[little] rachael brown kincaid, RN.

my pregnancy journal...

rachaelkincaid@gmail.com — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 14:14:18 GMT

www.rachaelkincaid.blogspot.com

rachaelkincaid@gmail.com — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 10:52:44 GMT

rachaelkincaid@gmail.com — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:56:30 GMT

After meeting with 2 different banking center managers, our funds will not be returned.
We withdrew what little money we had and went to Wachovia. I know it's another corporate giant, but I grew up banking there and never had any problems. The man that opened our account was awesome, and we ended up discovering mutual friends.

In other news, I'm 20 weeks today - halfway to Ames' birth, unless he decides to change things up!

In other other news, I passed the NCLEX! I'm a freakin' Registered Nurse! It blows my mind. Been such a long time coming.

To add to my Bank of America drama:

rachaelkincaid@gmail.com — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 22:29:35 GMT

Did you know post-dated checks are not valid? I wrote a check to my midwife for a pretty handsome sum, to be cashed on June 15. She deposited it early, though, and my account overdrafted. Apparently, checks are only agreements between the payee and the payer, and the bank is not responsible for checking the date.

I accrued 13 overdraft fees in less than 12 hours. That's $455, and Bank of America wouldn't refund it to me, even when my midwife went straight to the bank and reversed the check. I also found out that BofA recently doubled the amount of overdrafted items in a 24-hour period. They used to cap it at 5. Now, with the economy doing SO well, they cap it at 10, and hold the rest until the following day and charge you for those. That's how I scored 13 of those bad boys.

That's basically my whole first paycheck at my new job, going right out the window.
I was so distraught earlier I couldn't stand up. Then I realized, hey, I can't do anything else about it.
I spoke with people on the phone, online, and face-to-face.
Apparently, if you work for a huge corporation, you have no autonomy or power whatsoever. It's sad.

We are for sure switching banks now.

That, and I took my freakin' NCLEX today. There was a last-minute appointment available and I jumped on it.
I find out Friday if I passed. I didn't even tell anyone I took it.

rachaelkincaid@gmail.com — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:34:21 GMT

I started a new job yesterday... at the Charlotte Athletic Club, uptown in the BOA building.
I'll be doing member services stuff, mostly at the front desk. The cool thing is the hours. 5am-1pm.
So I'm full-time, while still having half of the day left for the kids, etc. This is huge for my family.
I also get a membership, which includes classes...this week it's yoga, spin cycling, krav maga, and pilates.

The nursing hiring freeze is still in effect. I am signing up for the NCLEX as soon as I get my confirmation email.
Hopefully, I'll be a licensed RN by the end of the month, which is an accomplishment, regardless of the job situation.
I did get an offer to be the camp nurse @ Lurecrest for a week - my old camp! So if I get licensed in time, that would rule.

We are all settled in to our new house, minus the boxes that will probably not be unpacked for years.
Nothing's on the walls, either...but bedrooms are painted, clothes are in dressers, and vegetables are growing.

I'm almost 19 weeks pregnant with AMES EMMANUEL KINCAID.
Ames is my grandfather's middle name, and Emmanuel means "God is with us."
There's an interesting story involving that name, the farmer's market, a precious black boy, Chris, and Bojangles.
The pregnancy was only a "surprise" in the sense that we didn't think it would "work" so quickly...haha.
My nausea has subsided significantly, but my belly button is starting to poke out.
His nursery is an electric avocado color, called "City Chartreuse." We're using my old crib and dresser.
My homebirth plans are coming along without a hitch. My midwife comes to my house for the prenatal visits, which is nice.

I guess that's about it! Just feeling content and ready for what the summer has to offer.

rachaelkincaid@gmail.com — Sun, 24 May 2009 12:05:12 GMT

UPDATES:

1 - I'm 17 weeks pregnant with a little boy! Facebook for pictures.
2 - I graduated nursing school! Facebook for pictures.
3 - I just returned from a cruise to Bermuda with family! Facebook for pictures.

rachaelkincaid@gmail.com — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 02:46:30 GMT

We found a house! We move May 1. It's in Regent Park (near Carowinds/Morningstar), in Fort Mill.
It's nothing like we pictured/planned...but it was a perfect opportunity, and we are thankful!

Now onto business...we're going on a cruise in May, right after my graduation.
Is anyone interested in making a little cash and staying at our house/taking care of the dogs for a week?

It'd be pretty easy, so holler if you're interested!

Loyal Panthers Fan/Bank of America Customer Switches to Wachovia...

rachaelkincaid@gmail.com — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 21:05:20 GMT

Chris & I are taking our money to Wachovia first thing Monday morning.
Apparently, we overdrafted multiple times throughout the week, and we were charged $35 per incidence.

1)Our online banking/statements show that we never even got close to a zero balance.
2)We were supposed to have overdraft protection.
3)We've never overdrafted before.

Despite these 3 key points, and speaking with countless representatives, our $140 worth of fees is non-negotiable, and we are supposed to learn from our "mistakes."

My parents and I always banked with Wachovia. I only switched to BOA for Chris, some referral cash, and our Panthers' check cards/checks. Back to the W it is...

still boycotting my paper journal...

rachaelkincaid@gmail.com — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 23:36:15 GMT

just now, i told lucas & avery to get ready for bath time...

lucas asked, "may i bathe myself?"

bittersweet milestone moment.

p.s. look what christopher did to avery's stuffed dog after delilah got ahold of it...
this is my scrap fabric/buttons from my failed attempt @ fashion design school.

rachaelkincaid@gmail.com — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 01:45:49 GMT

hey, girls...i bought a divacup and i'm pretty stoked about it.
better for your body, better for the environment, and more convenient!
check out menstrual_cups for more information.

there have been quite a few changes in the kincaid house...
so if you're into natural & environmentally-conscious living, holler at me!
i'm all about getting tips and sharing what little i've learned.

i haven't been updating because i'm too busy reading naturalfamily and naturalliving

rachaelkincaid@gmail.com — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 03:40:04 GMT

Christopher and I always knew we wanted more than one dog. The day after we took Samson home, Chris bemoaned the fact that we didn't get one of his siblings as well. Every time we take Samson to the dog park, we realize how much he needs a playmate. Over the last few months, we've had two or three adoption opportunities fall through.

I've always wanted a pit bull, and Chris likes American bulldogs. We agreed upon a bully breed, but having two small boys and another dog could make for a dangerous situation. We committed to adopting one, though, and not buying one from a breeder. So we knew we'd have to be patient and wait for the perfect pup.

On the way out of Asheville today, we stopped at the Humane Society, as we always do. It wasn't open for another hour, though, so we traveled on. We ended up spending a lot more time in downtown Asheville than planned, so we figured we might as well head back over to the Humane Society before leaving town.

As we pulled in, a volunteer was walking a stout little pup, part white and part brindle. I love white dogs, and Chris loves brindle markings. I remember making some comment about how that was the perfect color combination for us. As we got closer to her, I realized she was actually a mix of breeds we both love - part bulldog, part pit bull! She just stood there and looked at us. We both tried not to get excited, as we knew nothing about her. The lady walking her went on and on about how gentle and sweet she was, and that we should go inside and ask about her.

We filled out the required survey and brought Samson to meet her in a play area. They sniffed each other, played for a minute, and then spent most of the time sniffing around separately. We learned she was brought in by a man who found her. He'd had her spayed, micro-chipped, and vaccinated. But he couldn't keep her, due to an upcoming move. In the play area, she sat upon command, and she let the boys tug all over her face. The staff told us she'd passed her tolerance tests with flying colors - no people/dog/food aggression. Two different employees told us they planned on adopting her if nobody else did. When one lady found out we were planning on getting her, she gave me her email address so I'd send her pictures.

After a quick interview and some more paperwork, Delilah became a Kincaid! She rode the whole way home on the boys' laps, snoozing and giving kisses. Samson gave her the seat, and he slept on the floorboard. Such a gentleman. She's very quiet and laidback, and so far she hasn't done much more than cuddle. She's 55 pounds, though, so she's a heavy snugglebug.

We're so happy. It's another one of those stories about God's faithfulness.
Our family seems to be full of those.

Oh, and we just found out Samson is part-Catahoula Leopard dog, after all these months!
Crazy. It makes sense though...his markings, his temperament, etc.
It makes me laugh to remember those walks in Freedom Park, when people stopped and asked
us what kind of dog Samson was. Chris always said, "He's actually a leopard."

i done got hitched...

rachaelkincaid@gmail.com — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 04:28:00 GMT

more pictures, eventually...this is all i have right now.
i took it from peter (unedited) and threw it in iphoto.
anyway, here is my new dress, and i had the best day ever wearing it!

rachaelkincaid@gmail.com — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:36:13 GMT

3 days.

i've neglected my (real) journal semi-on-purpose, because i'm so overwhelmed.
it's all swimming around in my head and my heart, but i don't know which parts to write down.
i can't believe it's finally here, after almost 4 years. goodness, gracious.

in other news, my mom is about to be an instant-grandmother.
we're trying to come up with a name for her, because the boys keep calling her "Granny B" and she hates it, haha.

- boo (she's been called this all her life)
- bird (she's been called this all her life)
- yaya (greek grandmother name...we're not greek, but it's cute)

vote and don't make fun?

tomorrow:
0900 exam
1100 exam
1200 mani/pedi with bridesmaids
1400 lunch
2000 bachelorette party

let the brown-kincaid wedding weekend begin.

rachaelkincaid@gmail.com — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 01:22:46 GMT

don't forget, 25% off and free shipping today on vans.com

code = THXINSTOCK08

rachaelkincaid@gmail.com — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 21:55:29 GMT

i found a dress today! i can't believe it, i'm 3 weeks out and just now figuring out what i'm wearing.

and it looks NOTHING like my old one, or anything i've ever liked... so it feels like a whole new wedding, haha.
it made my mom cry, so i guess it looks pretty okay! i think it's really pretty.

scott noble @ noble brides in pineville gave me a great deal on a dress off-the-rack, since it's too late to order one.
he also took my mom and i to an alterations place that can have it done by the end of the week! praise God!

my dad is sending bryan a letter and invoice for the girls' deposit money and the cost of my dress.
however, we're not going to deal with it until after the wedding.

so the next 3 weeks should be an exciting and stress-free time, from here on out!

rachaelkincaid@gmail.com — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 22:21:05 GMT

i am getting married in 22 days and i don't know what i'm wearing.

long story short:
bryan apparently won the bid for michelle obama's inauguration dress,
packed up and moved to chicago, turned off his phone, and didn't return my dress.
he has all 6 bridesmaids' dresses, as well.

everyone else seems a lot more concerned than i, but today my mom whipped me into a frenzy and took me to try on dresses.
since the first one i got was dirt cheap, we have a tiny bit more to spend if needed.
the shop owner told me to file a police report and take him to small claims court. goodness.

i just want to get married and look decent while i do it.

rachaelkincaid@gmail.com — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 22:25:42 GMT

christopher kincaid, "and winter"

check out the christmas music!

look at my beautiful boys!!

rachaelkincaid@gmail.com — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 02:58:57 GMT

social issues <--> moral issues...

rachaelkincaid@gmail.com — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:10:20 GMT

i found this super interesting...

by Dr. Glen Harold Stassen
I am a Christian ethicist, and trained in statistical analysis. I am consistently pro-life. My son David is one witness. For my family, "pro-life" is personal. My wife caught rubella in the eighth week of her pregnancy. We decided not to terminate, to love and raise our baby. David is legally blind and severely handicapped; he also is a blessing to us and to the world.

I look at the fruits of political policies more than words. I analyzed the data on abortion during the George W. Bush presidency. There is no single source for this information - federal reports go only to 2000, and many states do not report - but I found enough data to identify trends. My findings are counterintuitive and disturbing.

Abortion was decreasing. When President Bush took office, the nation's abortion rates were at a 24-year low, after a 17.4% decline during the 1990s. This was an average decrease of 1.7% per year, mostly during the latter part of the decade. (This data comes from Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life using the Guttmacher Institute's studies).

Enter George W. Bush in 2001. One would expect the abortion rate to continue its consistent course downward, if not plunge. Instead, the opposite happened.

I found three states that have posted multi-year statistics through 2003, and abortion rates have risen in all three: Kentucky's increased by 3.2% from 2000 to 2003. Michigan's increased by 11.3% from 2000 to 2003. Pennsylvania's increased by 1.9% from 1999 to 2002. I found 13 additional states that reported statistics for 2001 and 2002. Eight states saw an increase in abortion rates (14.6% average increase), and five saw a decrease (4.3% average decrease).

Under President Bush, the decade-long trend of declining abortion rates appears to have reversed. Given the trends of the 1990s, 52,000 more abortions occurred in the United States in 2002 than would have been expected before this change of direction.

How could this be? I see three contributing factors:

First, two thirds of women who abort say they cannot afford a child (Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life Web site). In the past three years, unemployment rates increased half again. Not since Hoover had there been a net loss of jobs during a presidency until the current administration. Average real incomes decreased, and for seven years the minimum wage has not been raised to match inflation. With less income, many prospective mothers fear another mouth to feed.

Second, half of all women who abort say they do not have a reliable mate (Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life). Men who are jobless usually do not marry. Only three of the 16 states had more marriages in 2002 than in 2001, and in those states abortion rates decreased. In the 16 states overall, there were 16,392 fewer marriages than the year before, and 7,869 more abortions. As male unemployment increases, marriages fall and abortion rises.

Third, women worry about health care for themselves and their children. Since 5.2 million more people have no health insurance now than before this presidency - with women of childbearing age overrepresented in those 5.2 million - abortion increases.

The U.S. Catholic Bishops warned of this likely outcome if support for families with children was cut back. My wife and I know - as does my son David - that doctors, nurses, hospitals, medical insurance, special schooling, and parental employment are crucial for a special child. David attended the Kentucky School for the Blind, as well as several schools for children with cerebral palsy and other disabilities. He was mainstreamed in public schools as well. We have two other sons and five grandchildren, and we know that every mother, father, and child needs public and family support.

What does this tell us? Economic policy and abortion are not separate issues; they form one moral imperative. Rhetoric is hollow, mere tinkling brass, without health care, health insurance, jobs, child care, and a living wage. Pro-life in deed, not merely in word, means we need policies that provide jobs and health insurance and support for prospective mothers.

Glen Stassen is the Lewis B. Smedes Professor of Christian Ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary, and the co-author of Kingdom Ethics: Following Jesus in Contemporary Context, Christianity Today's Book of the Year in theology or ethics.

rachaelkincaid@gmail.com — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 02:09:03 GMT

due to the 70% chance of rain all over NC, SC, GA, & TN this weekend, our camping trip has been threatened.

if anyone has a mountain house or knows someone with one, i'd love to get in touch with you!
i'll pay and sign a rental contract, and half of the attending persons are pregnant... so we can't get into too much trouble!

chris worked like 12 days straight to get off for this weekend. he'll be so bummed if we can't go somewhere.

rachaelkincaid@gmail.com — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 12:54:00 GMT

best friday ever...

- hair appointment (haven't had anything professional done in almost 2 years)
- rusan's with maddie (face-stuffing, soul-stuffing)
- hodges farm with the boys (punkin picking)

oh, and chris wrote this on my facebook wall just now...
"gah... cannot wait to be with you and the little loves today!! you fill me up.
you excite me. you make my world revolve and stand still at the same time.
you are stunning, dear one. see you soon."

rachaelkincaid@gmail.com — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 23:52:04 GMT

anyone wanna babysit my kids saturday, 5-8pm?

rachaelkincaid@gmail.com — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 01:23:52 GMT

so i joined charlotte mommies, which has been super fun.
i follow several forums, one of which is called, "natural living/attachment parenting."

i've become familiar with cloth diapers over the last few years, but today i was introduced to a new idea: FAMILY CLOTH.
it's basically making your own toilet paper... you keep two closed receptacles near your toilet, one for clean cloths, one for dirty.
you can also keep a spray bottle (with a scented water, lavender, etc) to wet down the cloth before/after you use it.
this cuts down on smell. then you do a laundry load a few times a week. and voila - you've eliminated toilet paper use!

+ family cloth
+ possibly scrubbing in for rob's operation next week
+ obtaining email address/cell number for the nurse manager of the unit i want to work on

= great day!!

rachaelkincaid@gmail.com — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:59:31 GMT

yesterday, chris said it was a teacher workday, so the boys didn't go to school...
grandma took them to chuck e. cheese, and they had a blast.
they got home, and i went through their bookbags to prepare them for today.
i kept seeing, "no school tuesday sept30!" all over the handouts and agendas.

HOLY COW. CHRIS GOT THE DAYS MIXED UP AND KEPT THEM HOME ON THE WRONG DAY.
hahaha. so they had a 4 day weekend!

okay, this is for those who eat fast food... you know who you are.
it is my food weakness. i don't like cake or chocolate or any of that.
i like hot, salty french fries. and i love mcdonald's fries.
why does everyone say, "ewww mcdonald's" when i mention it?
i don't get it. their fries are amazing! i'm not ashamed!
and a large sweet tea for a dollar? goodness, me.

rachaelkincaid@gmail.com — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:43:01 GMT

i've been doing a terrible job of keeping up with my prayer journal/diary...

i wanted to document this, so that i wouldn't forget it.

lucas has been bossing avery around a lot lately. he's been a little nasty to him.
yesterday, chris sent them upstairs to clean their rooms.

he could hear lucas telling avery what to do, but in a nicer voice.
for example, "let's go downstairs and get all of our toys to put away up here."

when chris made it upstairs later to check on their progress, he found they had made his bed!
a piece of green construction paper, folded like an envelope, sat on his comforter. inside it read,

"Deardad
I love you. Thank you for takeing kare of me and avery and feading me. I am thankfole.

Love Lucas and avery"