More Pictures of the Kiddos

Fun at Heatherlee's House

On Saturday we went to my best friend's house in Canyon Lake for a visit. Halley loves to play with her son, Calvin. They get along really well, it is so fun to watch them play. Also, while we were in Canyon Lake we went to visit my cousin Jamie, who just had a baby about 2 weeks ago. So, Coralee got to meet her new cousin, Sawyer. In a few years they will be playing around like Halley and Calvin. They grow up too fast! Heatherlee also is a talented photographer, so she snapped some sweet shots of the day. I hope you enjoy them. Thanks Heatherleee!

Coralee Pictures

Here are the pictures I promised!

Halloween

I never posted pictures of Halley on Halloween. She was a fairy princess. I took her to the store to get wings, and she picked orange. She was very excited to have orange like a pumpkin. She loved getting candy and gave me all the good stuff!

She is here....

Coralee Evelyn Brown
Born on November 3 at 4:08 p.m.
Weighed 7.1 and measured 2o inches

I went into labor late Monday night and Tuesday morning went to the hospital at 8:30 a.m. when the contractions got stronger. It was so fun going into labor naturally instead of getting induced, like I thought I was going to have to be. I liked being at home and having Nathan timing my contractions on his phone. It was exciting grabbing my bags and rushing out the door to see if we could make it to the hospital before another contraction! Luckily, we had a smooth car ride and we made it in 10 minutes.

When I went to the hospital I was already at a 5. I got the epidural at 1:00, and then I was in heaven until the last hour when I started to get "Wasatch Front Mountain" contractions, as Nathan called them. I told the doctor I needed to push, and they said go for it, and out she came! I pushed twice, it was awesome! Coralee came out face up. The doctors called her a star gazer. I guess, those labors are supposed to be really painful, so I am glad I got the epidural and that it worked this time! I was so lucky to have my mom and nurse sister with me. Rachel was staying on top of everything. I love having a big sister who watches my back! My dad even came. He decided to leave the room when I started pushing, I was pretty grateful for that! My mom watched the whole birth. She didn't intend to, but it happened so fast she couldn't believe her eyes! Nathan was a great "coach" except when he was taking pictures of the contractions monitor. He was pretty amazed by them.

Coralee is beautiful and healthy. She is so sweet. Halley loves to kiss her and pat her back. Halley wasn't able to go to the hospital because of the Swine Flu epidemic, so I was very homesick for her. It was the best feeling driving home from the hospital. Halley met us outside the hospital doors and was so excited to see that I had a balloon! I guess that is a 2 year old for you. The recovery has been rough. I had a few scares at the hospital and had to go back to the doctor today, but I guess that is my punishment for such a smooth pregnancy, labor, and delivery! I will post more pictures soon. We are still trying to get them all uploaded.

Growing Belly

I am 38 weeks as of yesterday! This picture was taken last Monday. I am getting to that uncomfortable stage, and eager to meet this little baby girl. Halley loves coming to my doctor's appointments and hearing Coralee's heartbeat. I can't wait to see Halley's face when she is holding her new baby sister. I think Halley is going to be the sweetest big sister, I hope.....

Also, yesterday we moved into my parents' house. We are all unpacked, and I officially have Coralee's things all prepared. My nesting instincts can now go to rest, however I am trying to repress the urge of buying a year supply of diapers. Good thing I have no where to store them, so I just have one package, opened and in the diaper basket ready to go. I am starting to get anxious! Tomorrow night, Nathan and I have our hospital tour. We get to see the rooms, register, and even pay the bill! Yay.... Just kidding, I am excited to see the new Kaiser Sand Canyon Hospital. It is only 2 years old. So, it should be really nice.

Pumpkin Patch

Last week, Halley and I went to the pumpkin patch with her friends. I thought Halley would love the pumpkins, but she got quickly sidetracked by the 50 little 25 cent rides. She even stole my friends wallet to get more quarters. So, next time we do a pumpkin patch I need to leave my purse in the car! We did have a free coupon for the bounce house, and the kids loved it! My friend Suzana took the pictures. Her camera is way better than mine! Enjoy.

Halley is 27 months!

Halley is 27 months old! I cannot believe it! She is really showing her personality now. It is so fun to watch her play and talk to her dolls, make pretend food, and sing songs to herself. She loves to be active and go to the park. Every morning she asks if she can go to grandma's house. Well, she is in luck, because next Saturday we are moving in with my parents. I think Halley will be in heaven! We will miss our apartment, but it will be for the best. Here is my most recent favorite picture of Halley. It was taken in SLO while having our Brown family party. She was just about to ride the bike down the stairs, luckily I distracted her with the camera! She truly is a Brown.

Baby Shower

Last month, a friend from my ward gave me a baby shower. My best friend Heatherlee and my cousin Jamie (who is due in November), even made the trip to come.

The shower was combined with my other friend, Suzana, who is also having a girl. We are due a week apart. She even has a little boy Halley's age. They are best pals, so hopefully our future little girls will be just as close.

It was so nice to celebrate the arrival of our babies. I got a lot of nice gifts. It was a very fun afternoon, and it made me realize that this baby is coming for real!

Update

Well, my tummy is starting to show more. I thought it would be fun to take some pictures on my 24th birthday. I am 29 weeks, and feeling great. I love being a mom, and I can't wait to have another baby girl. Halley will be such a good big sister. She likes to lift up my shirt and yell, "Baby Coralee, out!". I think Halley is just as anxious as I am for Coralee to come "out". I feel so blessed to have had such a smooth pregnancy so far. I am sure the prenatal massages, lunches at Subway, and frequent foot rubs from Nathan are not hurting!

Other news, Nathan was recently called to be Elder's Quorum President. He is really humbled by the calling, and is enjoying serving the families in our ward. Nathan starts classes at Cal State Fullerton at the end of the month. He will have about 2 years left! He is majoring in Communications with an emphasis in Advertising. He is looking forward to completing his Bachelor's degree, and so am I!

Halley is 25 months and amazing me everyday. She is talking a lot! She loves playing with her friends and cousins, walking to the park, helping mommy do the dishes, and going swimming. I have to watch her like a hawk in the pool, because she thinks she can swim and will jump into the water with no fear. Swim lessons, will definitely be on our agenda next summer. Also, I must say, Halley has an exceptional ear for music. She can sing right on pitch. Her favorite songs to sing are, "Twinkle, Twinkle" and "Happy Birthday". I love to watch her sit at the piano and look at sheet music and start singing. She always will grab a book of music before she climbs up onto the piano bench! She won't let me sit by her either, I have to sit on my "teacher chair" and give her a pretend piano lesson. I think I have a future piano student.

Life is good, and we have had a great summer so far! We don't want it to end!

Camping in Big Bear

A few weeks ago, we went camping with Matt and Rachel. It was so beautiful in Big Bear. We had an awesome campsite, with crazy squirrels. We learned not to leave our food unattended for any period of time, because it would be gone in a flash! The squirrels even ate through an insulated, zipped up, bag which had our stash of peanut M&M's. Those squirrels have good taste! Halley enjoyed throwing dirt in her hair, going for walks, sitting by the fire, and being with her cousins. It was a nice vacation. We love hanging out with the Riley's!

"You're a Grand Old Flag"

Here's the video of Nathan's quartet singing at the flag raising ceremony. Sorry, for the poor video, I was holding Halley in one arm and filming in the other. Feel free to close your eyes, and pump up the volume! :)

Happy Fourth of July!

We had a super busy Fourth of July, but it was super fun! At 7:30 a.m. we were at the Stake Center for the flag raising. I was playing the piano, and Nathan was singing in a Barber Shop quartet, and Halley was just running around! It turned out really nice, except the wind blew my sheet music away as I was playing for the primary children. That is one of the negative aspects of playing the piano outside. Luckily, Nathan rushed to my aide, and no one noticed! Nathan did a great job, his quartet harmonized really nicely. After the flag raising, we went to the Tustin Meadows parade. It is tradition, and I haven't missed a parade since I was alive! Halley had fun running into the street to get candy. Luckily, she only ate one sucker out of the 15 she got. We left all the candy at my mom's house! When the parade was done, we packed up the car and drove with my parents to Murrieta to party at my sister JoLene's house. We swam in the pool, ate good food, and watched Nathan play basketball with my brothers. That was a first, I have never seen Nathan play basketball, unfortunately, he got hit in the face with the ball and his glasses are broken. Oh well, a good excuse to get some cool, new frames. It was a great day, and we even got to see fireworks from the freeway on our way home!