Catch Up Time

Whew....so much has happened in the last three months! I keep meaning to update the blog, and life just gets in the way. So, now I am going to try to catch everyone up to speed, in words and pictures, about the crazy life of the Browns!
I left Korea at the end of August. I left about three weeks before Josh because of international flying regulations while pregnant. Saying goodbye to all my dear friends was so, so hard. We really truly were blessed with making lifelong friends while overseas. When you're military and live far away from family your friends really do become your family. You spend holidays together and become so close. Anyways, leaving everyone was hard. Really hard.
Josh moved in with a friend for his last few weeks there and I boarded a plane to Japan then to Seattle. Heidi picked me up and I spend a few days with her, Jake, Emma and Jacob in Bellingham. Jet lag was tricky but thankfully not as bad as I expected. Maybe I was just used to not getting much sleep because of my ever growing belly.
After a few days in Bellingham I headed home to Sequim. My mom had seen me pregnant but no one else had, so it was fun to go visit everyone. I think Sam's reaction was the best. I got to the house for the first time and saw his dog, who had really grown and gotten bigger. I said, "Wow, Maya is so big!" His response? "So are you!!" Haha! My dad was pretty funny also. Every time I walked into a room he would just laugh and laugh saying things like, " I forget youre pregnant and you waddle in and it just kills me. This is so awesome!" Ha!
It was so great to share the exciting time in our life with everyone back at home.
I was also so blessed to have another baby shower when I was back at home. Jessica came to visit from Utah, Heidi came from Bellingham, Lydia came from Bellevue, Jessica A came from Pullman and Erin and her mom came from Portland. So nice to be surrounded by my favorite people and to see all the love everyone had for baby boy, even before he arrived. It really was surreal and overwhelming at times. I am surrounded by such amazing friends. Baby was showered with lots of adorable clothes and gift cards, which we later used to buy his car seat, stroller, pack and play and random things like diapers and wipes.
The week after the baby shower Josh arrived from Korea- yay!! He was able to stay at home and visit everyone for one week before we made our big move to Alabama. He had a great time eating all the foods he had missed and seeing everyone.
Up next.... our move to Alabama!!

Hello third trimester!

Lots has been going on here the last few weeks. About two weeks our movers came and our entire house was packed up and should be on its way back to the states. The packing went smoothly and we are praying that everything arrives safe, in one piece, and before baby makes his grand appearance. Being in an empty house has been weird and pretty boring, but it will all be worth it when we don't  have everything we own delivered to a new house with a newborn baby! :)
I leave Korea in three days so it's been a week of saying goodbyes, which is always sad. We've been so blessed by wonderful friends here. I am ready to leave Korea, however. Being pregnant in Korea presents a huge set of problems and irritations, and I am so glad to leave them behind.  I'm sure at times I will miss Korea, but at this point I feel that I'll mostly just miss my friends, and of course Josh, who will stay here another few weeks and finish up work.
I'm really looking forward to a few weeks back at home before the crazyness of our life in AL starts again (find a house- find a new car- meet new doctor- register at the hospital- unpack and decorate the house- set up baby boy's nursery- have Josh start a new job- find a pediatrician etc....) I'll spend a few days with Heidi first (can't wait for some sis time!) then stay with my parents for the rest of the time. I'll have a baby shower, see my lovely friend Andrea get married, Jessica is coming to visit from Utah, and hopefully Erin can come up from PDX also. I'm so looking forward to seeing everyone!
This week I'm 31 weeks pregnant, but we have been so busy we've forgotten to take pictures the last few weeks. Week 29 was a bit rough as I had the flu, but thankfully I'm feeling much better and ready for my long day of travel this week (Seoul- Japan- Seattle- Bellingham!) Josh was a great nurse and I'm so happy to be feeling  back to myself again.
 I've been feeling really tired lately and miss the energy I had in my second trimester. This time of year Korea is really hot and humid also- yuck. I know I'll be much more comfortable in WA with the onset of fall- y favorite season!! I had my last doctors appointment in Korea this morning and everything looks great. Baby is healthy and growing just like he should be, and that's what really matters to me. Can't wait to meet him in just a little over two months!
Here are the pictures we have from week 28:

Baby Shower in Korea

Two weeks ago Baby Brown had a fantastic baby shower. We are so blessed with amazing friends here. When we told our friends about the pregnancy they were all so excited for us and we have really felt so loved and cared for through this time in our lives. Jenelle, Myriam and Stephanie threw us a baby shower and it was a TOTAL success. They were planning this party even before we knew if baby was a boy or girl! They have so many creative ideas and decor and everyone at the party had a great time. One of my favorite parts was that we played really different games. It was not a traditional baby shower. I also loved how the boys were involved. For most of the shower the boys were outside playing washers, drinking beer, barbequing and having fun together. But, they played some games with us and were there when Josh and I opened presents. I think it was a great balance.

We had such a wonderful day, and baby Brown was SPOILED. Already I can tell that he will be one stylish baby. We really appreciate the fantastic baby shower that our friends went through so much effort to put on for us. Here are some pictures from the day:

Adorable little Korean clothes for baby Brown. During the shower the guests created onesies for baby and they were displayed here. Josh chose his favorite onesie, made by Nelena, and she won a prize. I was very impressed with her onesie! Josh loved it, of course, because it had a helicopter on it!

Stephanie did an amazing job with all the cute decorations

Such a great idea! All the guests signed their names and a little message for baby inside this Korean/English book.

Friends making onesies for baby

This was a fun game that the guys really got into. Each person had a big bowl full of baby socks. The goal of the game was to match all the baby socks before the other person.

Present time. Like I said, baby was so spoiled. Baby got lots of cute clothes, some amazing homemade blankets, some homemade artwork for his nursery and a Baby Bullet to make homemade baby food.

Baby also got some really great Korean/Engilsh baby books. Mom and Dad got some great books about taking care of baby as well. Perfect!

Me with the fabulous hosts of the baby shower, Jenelle, Myriam and Stephanie. Such dear friends to me!

How special it was that Grandma Connie was at the baby shower!

Mom's visit to Korea- 2

Josh and I at the DMZ

The border between North and South Korea. See that building at the other side of the photo? That's North Korea!

In front of the Blue House. That is where the Korean President is, much like the White House in the US.

Seoul has some really beautiful areas!

Mom's visit to Korea- 1

This month my mom had the opportunity to come explore Korea with us. We were able to see and do so many awesome things. We explored many market areas in Korea, saw Wicked with friends, had my baby shower, went to the DMZ and stepped into North Korea at the JSA. Mom was able to spend time with our friends and we worked on some knitting projects for baby, too. Josh had fun showing my mom where he works and the inside of a helicopter. What a great trip! Here are some photos- round 1.

Mom's first day exploring Korea

Having fun at Baby Guiness with Stephanie

Exploring Garak Market

Korean War Museum

Blending in at the War Museum

Garden 5 Shopping Area

Bowling with friends

25 weeks pregnant

Here are some pictures from week 25 of pregnancy. Last week I felt very tired, but this week was better, thankfully. The most exciting thing about this week was that my mom arrived in Korea! I'll post pictures from all of our adventures in another blog post.

A big thank you to my Grandma and Grandpa for this cute new outfit. Finding cute maternity clothes overseas has proven to be very difficult. This outfit arrived just in time! Between week 24 and 26 my belly grew a lot, and I outgrew many of the pre-pregnancy clothes that I've been able to wear. So, thank you!

Josh's creative side

This week I asked Josh to decorate the chalk board for our weekly baby photos. Mostly, just because I couldn't think of anything creative. I was really impressed with what he came up with. It's his version of Michael Jordan's jersey, he says. Cute!
Here are the official 23 week photos:

Josh's chalkboard creation