A new blog

To all of you that have followed us! Strongly inspired by Julie`s blog we have started a new blog called The Kleivens. Here we will continue to share moments from our new family life. We welcome you all to follow us, and we will use English as the main language.

This beautiful journey has not ended, it has just started. Se you all at the Kleivens! Happy weekend and thousand PINK hugs!

Here is the link:

http://frydenbergveien.blogspot.com/

Happy TWO months!

You know your baby is growing when her feet suddenly is hanging on the outside of the arm of the chair while nursing :)

Enjoying monday off work :)

One penny for your thoughts

Seems like a babies look carries all the wisdom in the world :)

August the performer... ++

Meeting family

Sanna got to meet her cousins Nora Annie (7) and August (4) this weekend. They loved her!

Hipp hurray!

Today is Sanna`s first celebration of Norways national day, the 17th of May. She sleept through most of it, but the parents felt very proud to spend the day as a family for the first time. Hipp, hipp hurra!!!

Tired...

After a bath I get pretty tired...sweet dreams....

Just loves to bath

Bigger than me...

Sivert did visit here the other day. He is Sanna`s cousin and is 5 months old, born on the 3rd of December. When they grow up together they will be very close in age. At this point though, Sivert weights the dobble of Sanna`s weight and is a lot longer than her. So I guess there will never be a huger difference between them any time later in life, than today :)

Today in the US we celebrate motherhood!

From my house to yours... Happy Mother's Day!

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new. ~Rajneesh

Happy little girl...

5 weeks old today!

Little princess

Black and white pictures can sometimes better capture some of the magic and timelessness a little baby gives us. So here is one, have a lovely day everyone!

Sharing with Everyone - Velkommen!

We are now officially OPEN to share our journey with everyone... if you've been following along as an invitee, thank you for your visits! It has indeed been our pleasure to share this blessed journey with you.

Team Minnesota & Team Norway have decided it's time to share with other friends and family. For those who wish to "start at the beginning" you can find that under BLOG ARCHIVE and November 2007.

The transfer gift

When we visited Minneapolis for transfer last summer, we got a beautiful gift from Julie over a grand dinner at the Melting Pot, down town. It was a yellow body with a red bear on it, for good luck... and now 9 months later, Sanna is wearing it - and she looks yummy in yellow!

Sanna`s first bath

.... oh`boy that was lovely....

Officially Closed

 Room 106 is officially closed for the month of April. We went for one final happy hour and a quick dip in the hot tub. Thanks... from Minnesota!

...and Miss Sanna is 4 weeks old today! Thinking of you all in Norway as we pass this little milestone. I suppose it's about time that I finish up her birth story and get it posted.

Soon. I promise.

Give me your little finger!!!

Sanna prefers the little finger to the pacifier any time... we have a little job ahead of us convincing her otherwise :)

We are blessed with summer like conditions in Trondheim. It is the warmest April since... a long time. Global warming? We enjoy it at this stage anyway. Tulips are just about to burst out in full bloom. The outdoor deck is our second, no first, living room these days. Sanna sleeps out in her stroller, wrapped in the "dead sheep". We check her temperature every now and then. We don't want her to be too warm or too cold.

Wish you all a wonderful 1st of MAY!!! HURRRAYYY :)

Love & pink hugs from Tommy and "SaHanna" :)

Uncle Brynjar and aunt Åse

Sanna is getting a happy welcome into the family. She is a true blessing :)

Una meets Sanna

Sanna has four cousins; Nora Annie (7), August (4), Una (5) and Sivert (5 months). They are all very exited to have a new friend in the family. Una was waiting at the airport when we arrived from the US with Norwegian flags and a big smile :)

Sanna's daybed

Sanna is rocking in this beautiful cradle that grandma and grandpa brought. She loves it :)
FYI; the last pice of Sannas cord fell off today :)

Aunt Mette

Tommy`s sister, Mette, got herself a flight ticket and flew down to Trondheim to hold our little miracle-bundle-of-joy-princess. Mette is visiting us with her family in three weeks, but she could just not wait so she jumped onto that plane. We love that :)

One last post from BabyCenter...

By now, you two are old pros at this parenting thing. We were blessed to watch your new beginnings with Sanna and I am confident that it all feels comfortable and very second-nature by now.

The pew was a bit emptier at church today... we missed you!

Hickups... :)

We arrived safely...

Hi everybody!

We arrived safe and sound in Trondheim, Norway. Sanna is a traveller, she was soooo nice to her parents on both flights. Not a cry, not a soiled diper (she waited until we arrived in Amsterdam and got into a family restroom :). At the airport in Trondheim we were met by grandparents, uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, and lots of friends with norwegian flags and beautiful flowers :)
We were tired, but the adrenaline kept us going :) Now we have had a good rest, and I think our biological clocks have switched to Norwegian time already... or, it might be that the jet lag is still fooling us. Anyway, we will have a jet lag, sort of, for the next year... :))

Some pictures from our house, Grandma holding Sanna, Hanne and Grandpa getting flowers on the door (all the time, thank you so much) and a picture showing Sannas perspective from our dinner table onto a lamp and some tulips :)

Sending them home...

Sanna's passport arrived today... and with that, we have just dropped off the Kleiven Family at the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport. It is a bittersweet parting of ways, with a "see you again" instead of a goodbye... safe travels to you all!

...and God's blessings as you begin the next leg of your journey!

Playing with light and shadow

Over Daddy's Shoulder

 

Science Museum & SaHanne Shower

If you flip through some of the "scenes" of multiple photos taken at the Science Museum, you can almost feel the story unfolding! The boys enjoyed a nice day of science while the girls enjoyed a baby shower. They watched a movie about the Grand Canyon and explored many fun exhibits at the Science Museum of Minnesota.



My girlfriends joined us for a shower to celebrate Sanna & Hanne. Lorraine cooked up a scrumptious spread of quiche, key lime pie and taco dip. I managed fruit and a fun red punch to go with it. Hanne was center of attention with gifts and Sanna was passed around with no shortage of arms to hold and snuggle with her. It was a lovely morning on Aquila. Thanks to everyone for joining us and for those who have taken pictures, please share via email so I can add them to the album?

Hotel life can be good, really good...

Benihana

We had a very nice dinner out at Benihana last night while the surrogate grandparents from Minnesota took care of little Sanna.

My little potatos

Relaxi'n in my reckliner

Thank you Julie and JP for this wonderful pink ride :)

Fan Club

Sanna's got a fan club at 12 days old!

I have a few pictures posted on Facebook (for friends' view only) and Sanna is getting quite the welcome! I just wanted to share with her fans on this site too!

Soon the Kleiven family will be returning home to Norway and will start their own blog. I will stop blogging on here also in the near future, as my part of this journey comes to an end. The Kleiven's will forever have a few fans in Minnesota!

A Wednesday to remember...

remember... click any photo to enlarge!