BABY BOY CLINE IS DUE TO ARRIVE...

Well.  Here we are.  The due date that I never thought I would make it to.  I am really trying to be positive so I will start with a few good things about making it to your due date (then we will get to the funny stuff):

*I really feel surrounded by lots of prayers and encouragement from friends and family. 

*The Lord is FOR SURE refining me and teaching me patience, to trust Him and His timing, and to put my circumstances in perspective in light of eternity and what really matters.

*Easter came at a good time to remind me that my time of "suffering" is nothing compared to what Christ endured on the cross and has made me even more thankful for the freedom and salvation I have through Him.

*My schedule is completely open so I have more free time than normal and have been able to get lots of little projects done.

*I have been reminded of what an amazing husband that I have.  He has worked so hard to keep up with his own responsibilities and still deal with the extra work of helping more with housework, chasing around Haven, and dealing with my crazy emotions!

*A little extra family time.  Again with having less on the schedule as well as having given over some of our responsibilities at church (Adam is taking a short break from running sound and I am taking a break from overseeing the nursery) we have been able to have a lot more family time! 

*I have really cherished every moment that I have with Haven and tried to do some special things with her.  It will be great for her to be a big sister but I am sure the transition will not come with out some hard moments. 

*Finally, I have soooo much to look forward to!  After the scary labor and delivery part, that is! :)  I keep looking forward to meeting my son, to having a few days in the hospital with my husband right by my side, and to having a week at home together as a family. 

Now to share a little bit of the more "interesting" side of making it to your due date.  People seriously say funny and weird things.  Sometimes I just want to look at people and say, "Really?" 

*I have done a lot of "mall walking" lately in hopes of helping move things along.  Obviously not working out so well for me.  I might take the "sit on your butt and do nothing" approach this week.  Ha!  Anyway, it is very interesting the looks you get.  What's even more fun is when you mall walk with your friend who is also 9 months pregnant.  We got a lot of sympathy smiles, wide eyes, and interesting stares.  The same friend also shared that she had been walking in the mall with her husband a few days before she delivered (yes, she already had her baby despite being due 2 weeks after me...) and someone seriously started quacking at her.  OMG!

*Not only do you deal with the stares but the random stranger comments are funny too.  People think they are discreet but I have heard it all.  I love when you walk through Culvers and see someone look at her husband and say "basketball!"  I mean, I know that COULD be taken sort of as a compliment BUT seriously stop analyzing my body and AT LEAST wait til I can't hear you!  I've also heard "about to pop," "due any day," not to mention the occasional "OH!" when someone looks down at my belly apparently after not initially realizing that I was pregnant.

*My brother-in-law innocently and seriously asked me "So, like, how much do you weigh now?"  HAHAHA

*So, I tried to dress up nice for Easter service at my parents church and wore a dress and leggings.  It must have been a bad choice b/c someone looked me up and down and said, "WOAH!"  I replied by saying, "Hey! Be nice!"  And she then responded by saying, "Seriously, WOAH!" 

*Someone said that I better bring a pee pad when I come to their house for in case my water breaks.  Like I don't already feel like a freak show walking around.  Now I need to take a "pee pad" everywhere I go!

*Another person recently asked me when I was due.  I said, "2 days."  He said, "Oh my.  Then I won't touch you!" 

What?  Do I have some sort of disease?

*Of course you get the "You're still here?"  or "Why are you here" all the time.  Do you think I know why I am here?  Obviously my choice would be to NOT be here.

Feel free to share your funny experiences!

Pregnancy Update & Pics of Baby Brother's Room!

With only 5 days left until my due date we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of BBC (Baby Brother Cline).  I have been dilated to 3 & 75% effaced for 3 weeks now.  I have also had constant contractions ranging from a couple an hour to every 3-5 minutes at times for about 3 weeks now.  Two times we have been packed and ready to go to the hospital only for my contractions to suddenly slow down after being close together for 2 or 3 hours.  I have been a little frustrated...ok, a lot frustrated and have just so felt so unsure of when  it is the "real deal." 

So yesterday at my appointment when my doctor gave me the option of an "Elective Induction" at the end of this week I found it almost too tempting to pass up.  However, after prayer and discussion with Adam, family, and friends we have decided to not be induced until it is more of a doctor recommendation rather than just us choosing to be induced early b/c we feel like it.  Our prayer is that I would still have the baby naturally by this weekend b/c my sister, brother-in-law, and grandparents will all be here from out of town for Easter.  BUT we trust that the Lord's timing is best and we definitely the well-being of our son to come first. 

So enough of that. Here are pictures of BBC's room. I have worked hard to make it fun and boyish on a tight budget.  It has been really fun to hand make many of the things in his room. I love it!

 I got the crib blanket on clearance at target and ordered the crib skirt online to match.  I found the blue sheet on clearance as well. 

I found the blue rug on clearance, the table lamp and star picture frame at a second hand store, painted the green star, and re-used the canvas tote and "bebe" letters from Haven's room.  My mom and I made the curtains and I made the triangle pennant banner on my own (I'm a little proud of that one!).  We bought the dresser used from a co-worker of mine shortly after we got married.  We still plan to paint the nightstand white to tie in with the crib and the changing table.  Oh yeah and we re-used the glider from Haven's room which my brother-in-law had found on the side of the road right before Haven was born.

Here is a close up of the curtains and banner.  The ribbons have stars on them which I think are so cute.

I found the changing pad cover on clearance, re-used the totes and added little tags, found the sign at Hobby Lobby, and made the stars by mod-podging fabric onto foamboard.

Here are the rocket and stars that are above the crib.  Also mod-podged these.

Chunk-A-Monk is forgiven! :)

The first thing Haven said to me this morning was, "Jesus prayed for Chunk-A-Monk's sins!"

I think she meant that Jesus "died" for Chunk-A-Monk's sins as we have been talking about how Jesus died on the cross for everyone's sins.  It's so precious to see a 2 year-old's perspective of Easter! 

Haven and her beloved Chunk-A-Monk:

Wee love Wee Worship!

Something that Haven and I look forward to each week is Wee Worship!  It is such a great time for Haven to do two of her favorite things (Sing and Dance!), play with her friends, and for me to get to chat with other moms! 

Here are a few fun videos!

Good Morning Havee Bells!

Haven is so silly! 

She does a great job of staying in her bed until I come in to get her in the morning.  However, there are times when she is yelling "Mommy!" very loudly!  Well this particular morning she was yelling, "Mommy Renee Cline!"  (Renee is my middle name) 

She is such a joy!

Some March Pictures

Some Random Pictures:

Haven "graduated" from Water Babies 2 at the Y this month.  She is soooo ready for real swimming lessons!  I am very excited to find something for her this summer.  Here are a few pics from her last lesson:

Haven got invited to a super fun birthday party for her friend Kenzie at The Playground for Kids in Ankeny which is a place that has a ton of inflatables and fun playground equipment. 

This is what happens when you try to get a bunch of 2-4 year olds to take a pictures.  Hilarious!

St. Patrick's Day!

My family loves St. Patrick's Day b/c we are IRISH!  Haven and I get really into it and Adam plays along b/c he is a good husband!  :)  This year we went to the St. Patrick's Day Parade downtown.  My friend Steph, her daughter Kamryn, and the kids she babysits came with.   It was pretty fun but got really long with a bunch of toddlers.  We were bummed that we didn't get to stay long enough to see "Uncle Cass" (my brother) on the DSM Daily float.  Adam was excellent at collecting beads for the kids (and me...hehe) with his freaky long arms!  SO fun!

They are my favorite!

Crazy kids.

The Clines (including baby boy Cline.....who MAY just end up with an IRISH name! :)