One Month Young

The bubs is ONE MONTH OLD [well technically he is one month and one day old cause I'm a bad mommy and didn't get to do a post til now]!!! But what the heck where did the time go?!?! I would seriously appreciate a pause button on life at the moment.

Other than how fast this month has seemed to whiz by Wesley is growing by leaps and bounds, we don't go back to the doctor for another weight check unitl December 2nd but I know he's gained some good weight because he is now filling out some of his newborn sleepers!

Wesley also seems to be doing much better in the gas area since we switched his formula and started using the Tommee Tippee Anti-Colic bottles. He isn't having anything to do with breastfeeding anymore; we tried and tried and I gave into the frustration of him not wanting to. He is happier with the formula. Happy baby = happy mommy = sane mommy! :)

And this is for the Lactation-Nazi who basically called me a bad mom for giving Wes a pacifier!

[And I did this post completely one-handed while I held a sleeping Wesley in my other arm!]

3 weeks!

I meant to write this yesterday but it was kind of a rough day...

So the bubs is definately gaining some weight! His cheeks are getting chunky and he is starting to fill out his newborn clothes (finally!). His cord fell off the other night when I was changing him so his last bath he was able to be submerged and he really enjoyed LOVED it!!! He has started grabbing/reaching for things and loves having his hands near his face which is no real surprise to us because every time we had an ultrasound he had his hands right there in his face blocking us from seeing is oh.so.cute self!!

Breastfeeding has been a bit rough. Somedays he will latch others he won't. He is also super sensitive to foods I eat; enter why yesterday was such a rough dia! So when it comes to the breastfeeding game it is really up to Wesley. I must admit that when I decided I wanted to breastfeed I didn't think it would be this diffcult but it is and we are doing our best to make it work [enter a mommy who is trying to be ok with this].

So that's pretty much it for now. I'm off to FINALLY grab a shower...yes!!!!!!!

Wesley is 3 weeks and 1 day old!

Things they ought to tell ya...

I have had many friends, family members and sorority sisters give birth recently. Many have provided advice about pregnancy and the labor process; how to induce it, techniques for getting through labor, so forth and so on. What I didn't recieve much advice on what happens after the nine months and the big event so to speak.

I figured I would make this a bit fun cause what I am learning is parenthood is not only amazing, rewarding and a little tiresome but is one of God's gifts to make us laugh on a daily basis!

So the things I have learned thus far about parenting a newborn...

*Even after the shower you may or may not get to take, you will still smell poop/pee/or spit up somewhere on your being

*Coffee should be something you can add to a baby registry

*A back-up changing pad cover (or 2) is never a bad idea

*The inventor of the bottle warmer is a FREAKING genious!

*Always have a back-up paci (if you use them) because you just never know when it will go missing and become your in-laws dog's new chew toy [we still love you Bentley :D]

*Naps are not only for children under 5 years of age

*Being "on-time" changes to being 30 minutes late for everything

*Laundry will never be finally finished ever again

*Pack at least 2 back up outfits in the diaper bag cause you just never know

*The alarm clock no longer can stir you out of your sleep

*The conversation you have with someone will go from "you'll never guess where I ended up last night!" to "you'll never guess where I changed my son's diaper!"

*Your neighbors will think you are slaughtering your newborn when you give them their first couple of baths

*You bargain with your spouse over who will take the dog for a walk vs changing the babes poopy diaper [even though you still have to pick up the dogs shit too] 

So parenthood has been pretty eye-opening/revealing/fun/stressful/sleep depriving but when you hold that little wonder in your arms and he FINALLY drifts off to sleep. You think to yourself how amazing it is that 19 short days ago he was still in utero working to make his entrance into the world. You smile, a little tear forms in the corner of your eye and then the damn dog starts barking at nothing and awakens your sleeping little angel who has now turned into a screaming devil child that has turned the color purple!!

Oh, life :)

Wesley is 19 days old.

Bad Blogger...but I have goodies to make up for it!

I know, I know I said I would keep you all updated on a regular basis and I broke my promise to you all!!! Huge let down. I'm sorry. Forgive me. Ok we good? Great. Now let's get you all updated on the Kinanes!!

Well you all know by now that Mr. Wesley is HERE so let me back-track just a little to explain how he got here...if you have to go to the bathroom I suggest you do it now before you start reading this post cause it is longgggggggg.

So as I was nearing the end of my pregnancy my docs had become concerned about my amniotic fluid level being high. Lots of things can cause this; gestestional diabetes, exposure to a toxin, an infection and sometimes it can happen just cause. As I hit week 38 they made me have a plentiful amount of blood drawn to test for a cause of the high fluid volume as well as ordering non-stress tests and weekly ultrasounds until delivery. We got the results the next week and all was good but they decided since I was so near to my due date to go ahead and induce me on 10/28/2011.

Since we now had a deadline to have stuff done by we went into a tizzy to get things done, stocked and cleaned. I went into Rosey mode and scrubbed down the casa in prepartion of bringing home baby. All the laundry was done, bathrooms scrubbed, every crook and cranny dusted, bottles sanitized; the house was ready to go! That night my Braxton-Hicks contractions that I had been having for 3 days all of sudden became regulated.

It didn't really even occur to me that labor had started. My contractions weren't too uncomfortable and were happening at a consistent 10 minutes. I went to bed and didn't really sleep all that well. I finally got a nice 2 hour stretch of sleep until a really strong contraction woke me up. They had started coming at 5 minute intervals atthis point. I just continued to lay in bed and breathed through them. Jimmy had to work that morning at 11, he asked me to call the docs and see if I should go to get checked before he had to go in just incase this was actually gonna happen or not. I called the nurse at my docs office told her I had been having contractions every 5 minutes for the past 3 hours. She stopped me and firmly said, "we suggest you go to the hospital when your contractions are 5 minutes apart for at least ONE HOUR." Me being me asked, "soooo, what's my window? When should I really get there?" The nurse basically told me to get my butt in gear and get to the hospital. I decided to take a shower cause I didn't know when I'd be able to take one again. We stopped and got something to eat cause again I didn't know when I'd be able to do that again. We got to Sentara Princess Anne at 12:30pm.

We made our phone calls to Jimmy's parents, my mom, and Susan (my oh.so.fantastically amazing doula!). We didn't know if they were gonna keep me so we kept the list short. As I waddled through the parking garage I had to stop cause a contraction had gotten to the point where I just needed to stop; I leaned against a support pillar to breathe through it and I heard a woman passing by saying something like, "I remember those days." We got into the maternity ward and I as I was struggling to sign my "AK' initals on the HIPPA form I couldn't help but notice a cute little preggo who was so bubbly talking about how her water broke but wasn't having any contractions yet. As they were taking her to the triage area I remember thinking to myslef, "Pitocin is in that bitch's future!"  (excuse my french.) They took me to triage as well only to transfer me to a labor room 5 minutes later because since I was to be induced the next day their thought process was "let's get this started".

I got comfy in the bed, they strapped me up to check the babe and that's when we hit the first "stubborn baby" moment. I started having a contraction that just wouldn't end! This sucker ended up being 13 MINUTES LONG! Well at the 10 minute mark Wes started showing signs of stress. They were flipping me over and around in all sorts of positions to try and get his heartrate back up. I looked at one point and there were 6 nurses and my doctor had arrived in the room. [Enter first threat of c-section]. One of the nurses grabbed my arm to start an IV. Once she was done they flipped me into the hands and knees position and gave me a shot of Turbutaline. Finally, the contraction ended, Wes recovered, my doc started breathing easier and retracted her threat of a c-section, the crowd of nurses finally filtered out as well. [p.s. a major side effect of the drug they gave me is it makes you shake like a crackhead for 30 minutes after they give it to you...not fun when you are trying to eat ice chips!] Susan arrived after the fun began but at least she got to see me shake for 20 minutes :). They were finally able to check me at this point; 6cm dilated and 100% effaced = SCORE!

After my uterus and Wesley calmed down they let me get on the birth ball we brought. It was nice to get out of bed and have contractions on the ball; I think it made it easier to get through them. My water still hadn't broken yet so that also made my contractions not so bad.

Fast forward through the boring stuff. I got to 8cm and kinda just got stuck. They decided to break my water to move things along and I was game. The nurse got real serious with me and warned, "now this is where it's gonna get tough! You may feel like you are gonna loose control!" I had the thought in my head that, "no, I got this. I've made it this far without any pain meds I can do this." Man how the game changed from that point.

I went from being in control to straight LOOSING MY COOKIES!!! I became that screaming lady they ask to quiet down so they don't scrae the other laboring women. Contractions became to much to bare. I was exhausted and the contractions became harder and harder to get through. All I wanted to do was push but my cervix wasn't budging. I broke down and asked/screamed/begged for something to just give me a break. Since I couldn't have an epidural they were going to set up a PCA pump that I could control how much medicine I gave myself. I got a tiny dose of fentanyl which didn't touch my pain nor did I feel like it relaxed anything within me. I lost control and seemed to never really regain it. Wesley started to get stressed again and this time he wasn't rebounding no matter what position they had me in. The nurses, NICU team, and doc came all a running again. Enter second threat of a c-section. Susan convinced my doc to give me one more contraction to try and push and get my cervix to finish dilating. All I cared about was getting Wesley out at this point. The doc numbed me up a bit with a local and placed a vacuum on Wes's head. I was given the go-ahead to start pushing and all I can remember saying was, "I don't know how!" With about 5 minutes of pushing Wesley was out, Jimmy was in tears, our moms were in tears, I was in tears and had some nice damage that had to be repaired.

The NICU nurses cleared Wesley from their care [he had, had a stool in utero] but he came out hollering and they didn't have to deep suction him. Jimmy didn't get to cut the original cord cause of the high-stress situation but he did get to trim it up.

It was a beautiful moment. Something that is pretty hard to place into words. I couldn't believe it, he was here, he was perfect, and he was really here!

Labor is just that labor. If I hadn't had Susan or Jimmy I probably would have ended up in a c-section. Those two were absolutely amazing for the strength, support, and focus they gave to me.

So, there ya have it Wesley's birth story. :)

A back post to show off just a little

So here are the ultrasound pics from a few weeks ago. At the ultrasound the tech gave us the news that
Mr. Wesley is measuring in the 65th percentile. Whoa-baby is right!!!! They still aren't changing my due date but I highly doubt if I am gonna make it to November 4th with him measuring as large as he is. He is still breech but lately I have been noticing he is making the attempt to flip cause he gets sideways at points. The next time this happens I will have to take a snap shot cause it feels as uncomfortable as it looks. But now to photos...

You can see him just staring at you saying, "What do you want man, I'm just chilling here!"

Yea Wes is still a boy as the tech also commented on again :)

Just being the cutest little snuggle bug ever! Uh I can't wait to hold him!

Using those kidneys and swallowing away!

Ah our big boy! So excited to meet him come November! Hoping I make it til then! My biggest fear is I will be in labor on Halloween! Which because I really don't want that to happen it probably will!! Just as long as he comes after 38 weeks I guess it's ok...but it would be really awesome if he came a week late and I'd be able to include both Thanksgiving and Christmas into my short term leave...come on Wes work with mommy!!! 

A moving and a shaking!

Here we are 2 days away from our 30 week point. Holy moly where did the time go?!?!?! And I have been a bad bad blogger and left all you lovely people out of the loop! So let's get you all updated and this squirmy little one.

At our 28 week appointment we found out I passed the glucose tolerance test (go me!). We also had questions about for the doc concerning our last ultrasound we had the week before. The tech said something about extra amniotic fluid right on the edge of normal and abnormal but couldn't grab the doc to get her to check it out. So we had to wait til this appointment to talk about it. Hello way to stress a pregnant lady out?!? The doc said there was nothing to be concerned about and we can keep on trucking.

I did tell the doc I did not care to go back to EVMS (the scary docs) due to the fact I get more care from them (the regular guys) and they won't even be at the delivery so whats the point. The doc went on to say they go off of EVMS's suggestions and it would be wise for me to continue to see them...boo/blah/fine I'll make another appointment.

Other baby related shenighans I have started to get the "I don't know you but I am gonna give you advice anyway" random people talk. It always starts, "Oh, what are you having?" I simply smile, "A boy." Then it goes, "When are you due?" Again, I smile, "November 4th." Shocked looked, "You have so far to go and you're SO big! You sure there is just one in there?!" I raise an eyebrow, "Well we really don't have that long to go and yes there is just one in there!" [I start to walk away] "Well when I had my first child..." [And I stand there for however long their birth story takes to tell me, I make up an excuse to continue on my journey and move on]. I love birth stories but when its 105 degrees outside and I have 8 shopping bags in my arms...it's not the time. There have been many other incidents to boot including one where a lady told me I may go into labor because I was riding my bicycle...people are weird. Period the end.

Nursery update: Momma Donna is on a sewing warpath! The getting of the fabric on the other hand was a headache and FINALLY came in and we again had to change the selections but they still look pretty snazzy!

Can't wait to show the finally product come the end of September.

And because the 1st of September is right around the corner WE ARE MOVING!!!

And then walls will be painted, furniture will be delivered, wall decor will be hung.

Ah it's all coming together :)

Upcoming Events

August 30th: Next OB check [regular guys]

 September 13th: Ultrasound & OB check [regular guys]

September 18th: Baby Shower :)



Angie and the Real World

No I am not about to take the trek on one of MTV's tragic reality shows I am refering to now. The actual, true life events of life after higher education. How I imagined my dream job. How I imagined myself as a nurse. How imagined people's view of me as a nurse. And yadda, yadda, yadda, etc. So this is just an outpouring of my mind of random thoughts and quotes I have recieved during the last 7 weeks of my orientation process as a Registered Nurse.

* Nursing School does not prepare you well enough for the culture shock of being a "real nurse." And I seriously should have paid more attention during all the psych nursing lectures in schools; Mrs. King I highly apoligize for Facebooking during all your psych lectures from what I do remember though the information has been most helpful!

* Time Management is a skill I believe that is acquired at birth/conception/in-utero...you either have it or you don't...like its part of your DNA...if you don't have it your are pretty much set for failure as a nurse.

* Just because you are an older/wiser/more experienced nurse doesn't mean you "know it all" or should let "newer" nurses drown or verbally back-lash them for not knowing something...we all start at the bottom so just remember how you felt when you first started...

* I became a nurse because I wanted to help people and leave a positive impact on humanity. Some patients make that VERY DIFFICULT at times but there is a difference between being down right rude to a patient because of their actions and being firm about what behavior is acceptable. Most patients are "needy/bitchy" because they are scared and need a little care but isn't that why we became nurses in the first place; to care for people in their worst moments? Now in saying this I am not trying to be all high and mighty just read my next comments...

* I am not a pill pusher, I understand pain is a real thing but when you tell me your pain level is a 10 out of 10 and your laughing with your buddies while chowing down on a bucket of KFC it doesn't make me believe your case... and your doctors won't either.

* Family can be amazing in times of need they can also be annoying. I don't have the right to talk to family members about you. The wonderful law of HIPPA protects your rights so if you want your great-great aunt to know what is going on with you please don't tell her that if you don't answer your hospital room phone to call the nurses station to get information cause I'm sorry she isn't gonna get anything out of me.

* Family comment #2. If you are in the hospital because you are sick/injured it is not time to have a full on family re-union/college kegger/and everyone you have ever known jammed into your hospital room making a rukus; other people are sick/injured too. Be respectful to your fellow patients and your injuries. [Oh and don't tell your buddies to bring you alcohol...the ears of a nurse go far and wide]

* Doctors come at un-godly hour and are busy they have a lot of patients and if you questions for them making a list or letting your nurse know is the best way to go that way you get your answers :) [Also lying to the doctors about how you are abiding by his orders won't work; nurses document your actions...didn't know that did ya!]

SO being a nurse isn't all what I thought it would be, it's a lot more. I am enjoying the floor I work on. I really do enjoy being a nurse. I am learning and experiencing a lot of things I never thought I would. While every job has its ups and downs the overall feeling I get from a shift at the hospital is accomplishment. I try not to be "that nurse" who we all talk about in nursing school cause that would just be wrong!

Caution: Masterminds at Work...

Ah, yes! Project Nursery update!!!

Okie dokie so first adjustment in 'Project Nursery' we have a change in our crib choice and color:

Since our fabric theme is a bit of the darker side with bright accents I prefered a white crib to aid in the color balance. So speaking of fabrics here we go:



One



Two

 

Three



Ek, aren't they just ridciculously cute!!!! So, the scheme is as follows:

Fabric One: Fitted Crib Sheet

Fabric Two: Crib Bumper [will have teal accent piping and ties] & Inner pleat of the Crib Skirt

Fabric Three: Outer Pleat for Crib Skirt & accent material for curtains

Accents to get:

Round Brown Shag Rug

Shelves

Bookcase

Above the Bookcase Wall Shelf

Dresser

Paint:

Sherwin Williams Harmony

Eco-Friendly and pretty much odor-free [good for all you preggos that are getting ready to paint :)]



Color Palate

Midday 

Doesn't this just scream afternoon nap :)! I haven't decided if I want to just do an accent wall in this, 2 walls or the whole room...decisions decisions!



Well now our nursery is on its way...sort of we have to move first, come on September 1st, lol! :)

Other news:

* Appointment with the scary doctors today...hmmm

* First actual nursing shift on the 19th!!!!! [yay for being a big girl!]

*Glucose Test July 28th

I may make you cry

I know there is much to bring you all up to date on but it will have to wait because I must share this moment with you all.

I was just on my home from hanging out with my favorite little tyke Haylee and my bestie Nicole headed back towards the beach. The fireworks were going off at the beach and could be seen from the interstate. Add a bit of music and preggo nostalgia moment ensued. Livingston Taylor's "Somewhere over the Rainbow" had begun playing as I was driving towards the oh.so.pretty spectacular colors and shapes. I began to cry. Sweet little tears began rolling down my cheeks as they reached the little smile I had begun to display.

I had started thinking about all the wonders Jimmy and I are about to embark upon. I know we have roughly 3 months to go but I honestly couldn't help thinking about all the memories we will be making with our own baby. Seeing Jimmy hold his son for the first time. Wesley getting his first "Marley bath". Watching him grow and reach all of his milestones. It seemed like everything I had been worrying about and "over thinking" just went out the window and I began to feel calm and at ease of the fact that everything will work itself out. 

That is all for now. Just thought I'd share 

The Almighty Protector aka Big Brother aka THE MARLEY!!!!

Oh the Marley...

While we sometimes refer to our little furry bubs as the "cuddly puppy" here lately he has been quite cuddly and extra cute. As soon as two little lines showed up on the stick Marley has actually acted differently towards me and favored more of Jimmy's attention than mine. [sad momma bear!]

But the tides have changed my friends!

Marley used to sleep between me and Jimmy at night, now he sleeps just next to me and the edge of the bed.

His new favorite "hang out" spot is my lap cuddling right on up to Wesley :)

Just too cute isn't he!!!!!

This is picture makes me just giggle! He was laying on my legs with his head resting right where Wesley was currently kicking the crap out of me :) with his paws on each side of the expanding belly!!! Oh Marley pup you are so precious!

He is turning into great 'big brother' material. Even when I say the name Wesley to him he looks at me then goes darting around the room like he is looking for him [this actually may be because the in-laws dog's names are Rusty and Bentley with whom he has lots of playdates with but we will pretend he is looking for Wesley, mkay?!] 

I just hope that with all the toys that Marley has of his own he will not be going after Wesley's and for that fact Wesley's socks cause Marley sure does love Jimbo's socks!!!

You all think I take too many pics of the pup just wait for Wesley to arrive!!!!
While 18 weeks may seem like a lot to some people I have a feeling it is going to fly by!
That is it folk 18 weeks to go!

oh, oh, oh and I have a great "project dream nursery" update coming soon so stay tuned :)

1, 2, 3, 4, I declare WAR!!!!

So we are a split household when it comes to the great American game!!!! And while the NFL is still in Lockout mode the Kinane household has begun a "lockout" of its own!



Haha I love this picture!!! [ The Giants were SPANKING the Panthers]

So our little "war" has extended into Wesley's wardrobe and what Mommy will and will not allow her son to be seen in [ex: anything in Carolina Blue, with Panthers on it, or anything related to the Carolina Panthers] :) 

This also extends into the nursery!

While I would love to make Wesley's nursery into a New York Giants shrine we have ammicably decided on a theme:

Dinosaurs!

Hahaha how fitting right?!?!

Well since we didn't care for any of the dinosaur theme nursery.in.a.bag prints, we searched for a print we liked and would then need to find a seamstress to make a set for us. Let's face it folks I melt Pyrex when I cook I don't need to be anywhere near a sewing machine attempting to be the next Betty Crocker of the sewing world.



Cute, eh?!?!?!



So if anyone knows oh a handy dandy lady or gent who can create a nursery theme for us using this print that would be fabulous!!!!! 

1, 2, 3, bloggers unite!

The "war" theme kinda also relates to our last doctor appointment we had with the "regular drs". While in the end we all ended in a truce it seemed like as soon as I mentioned "birth plan" to my OB she went into defense mode by making the statement, "If you plan on giving birth in a bath we are NOT the practice for you." Well no shit! I know they are not a Midwifery Center and I know what to expect from a traditional hospital experience.While my response was not quite this rash it did go a little like this..."I know I won't be able to give a water birth and that is not what I am looking for. I am keeping my birth plan pretty small because I do believe the more you put in writing of what you want and expect the more things tend to go wrong and prevent what you are looking for. So I am keeping it simple. I do not want any medical interventions unless my life or my baby's life comes into play. I do not want a C-section, I do not want an episiotomity, I do not want an assisted delivery, I do want an induction, I want the option of pain control but only if I ask for it." Dr. G took a deep breath and said, "That makes perfect sense to me I will make sure your wishes are put into writing." We both withdrew our swords and I left the appointment feeling pretty accomplished. Yay!

So we have other lovely additions to the "list of stuff to buy":

The Baby Bullet

to make our own baby food.

Fisher Price Rock & Swing

way easier for Momma during night feedings

Avent Electronic Breast Pump

while I am trying to strictly breastfeed to allow Jimmy some bonding time and maybe a little "mommy time" for me

Avent Milk Storage System

freezer/fridge safe for storage and use for "Jimbo feeds"

Things to look forward to:

July 12th: Scary Dr's

July 27th: Regular Dr's/Glucose Test [not really looking forward to this]

August 10th: 28 week ultrasound

In other non-baby related/war related/football related news:

Big Girl job starts July 1st!!!!!



I'm a slacker with a hint of hidden nostalga...

Oh.me.oh.my I suck at life.

Ok well I don't really think I suck at life I just have no zero desire to do anything productive since my passing of the boards.

Oh yea.

I passed my nursing boards.

No big deal.

It was just that ridiculous little thing I have been studying for since graduation.

That thing that if I didn't pass would cause me to lose the position I have lined up with Sentara.

But all is well now cause I passed that pesky test and am officially:

Angie Kinane, R.N.

Nice ring to it, eh.

Now I get to work with this girl on a regular basis and we are gonna rule the night shift

 [..."I love the night life, I love to boogy"...hahaha I figure I'd get it stuck in your head too!]

Oh wait that's her dog...Sorry girl!

Ok so here she is!!

Christa and I have gone through the entire span of nursing school together and now get to work together, SO STOKED!!!!!

Now that you have met my P.I.C I will move onto other exciting news :)

New housing is upon our horizon. While we have been approved to rent at Ocean Pebbles. We have been informed of the possibility of actually purchasing a unit. While we aren't sure of the details and there are many things to really discover before charging down the "buying a house" road but I am really excited to see what our options will be. If it doesn't work out at least we have a back-up plan. But keep us in your thoughts and hope that this avenue becomes a possibility for us!

And now why you stalk lovingly watch for blog updates:

Baby Chat:

We are now 21 weeks [yay for being more than halfway!!]

Movement all the time and pretty sure I felt hiccups yesterday...so cool!

Dresses are my friend in this heat wave [you may not feel hot but I feel like Im constantly in a sauna]

The Gals are just dandy...ones bigger than the other and it kinda weirds me out but hey we all can't be symmetrical

I am becoming rather rotund [one of regulars at the restaurant called me this!!!] evidence of this was a fb post recently about no longer being able to see my own feet from a standing position...hmmm

I still haven't done belly pics yet...uh I know and I'm on it...remember NO desire!

But when the jimbo gets home I'll have him snap a few pics, mkay?!?! kay :)

Dinosaurs!!

It's a BOY!!!!

Introducing our:

Wesley Jackson Kinane

[well technically his man parts]

[ok here's our man!]

So I was wrong but I am blaming it on my mother's intuition not being quite kicked in yet but we got another 20 weeks to go so hopefully it'll make an appearance relatively soon!

Since we had our big ultrasound today we got to see our little guy for quite a bit but hey I'm def not complaining here!

He is coming in at a whopping 12 ounces with a strong heartbeat of 156.

They found him curled up like a little butter ball in.my.ribs!

Crazy kid!

After our lovely time with our "regular drs" we made the trip across the street for our appointment with the "scary drs" and I could have seriously cared less to go to this visit! After we waited for two & a half two two & a half hours we were finally seen and actually talked with the drs for 5 freaking minutes. Less than amused really don't want to go back. On the upside I had these lovely pics to occupy my mind...

Haha the last one just seriously reminds me of Skeletor!!

And because I have a serious shopping issue I just.had.to.buy.something!!!!

So we went to Target [I seriously should think about a part-time position there...] and bought a little jumper-thingy that made us both kinda chuckle!

After a much needed nap [getting them while I can!] we decided to hit the theater see a movie and actually go out on a date! Gotta say it was rather nice to spend some quality time with this man I call my husband. As we were waiting for our movie time to arrive we walked around the mall and noticed this little shop called Crazy 8 that of course had a sign stating they were having a "60% off sale" I headed right in went to the sale rack and found a pair of jeans, a beanie and an oh.so.cute onesie for less than $15!!!

This just got a lot cuter didn't it!

Now onto the list of things to do...

Changes.

A little glimpse into how my brain works, I have a running soundtrack going through my brain at all times. And when I came to write this post this song popped into my head;

OK. These changes we have decided/about to embark upon are not as depressing as Ozzie portrays but all in all they take on the same amount of emotional energy.

I know how you guys like LOVE when I break things up for you so here we go:

Change 1

Budget

Yeah we have to start doing one of those. We have been pretty much budget free since we moved in together. But with the bambino on the way [hey we are almost at the halfway mark here!] it's about time to focus on our spending habits. Yeah before my $100+ Target trips meant nothing to us now $100 can allot for something necessary versus another pair a flats, a few summer dresses and some dvd's [although $7 for a Harry Potter DVD is SOOOOO necessary!]

Now the budget leads to change #2 which I personally am so bummed about :(

Change 2

The Chair 

Remember this beauty:





This guy costs roughly $1000 total...and remember Change #1 now say goodbye to this guy and hello to the "back up plan"

I found these guys from a reccomendation of a fellow mommy-to-be.

Newco Taylor Classic Swivel Glider and Ottoman in Viva Beach.

From Babies.R.Us as a matter of fact which I tend to try and stay away from due to their "domination" of the baby product world.

But if Babies.R.Us can offer me something I want for half the price of another store [in which I don't have to drive to Richmond to get btw] I'm down!

Change 3

New Place

With our impending move coming up in September we have done some research on a place that has a certain list of requirements:

*2 Bedrooms

*2 Bathrooms [oh to have 2 Bathrooms...so excited!]

*Washer/Dryer

*Patio [so we can still grill!]

*Take Pets [can't forget about the Marley!]

*Reasonably priced [remember we are trying to save so we can BUY a house in the recent future] 

*Located close to the Oceanfront [it's hard to move away from the oceanfront once you've lived here]

And we have found it!

Welcome to Ocean Pebbles!!!

While we haven't actually been approved yet we do have a meeting with the leasing agent on Saturday; fingers crossed!!!



So all in all pretty great changes eh?!?! See not as depressing as Ozzy puts it I think!!!

Awesome end note: 5 days til we find out pink or blue!!!!!

So he really does listen!

I would first like to say how proud PROUD I am of my husband. I know most of the time I put Jimmy's flaws on blast [bad wife I know, working on it...]. Ok ok ok so why am I a super proud wife/momma-to-be, well here's the scoop...

I came home one fate-filled evening from work to get my fill of Facebook drama and as I open the laptop to start my stalking adventure the web browser was already opened to this:

Ok so what is this thing you may ask. It is an electronic cigarette. This is a HUGE thing!

Jimmy has smoked since he was 15 and has never even had the inkling to quit. Well we had decided that once I got pregnant he was to quit [as most pregnant wives make their husbands do]. It's not good for me, for the babe and it is just time for him to give the habit a good fine kick.in.the.bum.

So you somke the thing like a regular cigarette but it does not emit harmful smoke/carcinogens/nasty puke.endusing odor and it still gives the smoker the nicotine they get from a regular cigarette. Well the whole point of this thing for Jimmy is to eventually [and hopefully finally] nix his need for nicotine. So for those who are using it for quiting purposes you can actually replace the twist.off.top.cartridge.thingy with a lower level nicotine twist.off.top.cartridge.thingy and [high point here!] they even make a 0 level nicotine cartridge for those who like the taste of a cigarette without any actual nicotine. Ah SOCRE!!!

So more about why I am proud is that he chose to do the research on his own and finding a method that will work for him! So proud of you babe!

A Two for One

So while I am supposed to be studying for NCLEX I figured I would distract myself some more from studying and do a baby update; yay pop tart! I know I left everyone in a state of kind of shock.and.awe after my last baby posting (sorry guys my bad!)
While we still don’t own a single baby item we have made some head way and have actually agreed; hear that folks 2 adults came to an actual agreement about what they want without pulling a Homer Simpson moment with their spouse….

Hahaha I’m so funny!

Our First decision:
Cloth Diapers

Yes, you have to deal with the “mess”
Yes, it can be a little inconvenient
But…
It’s cheaper
It’s better for the environment [I can hear you calling me a hippie Nicole!]
It’s better for babies bum
And hey it’s just poop after all

After a bit of research I’m pretty much sold on the Econobum set. Buying in kits seem to save the green.

Now for when away at Grandma’s or at daycare [I am already dreading that day to come…] the smart people at Grovia came up with disposable/flushable/biodiograble/chemical-free/dye-free/plastic-free inserts! How nifty!



Still pretty cost-friendly and the babe won’t know the difference!

Our Second decision:
Stroller


The Chicco Cortina Keyfit 30 Carrier and Stroller System.
Isn’t it just fabulous.
Gender neutral [for re-usable purposes…we are such smart parents]
While I was pretty against the “travel system” from the get go this set I don’t really mind.
I know every stroller has its positives and negatives but this is the decision we came up with and it fits within out budget [as I’m finding my chair is not…insert pouty face here]
Which reminds me! Funniest stroller related advice to date was from my father-in-law who reminded us, “just don’t forget to put the stroller in the trunk before you start backing up the car!”
Ha! That is totally something I would do and Jimmy was quick to state such.

So when the babe is big enough to support his/herself we have settled on this little gem!


Ah a little relief to soothe mommas heart!

Our Third Decision (you didn't think there was a third did you?!?)
Crib

We really didn't care to get a 4-in-1/3-in-1 any kind of in-1 crib for as a matter of fact. Reason being most of friends with kids have said as soon as their babes were ready for a toddler bed the crib that is supposed to convert into their toddler bed is too small for them and end up having the purchase a "big-kid" bed anyway.

So Jimbo and I agreed we would look for a reasonable priced non-convertable crib set.
And I will give Jimmy credit as he was the one who discovered "THE" crib.


I like all the progree we are making, slowly but it's happening!

Things:
*Lots of baby movement! Jimmy finally felt the babe the other night and his face completely lit up when it happened!
*Things are getting tighter...broke down and bought maternity capri's, jean shorts, and a jean skirt :)
*Emotionally stable [currently :)]
*Skin is still dry as all get out but I'm dealing with it as best as possible
*"The Girls"...I feel a growth spurt coming

Things on the horizon:
*20 week ultrasound next Tuesday
*Looking at apartments for our big move come September [keep your calanders open!]
*Some belly pics. I don't know why I'm not a fan on them but I guess it's time to start documenting my growth! :)

Graduation Domination

The long awaited Graduation post!
(HUGE! Smile inserted here)
So after many, many years, various bad choices, life’s interruptions we have come to this point…

At the...

My cousin, Greg came from Australia and my brother and his family came from Florida and it truly meant the world to me that they were there(tear!)The rest of my family also attended and two awesome friends who I consider family!

So here we go a little photo montage for you...

(Quite classic I think.)

(This not so much but I was STARVING!)

(Getting nervous waiting to walk.)

(YAY!)

(Yep! It's real...I checked!!)

(HAHA! Being silly!)

(Couldn't have done it without him!)

(Two of the most important men in my life!!!)

(I love these guys so much! [Look at my sis-in-laws little baby bump...I love it!!])

(The FAM!)

(MY Bestie...Nicole you'll be walking across that stage before you know it!!! I'm so proud of you already!)

(Mimi my love...so happy she was there!)

Without the support of my family and friends (several of who couldn't make it to my graduation ceremony) finishing Nursing School would have been near impossible.

So not only have I graduated but I do have a job lined up pending my passing of NCLEX (the boards nurses have to take to be licensed to practice).