Dreaming

It's still so funny to me that I'm a Mom of a newborn again. I knew from the day we had Avery that we would have another kid, I just wasn't sure when. Now all of the sudden after four years of wondering when the time would be right it's done. I have Anders and my family is complete. Such an odd feeling to be done. A good feeling but an odd one. We spend our whole lives wondering what we were going to be when we grew up or what our family would be like and all of the sudden I'm here and it's done. That's not to say there won't be many more surprises in my life and now I can dream about the day the kids start school or the day they get married, have children.... but the days of dreaming about what my family would be are over. In a way it is a reassuring feeling, like I've completed a major accomplishment in my life and I'm happy about that. There is another part of me, however, that is a little sad that all the dreams have become realities and the fact is I'm not so young anymore. Would I ever go back to dreaming though, I don't think so, this reality I live is pretty great. How lucky I am to have found a great man to marry and have to wonderful healthy children. So now I daydream about where we'll end up next summer. That is my new reality. I am very anxious to know where I am going to spend the next years of my life and where I get to send my children to school and where I get to buy a home. It is a very exciting time in the Kline family with many uncertainties coming in the next year. So I guess there is always something to dream about and maybe it's a good thing that the dream of my family is complete to I can focus on dreaming about our next destination. One dream at a time...

Random Anders pics

Anders changes each day and it's so cool to watch this little person evolve. I won't say he's an easy baby but he is adorable and when he's happy he's really really happy. His smiles are the best and this past week or so he has started to laugh although he's a little stingy with the laughs. He's starting to grab things with, with a lot of concentration which means soon Mom won't be able to wear any jewelry ;) The nights are still rough as he has silent reflux that wakes him often. We are trying him on Zantac and it seems to be working, however, he still wakes between 3 and 5 times a night. Needless to say, Mom is tired. I try to remind myself that he is only this little for such a short period and that I will miss this stage which helps a little with the sleep deprivation. I've learned to just take things a day at a time, no expectations on how my nights are going to be and so far this is working. I'm super excited to bring him back to Great Falls in a month to meet everyone and I'm trying not to think about the 24 hour plane trip to get there. It will be so nice to dump the munchkins on the Grandparents and have some time to ourselves! But honestly I am loving being a second time Mom and I'm so glad we invited this little man into our family!found my hand!

Found my thumb.

While attempting to take his passport photo we got a few great pics!
This one made the passport.


Tummy time. He is getting a lot stronger and can roll over both ways from his belly.
My awesome Halloween outfit ;)
My adorable Norwegian baby hat. Avery gave Anders duck to keep him company.

Oslo

In order to register Anders birth, get his social security number and passport, we had to travel to the US embassy in Oslo. Oslo was a cool city, expensive but cool. We flew over Thurs afternoon and flew back Fri afternoon so it was a quick trip but we managed to see a lotof down town Oslo.TGI Fridays were we ate Thurs night and paid three times what we would have paid in the States but it was worth it.

Waiting for our flight.
Ave's Norwegian sweater she picked up for 100 kr which is cheap about $17.
Outside the main train depot. We had the best Indian food in there.

The express train to the airport.
On the plane. Anders did pretty well. He had a freak out while waiting to get off the plane in Trondheim but since we were back it wasn't that big of a deal. We made it to the embassy and that went really smoothly. It is funny how ugly the embassy is, it looks like a prison. It only took us about 15 min to get everything turned in. What a relief to have that all done. Yesterday his birth certificate and passport came in the mail!! It was great to get out of town and see more of Norway. I really would like to see Olso again when I had more time.

Averyisms

Avery really likes Anders. She says he's the cutest baby in the whole world! When he gets cranky, however, she says that Anders is totally on edge. She also told me that when Anders grows up and becomes a Dad she's going to marry him.
This is her army. The other night when Jeff was going upstairs he discovered this scene. The next day Ave told us they were to keep the monsters away. The "army" was also watching TV when I came downstairs the next morning.
This is our family. Jeff and I are drinking coffee.

Avery told me something the other day and when I asked her how she knew it she told me, "I just know things cause I'm a scientist rock star."

The other day she was running around saying may nate, may nate then she said, "Mom when a plane falls out of the sky you say may nate may nate."

Mom reminded me of this one. Avery asked if she could have a dog next time we moved. I told her no we have cats and that she could pick out a new kitten. She said maybe we can get a cat that looks like a dog.

Ninjer or Fief

This is my new hat. When I put it on I instantly turn into a Ninjer or a Fief (Ninja, Thief). Somedays I wear it for hours!

Snail Hunting

While on a walk yesterday Avery came across a snail and decided to bring it home. She likes to build snail houses out of leaves and put the little guys int he grass. This one was particularly cute so I snapped a couple of pictures. The home Avery finally choose for him.
She said that these are his eyes like Gary has on Sponge Bob.

More Anders

Happy boy!

Playdate with YIT!

On facebook I am a member of YIT or Yanks in Trondheim. It is a group of Americans that live in our town. Many of the members have kids so last week one of the members decided to schedule a playdate at a park called Nedre Lierfossen. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful park. We met some great people and decided to make this playdate an ongoing event. It was so great to talk with other Americans and wonderful for Avery to get to play with other English speaking children. It was also really cool to hear the stories of how other Americans made their way to Trondheim. Feeding the ducks.

Random pictures and a party

While watching cartoons the other day, Avery got the idea that she needed to make paper hats just like the kids on TV. After the hats were made she asked if she could have a party. So we had a paper hat party. We each got special hats to wear, Daddy's was from newspaper with tools on it, and even her animals got in on the action. We had hotdogs and cake and blew up balloons. It was great fun ;)

Daddy also taught her about static electricity. Zach the zebra got to wear a hat too.
Here's a picture of Anders reaching for a toy. He started doing this while Grandpa Bubba was here. He also started rolling over from front to back on Sept. 17th! I love this stage where something new happens every day.

We had an amazing full moon a week or so ago. Jeff snapped this awesome picture.

Visit from Grandpa Bubba and Grandma Lara

We were lucky enough to have Jeff's Dad and StepMom come over to Norway for a visit. It was their first trip to Europe so Jeff took them around to see the sites. On a trip downtown to see the cathedral they went down by the river to a park. This is such a beautiful area of Trondheim.
Another day Jeff drove them down to the fjord.
Working on a sand castle. She was mad that Daddy or Grandma Lara wouldn't put a roof on it.

Throwing rocks with Grandpa Bubba.
Three generations of Klines.
We were so lucky to have visits from the Grandparents over the last month. We are truly blessed to have such wonderful family who make the trek halfway around the world to see us. We love and miss you all and can't wait to see you over Christmas!

Anders

He really likes his sister. She can get him to smile more than anyone else.

So tiny.
First smiles, these make all the sleepless nights worth it!

Visit from Grandma Lori

We were very lucky that after Nana left we still had Grandma Lori's visit to look forward to. She got to stay for a week and the kids had lots of fun with her. First meetings.
Chalk drawings outside. Ave and Grandma filled up the entire driveway!

Avery's art, a cat!Hanging out in the woods. I think she was a monster.
Avery kept swinging these trees back and forth and saying that it was Fall when the leaves fell.

We had a great time with Grandma Lori. Thank you so much for coming and Anders thanks you for taking him on "walk abouts" and helping him to calm down!

Anders one month

Anders has decided that he likes his mobile. It's so fun watching him grow. He's starting to notice the world around him and just yesterday he discovered that he has hands. I forgot how quickly babies change. He has gained 2 lbs 5 oz since birth so he's really packing on the weight which doesn't surprise me considering how often he wants to eat. It's funny how quickly a new person can become part of the family and I can't imagine life without him. Now if I could just get him to sleep more than a couple of hours at a time life would be perfect.


Time to talk. He just started cooing a few days ago.

So concerned.