto this, there were signs stating that firewood could not be cut from this area.  I thought, that's because they claimed this wood.  How do they think people heat their houses when they cut down all of those trees.  We cut those trees down faster than a new one sprouts up.  Remember to plant a tree when you cut one down so that our children will have the same things we have. 

So I got a little off topic.  The title of this is offroad for a reason.  Mason and I went for a ride last night to get out of the house like usual.  We haven't done this in a while because we wanted to make sure we'd have enough gas until he got paid. 

Anyways, we went to the middle of nowhere.  Mason had been there multiple times, but I hadn't.  This made it even more fun and fascinating.  It was a stony mountain road surrounded by forests, and as you drove, you saw offroad paths.  Keep in mind our truck has bald back tires, and they aren't the stock tires.  This is thanks to his dad, but as soon as we have the money we're putting new tires on.  We already have the tires, but we need to pay someone to put them on. 

Most of these trails were muddy, and really bumpy; not something the truck could handle at the moment.  But there was one trail that looked decent, and if Mason drove right, we figured we wouldn't have problems. 

It was amazing.  Of course we were going slow, unlike a lot of people that go on those trails, but we were enjoying the freedom, and the exploration.  It's nice to be on a trail that you have no idea where it goes, and you don't know what kind of things it has in store for you next.  We snapped off our seatbelts (we were going like 2 miles an hour, and we were alone on the trail as far as we knew), and enjoyed the ride.  It was bumpy, and sometimes kind of scary because of the chances of getting stuck, but it was so much fun.  I would love to do this again.  But Mason says we should wait until we get the new tires on.  I don't know if I can wait that long though so we'll see. 

Mason and I did this for some special alone time, and that I would recommend to anyone.  But remember to be safe on those trails, and don't drink and drive.  Note: we saw a couple party spots there, and this worries me.  My opinion is that these trails aren't made to ruin by doing drugs or drinking and driving.  Keep them cop free as long as possible, and enjoy the ride with nature.  With all these people cutting down trees, who knows how long these offroad trails will be there.

Babysitting

Turns out I get to babysit my baby cousin for two more weeks, yay.  I love watching him.  It gives me good practice, and makes me even more excited for Jason to get here.  I don't know how I can get even more excited. 

I've been up since five seeing Mason off to work, and couldn't get back to sleep.  Now I'm waiting for the little one to get here to start the day.  Mia is currently staring at me, begging me to let her on the chair with me, but there isn't enough room.  She doesn't seem to mind though.  Her eyes are drooping while she lays on the couch as I type.  Don't you just love dogs? 

Pretty soon she'll have at least five toys out begging for attention because the baby's here.  Even though she doesn't beg for attention any other day, and just lays on the furniture sleeping all day.  Of course she decides she needs attention when the baby is here.  But I still love her. 

Mason and I finally applied for housing.  I know, we procrastinated a little bit, but at least were in.  My mom wanted us to wait anyways because she says we need to save up our money before we start renting.  The added bonus is that we probably won't get in until he's born, so she'll get to see him every day.  I'm pretty sure that effected her opinion on housing too. 

We can't wait to have our own place though. I want my independence back, and my privacy.  Don't get me wrong, I appreciate everything my parents are doing, but we would still love a place of our own that we can call ours.  It will make everything seem more stable. 

Hopefully the little one isn't fussy when he gets here.  He's awake even more now.  Wish me luck!  Thanks for reading and have a great day.

Adorable Animals

We let our two bunnies outside yesterday in their playpen, and they loved it.  We also left Mia, our black lab, out to play too. 

At first Mia just sniffed the rabbits and nosed around them.  Neither of the rabbits minded, but they were curious about Mia too.  Of course, Bridget was more of the skeptical one, but she always warms up to other animals.  Well, besides Abby who likes to bite Bridget. 

So I was sitting beside Bridget's side of the cage while Mason worked on the truck (yes, again).  Mia came over to take a look at the rabbits. 

She started whining at them because I think she wanted to play with them, but they were in their playpen where she couldn't get them.  Mia then laid down beside Bridget's side of the playpen still whining. 

Bridget strolls over to sniff Mia, but Mia jumps back as if she's afraid of Bridget.  This was the greatest thing ever!  I couldn't stop laughing.  An 85 pound black lab against a dwarf bunny, and the dog is the one afraid.  Wow, I love my dog.

24 Weeks Pregnant

I'm finally six months pregnant.  That's exciting!  I still feel like I'm rounding out, but I haven't felt a huge difference in my baby bump size. 

As you know, yesterday was my doctor's appointment.  The baby was healthy with a heartrate of 155.  Me, on the other hand was a different story.  Turns out I was extremely dehydrated, but everything else was normal.  I have been having problems with getting lightheaded and weak which they said could either be my sugar dropping, or being dehydrated because of the heat. 

I was told that problems with my sugar was normal, and they're going to do a test in two weeks where I have to drink a sugary liquid and get bloodwork.  This will tell me whether my body is handling sugar right or not.  They also want to put me on a monitor for 24 hours to try and catch one of my episodes. 

And on top of all that, I have a urinary tract infection, which I had no idea.  They said this was also normal, and that it probably wouldn't be my last.  Also, I lost two pounds, making my total weight gain ten pounds.  My doctor told me she wasn't worried but that they would keep an eye on it to make sure I didn't keep losing. 

So the appointment went pretty well, but it wasn't my best part in the pregnancy.  Apparently everything is absolutely normal though and there's nothing to worry about. 

Everything seems to be the same this month.  I don't feel like I've changed much besides needing to eat more.  Jason is still moving like crazy especially when I'm laying down.  I love when he kicks because it reassures me that everything is okay in there. 

I still haven't had any swelling that I've noticed, but it probably won't be long.  My mom keeps saying that I'll be huge when I hit seven months, and I agree.  It's kind of scary because I already can't see my feet, and it's getting harder to bend over.  I definitely feel the weight difference on my legs now. 

I've also been getting cramps in my feet.  They have been extremely painful, but they don't last long.  I believe this is a symptom in pregnancy, but I'm not sure what causes it.  Maybe I'll talk Mason into a foot massage. 

I'm sorry this update is pretty boring, but nothing has really changed.  I feel as pregnant as ever, and I'm still suffering from morning sickness, but nothing too serious. 

Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

Legal Advice (Life is Chaos)

At first, I wasn’t going to be specific about the certain issues we’ve been having, but Mason and I need advice.  We are practically begging you for real legal advice because we don’t know what to do at this point.  I hope you enjoy just a piece of our hectic lives.  Warning: this part is not pretty. 

So what you do know is that we lived with Mason’s grandmother.  Mason lived there for over sixteen years, and the last couple years he had his own bedroom.  That is where we both kept all of our belongings.  Everything was going well until Mason’s brother and his girlfriend got evicted because they didn’t pay their bills.  What they didn’t say was that they didn’t pay their bills because they were using that money for drugs. 

I’ll tell you about these two people.  They are manipulating, and they lie to everyone so that they believe the best in them.  Most, if not everything they say is lies.  They told us that they were on crack, pills, and other illegal drugs.  They even did these drugs in front of us, but we did not touch any of these things.  We kept to ourselves what we knew.  For some reason they trusted us with the truth.  There was many people that they trusted with the truth of their lives, but some things were still kept a secret. 

For one, only very few people know the truth about their daughter.  Before she was one, she was taken from them, but they blamed it on someone else.  The fact is that they got drunk and one of them sat on her, breaking her femur.  They were granted visitation rights after that, but they did not make those appointments.  When they did, they treated that little girl like crap.  It wasn’t long before they lost their visitation rights too. 

We also know that they have been stealing Mason’s grandmother’s checks and forging them.  There were bank statements to prove it, which Mason’s dad has.  At first they took that mail so no one would find out, but we ended up getting ahold of one of them, and the rest was found when they were kicked out.  On top of forging her checks (over $2,000 worth), they stole cash and anything worth value that they could pawn. 

Moving on.  When they were evicted, Mason’s grandmother allowed them to move in with her and live in her bedroom.  This bedroom was supposed to stay hers, and she was supposed to be allowed back there, but that didn’t happen.  It became their bedroom and what was supposed to be a short stay turned into as long as they wanted.  She had a lot of personal belongings back there that they got ahold of and pawned. 

We did not trust them, so we got a lock to put on our door.  It was supposed to be a lock that you couldn’t pick, but being as the house was a trailer, the door wasn’t that secure.  It could be forced open if someone really tried.  We knew this, so we didn’t leave that room alone that often. 

It turned out that somehow Mason’s wallet had been stolen.  At first we thought he misplaced it.  It did not have any cash in it, but it did have his bank card in it, and his driver’s license.  This was a big deal because Mason’s brother did not have his license (even though he still drove).  What I also forgot to say is that Mason’s brother had eight warrants out for his arrest, and they were continually running from the cops.  It was a given that no one was supposed to give information of where they were out.    Later, Mason’s wallet was returned.  You wouldn’t guess who took it. 

Everything was on and off then.  One day they would be okay with us, and then the next they would be threatening us, and punching holes in the wall.  They kept trying to get us kicked out, but at the time it wasn’t working.  The truth is that we were tired of this though.  There was a couple nights where we stayed in the woods in the middle of winter because we couldn’t deal with it anymore.  

Anyways, the cops showed up at the house.  This was not the first time, but Mason’s grandmother had opened the door this time because she hadn’t realized who it was.  Mason and I had heard the door open, and we had gone out knowing that it was the cops.   By this time Mason had gotten a new wallet with a new I.D., and he had changed his bank card.  They asked for his I.D. because he looks like his brother, and once they knew who he was, the questions started flying. 

First, they asked his grandmother if they were living with her, and she said no.  But when they asked Mason, he didn’t lie, but he told them that they were in fact living there.  Note: they were out getting groceries at the time.  His grandmother was then in a pickle because the cops knew that she was lying.  That was when they said that he had eight warrants, 7 for traffic violations, and one for domestic violence.  They were aware that Mason’s brother’s vehicle had dead tags on it, and that he did not have a license, but drove without it. 

When the police leaved, his grandmother told Mason that he gave out too much information.  Mason told her that he wasn’t going to lie to the cops.  I completely agree with this, and I don’t regret the fact that we told the truth.  In the end, she told us that we had to get out, which we already knew.  Besides the fact that she was kicking us out, we knew that as soon as they got home from the store, they would know what we said.  His grandmother never kept her mouth shut about stuff that she should. 

That was when we got as much of our belongings as we could, which wasn’t all of it, and left leaving the door locked.  Conveniently, they pulled into the driveway as we were leaving.  They asked us about the cops and everything, and we told them that his grandmother said that they were living there.  They got angry, and Mason’s brother punched and kicked the vehicle.  As he was distracted, we slowly backed away trying not to look obvious.  They started gathering the bags, and we started walking to a family friends.  When we were out of view, we ran.  Once we reached her house, she locked the door, and we hid. 

Of course, not ten minutes later they showed up knocking on the door looking for us.  No one answered, and eventually they left, but they still drove around the park looking for us.  We called the cops, but they said that they couldn’t do anything unless they had a gun to our heads.  We found out later that this was not true. 

This is where you know that Mason went to his dad’s, and I stayed there.  After three days, we went back to get more of our belongings.  That was when we found the room broken into, and trashed.  They had tipped over a desk, and dumped diesel over everything, including all of our clothes.  The smell was so strong that you could smell it outside.  That was when we noticed things missing: two printers, two i-pods, a camera, a playstation 2, and two prepaid cell phones.  (One printer showed up after we called the police about them being stolen.  They said that everything was civil, but that they would talk to them about it.  Obviously they said they had nothing to do with it.) 

A couple weeks later, we went back with Mason’s younger brother.  I stayed behind because of the diesel smell being bad for the baby.  At this time, Mason’s brother was in jail.  When Mason, and his younger brother reached the door, Mason’s brother’s girlfriend tried locking it, but they opened it.  She then called 911 and said that they were flipping out when in reality they were calm.  They went to the room to see if they could find the things of value that were stolen. 

Afterwards, they went back to our family friend’s house, but then we heard that the cops were at his grandmother’s, so we went back.  When we got there, they questioned everyone, and they were rude to Mason and his brother.  Mason’s brother’s girlfriend said that she had been pushed by Mason. 

There is a reason this isn’t true.  For one, the dispatcher stated that Mason and his brother were calm while she was freaking out.  For two, Mason’s brother was in front of him when he went into the house, and she was in front of Mason’s brother.  She had also locked herself in his grandmother’s bedroom which was past Mason and I’s bedroom.  Mason was given harassment charges that he could have fought, but we figured that we should just pay it and get it over with.  Mason had just got his job, and he couldn’t miss work for a court hearing.  Again we mentioned to the police the things that had been stolen, but they said it was civil.  Mason’s dad also showed up, and the cops found things that was used to get “high”, but they didn’t do anything about it. 

Of course we were very upset about the things that had been stolen, but we let it go because they kept saying that they couldn’t do anything because it was civil.  After that, once Mason’s brother was out of jail, every time they seen us, they gave us the middle finger.  This wasn’t that big of a deal, but Mason and I still wanted to get a restraining order for the safety of our baby. 

Then, two weeks ago, Mason’s brother found out where Mason worked.  He threatened to call in and get him fired.  The next day Mason warned his boss, and his boss said that they don’t put up with that.  A few days ago, Mason’s boss pulled him aside to tell him that they had in fact received a phone call from Mason’s brother’s girlfriend attempting to get him fired.  Mason did not get in trouble. 

Now, just last night, our family friend’s air conditioner wires were cut while they weren’t home.  It was ninety degrees out.  They did this because they have seen us come in the trailer park to visit her, and for a while they thought that we were living there instead of at my parents. 

The fact is that they know now where we live, what vehicle we drive, and where Mason works.  They have just been kicked out of his grandmother’s house because of them stealing everything from her.  They are angry, and blaming this on us.  Therefore, we are in danger, and supposedly we can’t do anything about it because everything is civil.  It’s gotten to the point where Mason keeps a baseball bat in the truck for protection during the day, and at night he keeps it in our bedroom.  Now we have to be careful and make sure to lock everything up.  We have to walk on our tippy toes because the cops won’t do anything about them. 

Being that I’m pregnant, this is an issue.  So I know that this was very long, but please, please, please give us advice.  We have no idea what we can do, but we do know that something has to happen.  Leave a comment down below (as long as you want), specifying anything we can do in details.  This will be a great help to us.  Thank you, and I hope your day is much better than ours. 

Cops

Does anyone else have problems with cops?  Well, you know how a lot of people like to ride your butt?  We had one of those cars behind us, and Mason decided to brake check him.  The car was really on our butt then because they had been too close when we put on our breaks. 

So we reached a stop sign, and the car pulled into the lane beside us and flicked his lights and opened his door.  That's when I saw the cop uniform.  He was off-duty in his personal vehicle.  The first thing he said was, "You know you're messing with the law."  Mason said that he was sorry and everything, and was very respectful, but the cop was rude and denied riding our butts.  He said that he was not close at all even though he was. 

The funny thing was that his first assumption was that we brake checked him, which we knew that we did, but he didn't know that.  Normally when you break check someone it's for a reason.  Either they're riding your butt, or their on their phone which is now illegal in Pennsylvania.  People also do it when someone is speeding. 

What is weird is that this was at night.  Who says that there wasn't an animal that ran out in front of us?  Why would the cop's first assumption be that we brake checked him?  Maybe because he knew he was riding our butts.  I don't like how cops think they own the road, and they drive the way they want.  This is not the only time either.  We have seen another cop before at a red light completely over the white line.  His back tires were even passed it.  This is illegal, but do they get in trouble?  Obviously not! 

This was enough to scare me.  I mean who doesn't get scared when you're talking to a cop?  Luckily, we did not get in trouble during this incident.  The cop just said, "Take your girlfriend and go home."  We said okay and drove off.  Every night is full of excitement. 

Old People, New Skin

It feels like it's been forever since we have seen Mason's grandmother.  Mason has seen her like two months ago, but I haven't seen or talked to her since we've been kicked out.  I guess today is the day that we see her again.  It feels like she knows the old us, and now we're new people. 

So today Mason's dad is having a family dinner, and his grandmother is coming.  We were invited/required to come if you know what I mean.  But she doesn't know that I'm pregnant, so I'm wearing a shirt that kind of shows off my baby bump.  Mason says I'm still in the in between stages of being obviously pregnant and not showing much.  We just want it to be an easy reveal, and no stress, but who knows what will happen. 

Wish us luck.  It should go well because Mason's been inching into talking to her again since the certain issues we had have been kicked out of the house.  I'm not so sure I'm ready to talk to her again though.  She almost ruined our lives and it didn't seem to bother her much, but it definitely bothered us.  I don't know if I've forgiven her yet.  I know you can't hold grudges, but kicking us out when she knew we didn't have anywhere to go was a big deal. 

I guess we'll have to see how everyone fends, and where the table conversation goes.  Who knows with her.  I'll let you know how everything goes tonight or tomorrow.  Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a great day. 

Don't forget to thank God for the blessings today.  Even just the sky looks beautiful.  Maybe that's a good sign.  God is with me for this battle.

God Loves Us

God loves us.  He loves me, and He loves you.  But how is that possible?  How can God love me when I've made so many mistakes.  I mean, I'm pregnant out of wedlock at eighteen years old.  That's a sin. 

The truth is, everyone sins in their lifetime.  Some sin more, some sin less, and some are more serious sins.  When I talk about sins, you probably think about all of the things that you've done wrong.  Then, maybe you think, "Well, how does God still love me when I've been such a horrible person." 

The answer is this.  God loves us no matter what.  He also believes the best in us.  Unlike others, He will never give up on us.  Often times, God is standing at a closed door, continually knocking.  He never stops knocking.  More than anything, He wants us to answer that door.  He wants to be welcomed into our lives, and our hearts.  God wants to be a part of that. 

Plus, God is forgiving.  He is merciful, and loving.  Again, He doesn't give up on us.  Therefore, no matter how many times we sin, He will still knock on that door.  We will still have every opportunity to invite him in.  So why don't we? 

Maybe we're afraid.  God is such a huge being.  He's definitely not something to mess with.  This alone is enough to scare us.  Also, the matter of life and death.  That question is the biggest question.  Where do we go when we die? 

I believe that certain people go to heaven, and those people are the ones that have opened the door, and accepted Jesus into their hearts.  Sadly, I also believe that there is a hell.  I know that this place is not a welcoming place, and it is not a place that I want to spend eternity in. 

But why else don't we invite Him in?  I think that many people do not invite God in to their lives because they don't believe in themselves.  They don't believe that they deserve the love of our Father.  There could be various reasons for this, but they all amount to the same: a lie.  It is a lie that we don't deserve the love of God.  It is a lie that there is no hope for us. 

The thing is.  God doesn't lie to us.  Our hearts do.  Our hearts follow what they want, but not always what they need.  A lot of times they don't realize that what we really need is God in our lives.  We don't need to express ourselves through swear words.  We don't need to wear clothing that shows off our bodies, and we don't need anything to fulfill the love that God has for us.  We don't need it because God fulfills all the love that we need and long for.  He can help us express ourselves, and He believes that we are beautiful naturally, without wearing more revealing clothing. 

The lesson today is that all we need is God because God provides everything.  He will give us what we need, and He will bless us with what we want.  But we cannot expect these blessings.  To expect something from God is to dishonor him.  He does not go by our timing or our rules.  He has His own timing and His own rules.  Therefore, what God does for us is not what He needs to do.  He doesn't have to provide us with anything.  But because of His love for us, he provides everything. 

So what does this mean?  It means that God loves us!  He loves us no matter what, and that will never change.  Believe in His love, and trust in His forgiveness because He is the Lord our God, and we do desperately need Him.

Graduation

Last night was Mason's younger brother's high school graduation and we were invited to attend.  This was the first graduation that either of us had been to, and we were prepared for the worst: crowds, noise, and boring speeches.  Surprisingly, it wasn't too bad, but these are things that I think people could learn. 

1.  I'll start at the beginning of the ceremony.  When the graduates are entering, you might be told not to stand.  There is a reason for this.  Everyone wants to take pictures, but as soon as one person stands another can't see their son or daughter walking.  This kind of ruins the moment so please be courteous of others and take pictures seated so that everyone can see. 

2.  The speeches.  Some of them were actually very well thought out, but there was only one that actually sticks in my mind as the best.  This girl was the first to come up, but she was the most lively in my opinion.  She smiled at the audience and didn't look at her notes too often.  Most of the speakers did not have a problem with the notes, but they did have a problem with smiling.  Many would go up there with straight faces while they pulled jokes on stage.  The key is to connect with your audience.  When you have a speech that you want to be inspirational and memorable, you need to make it that way.  Just words will not bring that out.  Show your personality on stage, but in a modest and respectful way.  It can be hard, but remember to have fun!

3.  There is often a long list of students graduating.  At the graduation I went to, there was over 400.  When I heard that number I started panicking.  Common sense told me not to clap for every single person because it would be too tiring.  I knew that at the end they would have a big round of applause for the graduates. 

Some people did not clue into this factor, but they also did not clap for every person.  Those friends and families would scream as loud as they could only for the person that they knew.  It was pretty sad when the auditorium filled with noise for one kid, and then it was deadly silent for the next graduate.  In my opinion (this may not be your opinion) this is disrespectful.  Yes, you love and support your child or friend, but you should also support every graduate.  Screaming out your lungs for one person would make the next person feel bad when no one screams for them.  I believe what you should do is scream with everything you got when they say, "WELCOME THE 2012 (or whatever year) GRADUATES!"  The graduates are partying on stage so why shouldn't you show how proud you are for each and every one of them?  Your son or daughter was not the only one to graduate, and you should not only care about them. 

4. Random annoyances at any type of ceremony:
Cell phones!  Most people are nice enough to at least turn their phones on silent or vibrate during the ceremony, but there was one particular person behind us that had his phone on sound, and it kept going off.  He did not turn the sound down throughout the whole ceremony.  This is a ceremony!  You're attention should be on the graduates.  They only graduate high school once, and you can play on your phone whenever. 

Babies.  Yes, I know that no one can help it when a baby cries during a ceremony.  It's embarrassing for the mom, and it's distracting/annoying for the audience.  The truth is that if your baby is especially fussy, you should not bring them to the ceremony.  If you cannot do this, then please think of others.  It is definitely okay to try and calm them down for a couple minutes before taking them out of the room, but to sit there for over a half hour with a screaming baby?  This is not what people want to hear when they're trying to listen to speeches.  Take your baby out until he/she calms down enough.  I know this isn't something that you want to do because you don't want to miss the ceremony, but you are disrespecting the graduates on stage if you don't quiet your baby. 

Hats during the national anthom.  Talk about disrespectful.  I know what it is like to have a fiance/husband that wears his hat all the time.  Mason tells me all the time that he can't stand not having his on, but he still takes it off for the national anthom.  He has never once not done this.  Sadly, there were several people that stood up but did not take their hats off.  This is extremely disrespecful, and many people will get mad at you for it.  Instead of causing a disruption/distraction, be respectful and take off that hat for a few minutes.  It will not hurt you. 

These are all of the things that got under my skin during the ceremony, and I know that I was not the only one.  Please keep these things in mind when you attend any kind of ceremony.  Most of these things are all built around respecting others.  It's not hard to be respectful... right? 

Last Week

This is my last week in mommy training.  Unfortunately my cousin will not need a babysitter anymore.  I will miss taking care of a little one on Thursday's.  I can't wait to take care of my little one every day. 

So I'm typing this as the little one is sleeping, but he's deciding to wake up now.  My black lab has been jealous all morning because I've been taking care of the baby.  Once the baby was sleeping, she needed to sit with me on the chair and take a nap.  Keep in mind my black lab, Mia, thinks she's a lap dog when she weighs over 80 pounds.  She loves to take up the whole chair when sitting with you, but we love her anyways.  She's such a sweety, and loves to give the baby kisses. 

So far the baby hasn't been too fussy, and he even fell asleep in my arms.  How adorable is that?  Mason saw him before he left for work.  The baby was just waking up, and he was smiling in his sleep.  I could tell that Mason couldn't wait to be a daddy and see our own son sleep. 

I am so excited for Jason to get here, but so worried at the same time.  I want him to be born healthy, and I don't want him to be premature.  There's just so many things that can go wrong and it's scary.

Well, we got a fussy one.  Time for a diaper change!

I Love How He Loves Me

Another fact about me: I love writing.  I've been writing since my little sister passed away.  It's helped me to get my feelings out, and it turned out to be a great way for healing.  Mostly I write poetry, but I have wrote some short stories, and started some novels.  The only problem is finishing the novels, it never happens. 

I thought I'd share with you what I wrote for Mason.  It'll give you an idea just how much I love him.  Our relationship is not always perfect, I'll admit that, but we will always be there for each other and our baby.  He will have a mommy and daddy, and we'll raise him together as a family. 

Anyways, before I keep getting off topic, here it is.  It's called I Love How He Loves Me

A kiss on the cheek there,
An arm around me here.
The glimmer in his eyes,
Shows me how much he cares.

He takes me in his truck,
A ride to no where;
Just places for us to see,
Only us, together. 

The whisper of the wind,
The tweet of the birds,
All tell me the story of his heart,
In several words.
Yes, I love how he loves me.

Thanks for reading.

A Beautiful Day

Have I forgot to mention that we have two rabbits?  Yes we do!  A large callico and a black dwarf bunny.  We were debating on breeding them in the future, but now we think we will breed dogs instead.

Anyways, that's not the point.  Today has been beautiful: not too hot, not too cold.  So what did we do?  Spent time outside of course.  And what was Mason's choice for the day?  He wanted to work on the muffler on his truck (men!). 

So we pulled the rabbits out of their cage (much to their dismay), and stuck them in their outside "playpen".  Abby (the callico) being the spoiled one from daddy got to sit in the truck to keep cool while Bridget (black dwarf) laid in the shade with mommy.  They had a great time relaxing while Mason had his much needed truck time. 

After about two hours, Mason finally fixed what actually turned out to be broken (surprisingly), and now we have a quiet truck.  This is great for when the baby comes.  Everyone loves sleeping babies and a quiet truck equals a sleeping baby, most of the time. 

But did we have enough sun yet?  Definitely not!  First we had to test out the truck on the road.  Then we decided to go biking on a local trail.  Keep in mind, I haven't been on a bike since the beginning of my pregnancy when I wasn't showing at all.  Now I got a baby bump in the way. 

It turned out to be especially fun though, and great quality time with my amazing fiance.  Plus, it was great exercise to keep my weight under control.  With all these cravings, I may need it. 

Turns out that it was so fun that we're thinking of making it a regular thing.  This will be great because I love exploring nature. 

So if it's beautiful out where you are, get outside and enjoy it!  You only have so many beautiful days in your lifetime, and every one is different than the first. 

Morning Sickness

Morning sickness is not fun.  I was up all night getting sick.  Every time I stood up, my nausea would get ten times worse.  Sadly, I'm one of those people that will have morning sickness my whole pregnancy. 

Mason of course slept through the whole night while I was miserable, but he called off work today to stay home.  I called my ob and had to talk to the offline hours hotline thing.  After being on hold for a couple minutes, and them not being able to understand me, they told me that if I couldn't hold down anything then I should go to the hospital. 

So far so good though.  No emergency room trips.  Just drinking extra water and some soft foods for now.  I might have caught the bug or I might have had a random morning sickness spell.  Who knows. 

Anyways, he's kicking like a mad man.  It feels so weird now because I can feel one spot of my stomach feeling "empty" while another spot feels "full".  I'm pretty sure you can see him kicking from the outside now, but we haven't been watching, only feeling. 

I am extremely excited that Jason can finally hear his mommy and daddy talking!  This is where our baby learns our voices and connects to us.  To me, this is a big milestone in my pregnancy. 

If anyone has suggestions on how to help morning sickness, let me know.  I know the main tricks like eating more snacks like crackers, but please let me know what's worked for you.  Thanks and have a great day!

23 Weeks Pregnant

I’m finally 23 weeks pregnant!  This pregnancy still seems like it’s going fast which makes me happy because before we know it we’ll be seeing Jason. 

I feel like I’m getting bigger every day, and every day Jason is getting stronger.  I can feel him kicking almost all the time now.  He is still really low, but it hasn’t affected my bathroom visits. 

I’ve been curious as to whether he is going to be breech or not.  At my last ultrasound he was breech in the beginning, but he wasn’t at the end.  I have a feeling that he’ll be one of those that move up until the day I give birth, but I don’t know yet. 

If anyone is wondering, I am planning to have a vaginal birth.  My idea on the epidural is to wait and see if I need it, but I’m not the greatest person with pain so I’ll probably end up getting it.  A c-section will be pretty stressful because of having to heal afterwards.  Mason and I already know that he will only get the day I give birth off of work, so I’m going to be on my own taking care of Jason.  A c-section would probably mean that I’ll need my parents help for a while. 

Does anyone know when your doctor tells you if you might be too small to give birth naturally?  I am especially short, so I’ve been worried about that.

Now for my symptoms.  I’ve still been having back pain, but only on my right side at my hip.  It feels like something needs to pop and it won’t.  Also, according to my scale, I’ve gained about three pounds since my last appointment.  It’s been scary gaining weight because I’m worried about gaining too much, but so far my nurse says my weight is perfect.  It’s gotten to the point where I can definitely feel the weight difference when I walk for a while. 

Cravings are definitely still there.  I’ve been wanting skittles like you wouldn’t believe, and I have yet to get them.  On the plus side, our local farmers market will be opening soon so I can get some fresh strawberries.  (It’s about time!)  I still haven’t noticed any swelling, but I was wondering if there is ever a time you should take off your engagement/wedding ring during pregnancy?  I don’t want the ring to get stuck on my finger.  That’s pretty much it for my symptoms. 

My mom and I went through all the baby stuff we’ve gotten from yard sales and what not.  We have more than a whole twin bed full of stuff piled up.  It’s pretty amazing. 

Apparently now we have hit the point where I’m not allowed to see the things my mom buys for Jason anymore because of the baby shower getting closer.  This is a huge bother for me because I hate not knowing.  I just can’t wait to see the cute baby stuff, but I’ll be sure to sneak a few peeks. 

Anyways I’m extremely excited to be at 23 weeks.  My doctor’s appointment is on this coming Monday (June 11^th), so I’ll be sure to let you know how that goes.  Plus, Mason’s birthday is on the 20^th of June.  I have yet to think of something amazing to do that day.  He’s turning 19 but he has to work, so it will be a challenge, but we will definitely have some fun.  Thanks for reading.  Have a great day.

My Fiance

I am the luckiest girl in the world to have Mason.  He is the most amazing fiance that I could ever ask for.  He's extremely supportive, and he loves our baby so much. 

If you have a boyfriend/husband that you love and care about, show them today. 

The Lies We Tell Our Parents

Mom: Did you clean your room?
Me: Yeah
Reality: Nope, because it's not dirty.

Mom: Are you going through your jeans?
Me: Yeah
Reality: No, because I don't feel like it.

Some things can wait another day... or two.

Diploma

I finally recieved my diploma!  I am so excited.  I've been waiting since January to get it.  You see, I went into PA Cyber School so that I could graduate early.  Instead of graduating in June, I graduated in January.  I also had a higher average in the online school and I was able to work at my own pace. 

The only downside is that the text on my diploma looks crooked.  This is going to bother me a lot.  Oh well, at least I have it now.

Maternity Woes

Unlike some girls, I hate trying on clothes.  I hate clothes shopping in general.  Maybe it's because every time my mom took me shopping we spent at least three hours in the mall, or maybe it's just me. 

Now my body is constantly changing in size, and so are my clothes sizes.  Maternity clothes are becoming a must, but my mom only gets clothes that I don't like.  Then she tells me that I can't be picky. 

Just to explain, my mom likes low-cut shirts, but I don't.  I know many girls don't mind, but I'm the type that's modest and doesn't show off what I have.  I will always be the type of girl that wears loose fitting jeans and a loose t-shirt/sweatshirt.  That's just me, and my mom can't agree with that.  I wish she could understand and get me clothes that I'll actually wear. 

I'm guessing that it's probably starting to sound bad that my mom buys me clothes.  Once again, I hate shopping, and my mom is the opposite.  She enjoys shopping.  She is probably really happy buying baby things.  Even if I don't need clothes, she buys them.  Even if we don't need everything she's getting us for the baby, she still gets it.  For example, she found a sand box at a yard sale and got it even though she knows we won't use it for a few years.  Mothers! 

The truth is, Mason and I need the help my mom is giving us, but we are making it.  Each time we get paid, we get further ahead.  It's just starting out with a new job is not easy especially when you have bills to pay.  I know that I'm extremely lucky to have such a supportive mom.  I feel bad for the people that don't have that support. 

Personally, I don't like being dependent on my mom, but we don't exactly have a choice.  We're just thankful, and we hope to be able to afford more in the future.

I don't want anyone to misinterpret what my family does for us.  It may seem like we don't buy anything for the baby, but we will be.  Our game plan is to wait for sales on certain things and get them, but otherwise we aren't buying much for him yet.  We know that we will receive a lot of things from our family and friends, so we're waiting to see what we have to buy first.  In the end, raising this baby is up to us, not our parents, but they are helping us a lot.  There is nothing wrong with that.  Sometimes you have to take what you need even if you don't want to.  It's a lesson that's hard for us to learn. 

Cravings

Talking about rainbows is making me crave skittles. Mason had to mention skittles last night, and now I practically need them. This whole time I've been craving sweet things. Examples: chocolate chip cookies with milk, chocolate ice cream, any sour or sweet candy.

I've always loved skittles, but now it's to the extreme. Also, who can't wait for strawberries to be in season? ME! I love fresh strawberries, and have been craving them like you wouldn't believe.

Talk about being pregnant.

Chase The Rainbow

Last night was a beautiful night.  Every once in a while my fiance and I take a ride in his truck to get some alone time out of the house.  Last night we did the same, and it turned out that we left right in the middle of a pretty nasty thunderstorm. 

This alone made the drive pretty interesting and fun.  Bald tires and downpours don't exactly mix well, but this predicament ended up bringing entertainment, and some thrill. 

Once the storm was over, we saw a beautiful rainbow.  It was extremely bright, and you could see every color.  I then noticed that there was a faded one right beside it.  Now it's not every day you see two rainbows parallel to each other, but I'm not done yet.

After driving a little longer, that bright rainbow turned huge!  We could see the whole rainbow sprawled across the sky.  It was amazing seeing where the rainbow started and ended, and it looked so close. 

Mason and I realized how close it seemed, so we drove around some more to see how close we could get.  Surprisingly, we did get closer, but we didn't actually find the "pot of gold". 

It turned out to be a very special night, and the rainbow especially made it a memorable one.  Of all the blessings, some times the smallest ones mean the most. 

Pay Week!

This week was pay week, yippee!  Along came the bills, and within hours we're feeling broke again.  How does this happen?  We know how it happens, but it doesn't make it any easier.  Just putting money in the bank has been a struggle, but we're determined to save up and provide for this baby.  Believe me, it'll happen too.

Mason and I have been on the edge about him getting a better job.  He's only been at this job a few months, but there's one out there that pays better, and he would also enjoy it more. 

Anyways, every other Friday is pay week for us, and it ends up being the day that we run all of our errands.  This pay week turned out to be especially interesting because of all of the rain Pennsylvania has been getting.  Driving while it's absolutely downpouring with bald tires is not exactly our dream come true, but we got everything done. 

Entertainment for the day:  As soon as we pulled into the driveway from all of our errands, lightning struck.  It seemed to be right above us, and of course, what we expected came.  CRACK!  Boy did we both jump out of our skin when we heard the thunder.  It was loud enough to shake the truck.  Talk about freaking out and running inside.  That must have been a site to see!

Have a great Sunday, and thanks for reading!

Being a New Mom

I can't wait to be a new mom.  I keep imagining having a little boy running up to me saying, "Mommy."  It will be the best thing in the world.  I was talking to Mason about this the other day too, and he was the same way. 

I know that going to the hospital to give birth will be a nerve wracking event, but I'm so excited.  I won't be able to wait until I can see our baby. 

Anyways, a little update.  Mason got weirded out because he felt Jason kick on the outside, and Mason said he could feel my skin stretch.  Obviously our little one is getting stronger.  I'm feeling bigger every day, and it's finally getting pretty obvious that I'm pregnant. 

My mom finally said that she needs a break from yardsales.  I never thought I would hear that come out of her mouth, but nevertheless I'm relieved.  You can not imagine how much we've found at yardsales.  It never ends!  We'll see though.  Next weekend she'll probably see a "huge" yardsale, and I'll be getting in the car again. 

It's definitely fun to find adorable little things for our son though.  He's going to be one happy little boy.

Yard Sales are a Mom's Best Friend

It's amazing how much great stuff you can find at yardsales.  Bibs, recieving blankets, towels, toys, and baby clothes: all for cheap prices!  When you're on a tight budget, yard sales are a life saver.  Especially when a lot of things you only use for so long, and it's not worth it to buy all new things.  Of course, a new carseat is a must, but if you can find a nice stroller at a yard sale, go for it.  It's a lot nicer to have more money in your pocket than to feel broke. 

Anyways, my mom and I went yardsaling today and found a lot of great things.  So far we got a brand new never used diaper genie for ten dollars, and a storage thing to hold all of your small things like diapers, wipes, and blankets for three dollars.  These are great finds. 

I am extremely lucky though.  You see, this may sound bad, but my mom has been buying everything that we get at yardsales.  Mason and I just don't have enough extra money, especially when we're looking for a place right now.  It sucks that a lot of Jason's things are coming from my parents, but you take what you're given.  Your job is to be thankful and give back when you're able to.  Thank goodness for parents though.  Sometimes I don't know where I would be, but they can still be a pain in my butt!

Is there any stay at home jobs that aren't spam?

I have been searching for a job that I can do from home because of Mason working such long hours.  I have to stay home with the baby, but we still need extra money.  All of the jobs that I've run into are spam, and we are desperate.  Has anyone had success with a stay at home job?  We need something that doesn't ask for a lot of money to get started.  I'm great at writing and math, but I don't have any experience.  I also have my high school diploma.  Any suggestions?  Please let me know, and tell me your story.

Cleaning Houses

There's things you have to do to make extra money, or in our case, get our rent lower.  My mom cleans houses on the side, and I get the privilege of helping.  Of course, in my opinion cleaning houses is not fun.  You have to listen to what they want you to do, and you're basically picking up after someone else.  I do understand that when you're busy, or can't get around, that you need that extra help, but I'm not a cleaning person.  I don't know about everyone else, but I have to be in the "cleaning mood" to be able to clean, and I do not get into this mood at a set time each week. 

Also, I don't like working with my mom.  I get to do the hard work like scrubbing the floors with my bare hands, and I also do most of the cleaning.  The short end of the stick is where I only get paid less than a third of what she does. 

Mason and I go back and forth on whether I should still do this when I'm getting ripped off.  You see, I make more in one month than what actually gets taken off the rent, which means my mom makes money off of me and she knows it.  I don't see the money because she just keeps it.  We've asked her to pay me, and then we'll pay her what she wants for rent, but she won't agree. 

Still, my mom is helping a lot with buying stuff for Jason, and we haven't even had the baby shower yet.  So cleaning will still be in the picture until I'm too big to scrub floors.  Maybe then I'll just put a rag on my belly and use my belly to scrub the floors.  Just kidding.