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).