Baby Update #9

34 weeks

So, I've made it to 34 weeks without a baby! Daisy was delivered at 34 weeks and we are grateful it didn't happen again. I've had several doctor's appointments since the last time I posted a baby update, but it was all the same news. It was a goal to get to this week without going into labor and I made it! I now look pregnant and am enjoying it!
I have ultrasounds every week to measure the baby's growth, and today she once again measured just under the 3rd percentile. She was in the 10th a few weeks ago, so she hasn't grown much at all. Although, she looks great in all other aspects! We watched her do "practice breaths" last week and her heart is still very strong. My doctor has decided to send me to the specialist for an ultrasound once a week and I will continue to go to my regular office for ultrasounds once a week! That means two ultrasounds each week until I deliver. My doctor also mentioned the possibility of doing an amniocentesis to make sure the baby is peeing enough. I learned that if there is not any pee or enough pee in the amniotic fluid, that means she is not getting the blood flow she needs. Also, by having two ultrasounds a week, I won't have to keep track of how many times she kicks each hour. (Supposed to be at least 10 times) That is really hard to do! My doctor also mentioned delivering her at 36 weeks! He would rather have her out of me and figure out why she isn't growing, than to let me go to 39 weeks as planned, and have a bad outcome. It's not set in stone yet, but he said he will probably go that route. I'll keep you updated :)

New Year, New Hair!

It seems that every time I am about to have a baby, I feel like I need to change my hair. With Slade, I grew it out. With Daisy, I went a little darker. This time, I cut it off and went back blonde! I didn't take a before picture, but just scroll down a bit and look at our Christmas pictures for the before look. It is an A-line cut, but I couldn't get a good picture of it by myself and my hubby is napping.

Daisy has been letting me play around with her hair lately, so I tried round brushing it while I blow-dried it and it turned out SO cute! She has asked me to make her hair "pretty" the last couple of days! I love it!

The New Year!

So far, its been a fun year! :)

I was able to stay up until midnight New Year's Eve, which hasn't happened for a few years. The kids and I went to my sister's house for their annual party while Skylar got to work at the Tempe Block Party! Lucky him! He does not like crowds, but he got to be down there with over 100,000 other people. He was assigned to a medical tent and said he handed out tons of band aids to women who thought that wearing stilettos at the party was a good idea. He had a few good laughs at the drunk people that wandered his way and other than that, there was no major incidents. The kids I were home and in bed before 12:30am by the way!

Slade is now a Sunbeam! It's actually quite weird having a child go to Primary. We've been preparing him for the transition for a while, telling him how awesome it is and how much fun he will have. Our ward did a Meet the Teacher night the Saturday before and Slade was so excited! He was a little wound up and seemed to be the class clown as he jumped around and acted goofy. He even made goofy faces at the girls in his class and they thought he was a weirdo. He did great that night, but I was still nervous for Sunday. Skylar had to work, so I was on my own if he had a meltdown. Sunday morning he woke up happy and didn't fight me to get church clothes on. The kids were pretty good during sacrament and Slade pretty much ran to the Primary room when it was time. I made him come with me to drop Daisy off in nursery (who didn't cry for the first time) and then I took him to the bathroom before class. As we walked to his row, which is right in front, he tightened his hold on my hand, but he sat down and didn't look back! I think I was going to cry! He did amazing! I checked on him from the little peep-window in the door a few times and caught him singing and doing the motions to all of the songs. He was even reverent when he was supposed to be! I was thoroughly amazed that he was doing so well. When I picked him up to go home, he said he had a lot of fun and wanted to go back next week! Yay! It does help when the teacher is awesome! Thanks Jessica!

Daisy won't move to a new class until this coming Sunday and I hope she does well with that transition. She is finally starting to realize nursery isn't so bad. Her good friend Cale is in her class right now and I hope they are in the same class this year as well. It makes it easier when I tell her she can go play with Cale.

This year has also brought a new (used) vehicle to our family! Our Sonata won't fit three car seats so we upgraded! We found a super good deal on a 2004 Expedition that we couldn't pass up. I hate that I will have to pay more for gas but it will fit us better. We also like to go camping and we will now be able to haul a trailer when we get one :) That's our next goal. I'll post pictures of it later.

We are also anticipating a few new things this year:
1. The birth of our daughter, hopefully in Feb.
2. A new nephew in March
3. Tax returns
4. Daisy turning two in April (okay, we aren't looking forward to that)
5. My little brother graduating from high school in May
6. Skylar no longer being a probie in May
7. Me turning 25 in May!
8. My brother coming home from his mission in June!
9. Kleven Family Reunion
10. Youngest brother possibly getting his driving permit :)
11. Other brother going on a mission!
12. And, hopefully a trip to Utah!

That's just a few, but this year is already going to be filled with exciting events!
I hope 2009 brings much happiness to you all! Happy New Year!

Christmas Time!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! It was nice to be around family and awesome food!


The kids woke up earlier than normal, of course. Skylar was working, so I snapped a picture of their excited faces first thing in the morning so he wouldn't miss it.


Doing "thumbs up". They were so thrilled to see those gifts under the tree. We obviously had a small, but very nice Christmas this year :) As you can see, they are not in their Christmas pj's. I forgot to do laundry in time for them to wear them to bed, but they were ready to be worn in the morning!


It has been a tradition to go to my parents house Christmas morning for breakfast and more gifts. Because Skylar didn't get off work until 8am, we met him at my parents house and did our own family Christmas later that morning.


I promise he was excited about his helicopter. He has his father's personality!!


Daisy became quite the professional gift opener! She loved every moment of it!

She received a doll and kept squealing with delight! It was so funny! She was so impatient while I tried to pry that thing out of its package.

Back at home, the kids received more toys! I love this picture because of Daisy's face! She just saw that she got another baby doll! Slade got the awesome Mr. Potato Head!

Of course Daisy got a new cell phone. What is a girl to do without her phone?!? Plus, it came with a super cute little purse to put it in.

Slade LOVES his new tractor! He hauls everything around that will stay on the trailer, including a monster truck that he also received.

Daisy stole Mr. Potato Head's glasses. She wears them around the house as if they are hers and she always puts them on, just like that!



CHRISTMAS EVE

Because Skylar had to work Christmas Eve, we went and visited him at the station! Because he's in his probationary year, he gets placed at three different stations within the year. It's fun to meet his new crew and see a different station every few months.

Daisy the Engineer!

Slade the Engineer! He absolutely loves sitting in the firetrucks and never wants to get down.

Skylar giving Slade a quick lesson on what all the different gauges do. Slade wouldn't leave those things alone and would try to turn a few knobs when we weren't watching.

Daisy standing in front of Skylar's seat on the firetruck. They keep their turnout jackets hanging up inside the truck.

It was so much fun visiting the station. While we were there, the engine truck got a call, so we got to watch them leave. Just a few minutes later, the ladder truck, which Skylar is on, got a call too, so we watched how fast everyone rushes to the truck and waved goodbye to Skylar. If you look hard, you can see him waving to us. It was a little weird because I don't remember seeing everyone jump on the truck! It happens all too quickly!

After Skylar left on a call, we decided to head home. As I was buckling Daisy into her car seat, I told Slade to jump in his seat as well. He ran to his side of the car, but didn't get in! I walked around the car to find him doing this!!! I had just asked him a few minutes earlier if he needed to go potty and he said no. He must have seen the bushes earlier and decided that would be a fun place to pee.

DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS EVE

Yes, this is my husbands truck. He went scouting for Javelina east of Florence early Wednesday morning all by himself. It had been raining, so of course the dirt roads were muddy... He was headed back home when the tail end of his truck slid out, turned him 180 degrees, then flipped him on the side. He said the road was curvy, slippery and down hill which are all bad news. Like I mentioned before, he left the house early and I started to get a little concerned around 4pm. He doesn't usually stay out so long when he is scouting or hunting close to home, but I thought that maybe he hasn't seen anything and he wants to make the most of the trip. He finally calls me at 4:30pm and says that he is on his way home. I said jokingly, "So you're still alive, huh?" His reply, "Barely." I asked if he was really okay, not knowing what happened, and he said yes and that he will see me soon. He gets home just after 5pm and I hear the garage door open. The kids and I wait for him to come inside the house, but he never does! I look out the window and see that his truck is very muddy and he has the hood up. I go outside to see what's the matter and I comment on how dirty the truck is. He said, "Wait 'till you see the other side!" Instantly I knew something was up, so walked around to the other side and see that it is full of scratches, dents and the side view mirror is missing!! Finally, the story came out...

Hand prints from trying to get out of his truck!

Ruined tire. He later realized he ruined another tire as well!

Hard to see, but this shows all the dents and scratches AND the wet spots are transmission fluid that leaked.

All in all, I'm happy that he wasn't hurt. His cell phone didn't work out there, so he ended up having to walk 5 or 6 miles to the nearest house to find help. I told him he is NOT allowed to go by himself anymore. I always think of the "what ifs" and knowing that he had someone with him would make me feel so much better. I commented on how his new truck (new to him) is now damaged. His reply, "It's my huntin' truck, babe!" Yeah, it is now! :)

Merry Christmas!

I love the week of Christmas! It's always busy and full of things to do. Also, the kids get to wear their new Christmas clothes to church! Skylar will NOT let me put Slade in a cute sweater, so he got some new shoes and pants, but wasn't in the mood for a picture. Daisy is always up for a photo shoot and this is her new dress and shoes.

Kleven Family Christmas Party

Every year my Dad's side of the family gets together and has a huge dinner party. We meet at a church because there are so many people! We always have dinner, a program and then Santa!

Another tradition we do is sing the CHRISTMAS song. We have a child hold up a letter and we sing the song...C is for the Christ child... you get the idea. Slade was so excited to be able to hold a letter this year! He was so cute up there, waving to us and smiling big. I told Skylar that he is going to be our actor. I'm sure you can image Skylar's response to that, those of you who know him :)

Kleven, Slade and Ethan

Daisy enjoying the program!

My almost 15 year old brother was asked to be the donkey for the Nativity Scene. He did great :) but was somewhat embarrassed I think.

Oh, Santa's Elf's! It takes a special kind of man to be able to wear those outfits :) Can't wait for it to be Skylar's turn! Haha!! Yeah, that won't happen.

SANTA!! He always arrives at the end and hands out presents to each child.

Waiting in line for Santa! She is very unsure of this Santa...probably because he acted a lot like her Grandpa!! Heehee!

I had to post this picture because of my sparkly earring!

The Elf's threw suckers to all the kids while we waited for Santa. Who knows how many Slade ended up eating...

I love that Slade is perfectly okay with Santa this year and Daisy is so scared! I have a picture of myself on Santa's lap around the same age as Daisy and I'm doing the same thing! I think Santa was trying to let her in on his little secret to see if she would calm down. It worked for about 2 seconds and then she really freaked out.

Stock Family Gift Exchange

Skylar's side of the family got together for a dinner and gift exchange. Because Skylar's parents and two siblings live in Utah, it was just us and his two sisters and their families. We had soup, rolls and veggies for dinner and an awesome dessert of ice cream, brownies and hot fudge! Thanks Erin!

This is the picture we captured with our camera before it died. Good thing Erin had a camera handy and was able to take a good one. She did send it to me, I'm just not quite sure how to get it from my email to the blog. I'm sure its easy to do... things like that usually are.

This is Kinley refusing to be a part of the picture! She was quite funny and did NOT want her picture to be taken. Little does she know, Uncle Derek cropped her in the picture and off it was sent to the grandparents!

It was a fun night with everyone and we even got to play Wii for the first time! I played a super awesome game of target shooting and lost the first round to Maddie, who is 7, but won the second time around! We got Skylar to play tennis and he said he actually enjoyed it! He also played a bull or horse riding game, not sure which, and didn't do so great :) It was really fun!

Okay, super random, but I painted Daisy's nails this morning and put a flower on as well. She LOVES it and keeps showing me and saying how pretty they are. I really enjoy having a girl, its so much FUN!


Merry Christmas to you all! I hope you are enjoying the Holidays!

Something to Blog About...

It's only almost noon, but I have already had a pretty eventful morning. Usually, I shower and get myself ready before the kids wake up, but that wasn't possible today. Slade had made his way to my bed during the night (which he does often when Skylar is working) and Daisy woke up screaming at 4am. She rarely screams, so I went to check on her and found her freezing, so I brought her to my bed. The kids woke up about 7am and started playing around on the bed while I tried to wake up. Slade went to use the bathroom and while he was gone, Daisy says, "Yucky poo poo!" I turn around to look at her and she throws a nugget of poop on me!! I scream, she starts crying, and then I notice the brown smudges on her pj's as well as her hands!! That made me wake up! I immediately threw her in the shower, as she and Slade prefer over baths, cleaned her up and then went to assess the mess on my bed. I wonder how long she had been playing in her diaper... At one point I remember that she had played with my hair while I pretended I was still asleep. The thought of poop in my hair made me gag, so I jumped in the shower and washed my hair twice, just to be sure! We then had a nice breakfast of cheesy eggs and toast...

Not much later, I was in my bathroom putting my makeup on when Slade walks in and we had this conversation:
Slade, "What are you doing, mom?"
Me, "Putting my makeup on."
Slade,"Why?"
Me, "So I can be pretty."
Slade, "You's not pretty like that."
Me, "Oh! You don't like my makeup?"
Slade, "No. You's going to take it off?"
Me, "No. Why? What do you want me to look like?"
Slade, "Just like mom."
Haha!! I know I look different without makeup, but good grief, that puts it in perspective!!

AND THEN, after our little conversation, he left and I could hear him playing in his room. When I was finishing up, I noticed that I couldn't hear anything! We all know that no noise means the kids are into something, so I went to go find out. Now, the kids have plenty of toys to play with, (note picture below) and that is just one side, and there are more on the floor behind me! So, I knew they had been in Slade's room playing but they weren't there now...so I went looking in Daisy's room.

Ha Ha! I found them. I had just opened a new package of wipees this morning (the poop story) and the kids decided that they needed a wipee bath. There are more wipees on the other side of Daisy and by the door, too! A quick thought ran through my mind... Why do I buy the kids toys when they would rather play with wipees and poop? We may have to return their Christmas presents this year.

Christmas Pictures and Baby Update #8

Here they are! We are grateful to my sister Kendyl for taking these shots! We will be having more family pictures taken after the baby comes (9 weeks and counting!) so be looking for those! We were able to go to our Bishop's farm and take advantage of his antique (or just old) farm equipment and buildings.

Daisy was constantly distracted by the farm cat that kept walking by.

Mother and Daughter...

Yay! You can see my belly! The kids did a great job and I have to give most of the credit to all the fun tractors and animals that kept them entertained.

Skylar isn't too fond of "intimate" shots, and according to him, these are in that category. He was a good sport though, notice his face :)

I just LOVE Daisy's boots that Kendyl picked up from Idaho!



We tried getting pictures of the kids on the hay, but Daisy was scared!

Father and Son.... apparently too cool to smile!

Baby Update #8

I headed back to the specialist today for more testing. It was so much fun to see the baby again in such detail. I didn't get a CD this time, but they did print out several awesome 3D shots of her. And.... GOOD NEWS!! She has gained 14oz since the last time I was there, which was two weeks ago!! That is awesome! She still looks wonderful and the tests came back looking great. The doctor there told me she is probably just genetically small. I'll take that! Also, my placenta has moved up, so I am out of danger of the possibility of having placenta previa. They want to see me back in three weeks to do the tests again to make sure she continues to do well. What a blessing!