Cravings?

I haven't had too many cravings since I've been pregnant. And, I'm not even sure if they are really cravings, or just an excuse to eat what I want. Ha! When I was first pregnant I ate a lot of strawberries. I went through a stage where all I wanted was macaroni and cheese for lunch. When I was feeling nausious I ate lots of pho because it was easy on my tummy. Currently I'm not really wanting anything specific, but I do eat a lot. I'm always hungry!
 
                                                                

Here is my pregnancy motto: Haha!!





Hoping you're all having great days!

23 weeks

Today I'm 23 weeks pregnant and I'm feeling great. I have some of my energy back that I had lost last week- thankfully! I've been more intentional in getting my rest time every day and even took a nap yesterday!

 I'm happy to say that I've still been able to exercise every day and have been going to Zumba class twice a week, which I know helps keep my energy up also.

The belly really has done some growing over the last few weeks. Every week babys kicks get harder and more frequent. In the last few days the kicks have gotten so strong that I am able to SEE movement on my belly, not just feel it. Amazing! I read online that at this point baby should be over one pound, and will double his weight in the next four weeks.

Baby Brown is very excited because his grandma will be here in Korea in just two short weeks! Well, 11 days...but who's counting?!

23 weeks pregnant

See? I told you that belly was growing! :)

22 weeks

I'm almost six months pregnant. What? When did that happen? Time is going by SO fast. I am sure part of that has to do with both Josh and myself being so busy and preparing for our big move back to the states. But, the fact that in three months our little man will be here just blows my mind and fills my heart with excitement and happiness. Three months isn't that long....at all!
In week 22 I experienced lots of heartburn (yuck!) and was extremely tired. However, baby boy is becoming more active every day. His kicks are getting stronger and I feel them more frequently. Josh can feel them most times as well. My favorite development this week is feeling baby's hard kicks when Josh comes home from work at the end of the day. It's like it's baby's way of saying, "Daddy's home! Daddy's home!"
We've had baby's name chosen for a long time. In fact, we had a girls and boys name chosen before we found out the gender. The more we use his name at home and refer to him  by his name the more I fall in love with it (and him!) I can't wait to share it with you all when he makes his grand entrance into the world.
Here is a belly picture from week 22:



Growing belly



21 weeks

21 week photos

Can't remember what was said but, for the record, my husband is seriously hilarious

Baby's growing and so is Mommy! My baby belly has definitely done some growing this week! Baby is kicking all the time, often times hard enough for Josh to feel. Best. Feeling. Ever.

This week we went to Caribbean Bay, a water park here in Seoul. Josh had fun riding the slides with his friends and I spent most of my day floating down the large lazy river. It was heaven! The weather wasn't too hot, which was a nice change. The humidity here has been high and being pregnant means I always feel hot anyways. Yuck! Overall it was a great day!

Today is Father's Day in Korea. Josh celebrated with a new video game and a nice lazy day at home. Tonight I'm making his favorite dinner. How exciting to think about how different and wonderful our lives will be next year on Father's Day. Josh will be a fantastic father...no doubt about it!

20 week ultrasound

Hi everyone! This morning was baby Browns 20 week ultrasound. When I checked into the appointment the nurse suggested I go eat something, in hopes that baby would be extra active. I had some orange juice and a yummy breakfast sandwich. They worked! Baby was really active and we got some great photos! Baby happily showed off his boy parts just like last time. Do we have an exhibitionist on our hands?! Ha! He also had his hand up by his face a lot, so it looked like he was waving.
Little man is currently 13 ounces- still so small! The ultrasound technician said that she took about 70 (wow!) pictures to show the doctor. We also got about 8 pictures to bring home. Because little man was so active we got some greatpictures. We were excited to get some great profile shots. At this point I think that little man looks a lot like his Daddy! The ultrasound technician zoomed in on baby's nose and lips and from those pictures you can really see their similiarities. We have another appointment in one month with the doctor to review the ultrasound photos and check on baby and my progress. Here are some pictures from today:

Here is our sweet little baby at 20 weeks. His hand is up by his face, almost like he is waving. Cute profile, huh?!

Here's another profile shot

Cute little foot. The ultrasound technician measured his foot and said from toe to heel it was exactly one inch long.

Halfway There!

Wow! It's hard to believe that I'm already 20 weeks pregnant and we are halfway done! Our little man will be here with us before we know it! This week baby is about the length of a banana, but still weighs less than one pound. Crazy to think about how much his weight will increase before he's born. I've been feeling great and feel so blessed with a fantastic pregnancy so far. My weight gain is on track with with my doctor suggested and I usually have good energy. At times I experience heartburn, back aches or leg cramping, but nothing very serious.
Tomorrow Josh and I head back to the doctor for a fetal growth scan with an ultrasound technician. At this appointment baby will be measured and they will also take a good look at his brain and heart to make sure that everything is developing the way it should be. I'm hoping that we can get a good ultraound picture, as the ones we've had before haven't been great. He tends to be camera shy, unless it's time to show his boy parts. He has NO problem showing that off for the camera- HAHA!! I will be sure to post about the appointment and post any pictures we get.
I've been keeping busy with my English tutoring, spending time with friends and taking zumba (dance) classes every day. It's getting harder as time goes on ,but I'm proud of myself for sticking with it. My doctor jokes that little man will dance before he walks because of all the dancing I'm doing now- hehe! Josh works a ton (like normal) but always enjoys his flying and is trying to get as much flying in as he can before monsoon season hits. During monsoon season it's often too rainy to fly.
My mom arrives in Korea in less than  month! Can't wait to show her around and also just relax and hang out together! When she is here two of my sweet friends are throwing me, Josh and little man a baby shower that I know will just be fantastic. They are both really creative and crafty. Plus, they both already love baby so much already. I know it will be a great day and I'm really looking forward to it. Mom and I will also go tour the DMZ (border of North and South Korea) and see the play 'Wicked' with friends. She will also come to zumba classes with me- fun!
I've been feeling baby boy move around and kick a lot the past few weeks. He's extremely active. Last night Josh has able to feel baby kick for the first time- so excited! We were eating cookies and drinking milk while watching a movie and baby kicked...hard! Seeing Josh's face light up when he felt that for the first time was really exciting!
We have just a few months left in Korea and are trying to enjoy it as much as we can. We have lots of friends moving in the next month or so, so we have been going to lots of fairwell parties and trying to spend as much time with everyone as possible. I've been working on the what to pack/ vs. what to get rid of process. Getting rid of excess crap and clutter is a bonus of moving every few years, I suppose. We've decided to ship all of our things before we leave Korea. That means that we will be in our house with minimal things (no couches, no tv, a small amount of kitchen supplies, a suitcase of clothes for each of us etc.) for about 4 weeks, but our things will arrive in Alabama BEFORE baby, and that's a huge plus. Hopefully we can have the house partially set up before his arrival.
Well, that's all for now. I'll post more after our appointment tomorrow. Here's hoping the little man isn't camera shy tomorrow.... :)

20 weeks and halfway done!

Pregnancy photos- week 18

Before leaving for the doctors apointment to see if baby is a boy or girl

So excited to find out if we are having a son or daughter!

YAY! So excited and happy that baby is a boy. After going to the apointment and taking these pictures we realized we must have already "known" that baby was a boy because Josh and I were both dressed in blue! Good sign!

Josh is just thrilled to have a little buddy!