Goodbye 2010!!

This was such a great year :) Brian and I have a lot to be thankful for. So many exciting things happened.

2010 in Review:

In January we...decided to start our family!!! I slowly went off of my RA medications so that I could become pregnant. Brian ran the Disney Marathon!!

Race Morning Before: Approx: 3AM Race Morning After: Approx. 10AM

In February we...celebrated our 2nd Valentine's Day as a married couple :) We went to a charity dinner hosted by Shelton Quarles and were waited on by Bucs players. It was so much fun!

One of our waiters...Mark Royals!

In March we...were able to start trying for a baby!! All of my medications were out of my system and we got the all clear from my gynecologist and rheumatologist.

In April we...added a new addition to our family! I went to NYC for a weekend and came home with Rocco!! Brian was not too happy at first but it didn't take long for Rocco to win his heart :)

I sent Brian this picture and said "Can I keep him??"

Brian said "NO!"

And although he was a little mad at first...

he loves Rocco more than ever now!

In May we...celebrated Brian's 27th birthday. For his birthday he got a kayak! We also found out we were pregnant!!! It was on May 31st that we saw the positive pregnancy test :) No Memorial Day drinks for me!

Brian taking his kayak on it's maiden voyage from our dock, and Rusty jumped in the mud to try and follow him!

In June we...went to doctor at 7 weeks to confirm pregnancy. A quick ultrasound showed TWINS!!! We also went to Hawaii for a week with Brian's family! I had some morning sickness and Brian got the Norwalk Virus but we still had a good time.

Twins!

Boksen family photo in Hawaii

In July we...enjoyed the summertime. We watched the 4th of July fireworks from Brian's parents condominium in downtown St. Petersburg. We went to lots of Rays games and BBQs with our friends and families.

In August we...had an awful flare-up with my RA! My hips were inflamed and I was not able to walk. I was out of work for about a month and Brian took great care of me!

In September we...found out the genders of our babies! We had a party with our families to tell everyone the good news. It's a girl...and a boy! I was able to go back to work after the inflammation in my hip finally went away.

Baby A is a boy! Baby B is a girl!

In October we...really started to get serious about baby business! We painted the nursery and Brian started putting together the cribs and changing tables.

In November we...went to Naples for a babymoon! It was a fun and relaxing trip and our last out of town adventure before the babies.

In December we...celebrated the holidays with our families! We celebrated our 2nd year wedding anniversary and my 25th birthday! Brian bought a new car! He loves his 2011 Ford Edge, and I am a little jealous.

We are so happy to have shared so many great memories with our friends, families, and each other. We know 2011 will bring us many more great adventures. Thank you to everyone who makes every day so special for us. We cannot wait to see you in 2011!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas!! Brian and I sure did. My family came over yesterday and it was so nice. My mom and Grandma cooked a lot of delicious food, all my favorites! It was so nice to see everyone and still get to relax at home. THANK YOU!! :)

Brian really spoiled me this Christmas with a beautiful necklace with "Brett" and "Emma" on tiny little footprints and a birthstone for January. I hope I don't carry these babies into February!!! He also got me a little sea monkey farm! I was very excited :) He really surprised me with Marc Jacobs sunglasses I have been wanting for a while and a beautiful blue Burberry scarf. He wasn't expecting much for Christmas since I gave him 8 awesome presents for Hanukkah but I slipped a new XBox360 under the tree and he was so happy! He has been complaining that his hasn't been working well for a little while so I figured he would get rid of it when he got a new one. Nope. Now he has one upstairs and one downstairs...how convenient! Oh well, he can get all of his video gaming in now while we wait for the babies. Plus he has something to do when I make him go to bed early with me :)

Rusty and Rocco had a good Christmas, too. They got a lot of doggy toys. Rusty loves the Christmas tree. Here she is sleeping under it:

Isn't she sooo cute!!

Even though it was a great Christmas, we are really looking forward to Christmas with the babies next year! The babies are just a few weeks away from being born and there are still a few things to do. The nursery is almost done, but we need to finish putting away all the clothes and gifts! I started washing everything but I am getting tired of that, so I think I will just start hanging everything up and washing it as we need it. We have clothes from newborn sizes to 24 months, so there will be plenty of time for laundry. (OK, I know I will be kicking myself for that later!!)

We also need to pack a hospital bag and choose the babies' coming home outfits! The first outfit they wear after the hospital is very important. That is all I can think of for now, but I am sure there will be more and more things to get done!

Right now the babies are the size of honeydews. WOW!!!

Your amazing baby is on the move! They’ve been riding fairly high in your stretched-out womb till now (while kindly compressing your poor internal organs), but now they’re planning on making the big move to your pelvis this week. If you haven’t noticed it already, you’ll be feeling the weight shift that signals that your baby is most likely out of breech position, with their head now resting on your pubic bone. In liver news: although not quite fully formed, your little miracle’s liver is now capable of processing a certain amount of waste. In general, most of your child’s prenatal physical development is pretty much up to snuff and ready for the outside world. Naturally, further weight gain is expected—so you’re still not at maximum capacity despite probably feeling like you definitely are maxed out.

We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!! Thanks for reading, and we will continue to keep you updated on Brett and Emma!! THEY ARE ALMOST HERE!!!! :)

Hello, hello!!

Hi! I know it has been a little while since I have updated, oops! The last few weeks have been very BUSY! Brian and I have such great friends and family!!! We were thrown three baby showers! We are so lucky to have so many people who care about us :) We got a lot of really nice presents, and one I picked out myself. Brian's mom wanted to buy me a diaper bag so we went shopping together a few times. I finally narrowed it down to the perfect one! I don't have and really good pictures from the baby shower but here is the website picture...

I am so in love with it!! Thanks, Susan and Bert!! :)

So we have been busy putting away gifts, organizing the nursery, putting furniture together, writing thank you notes...and a lot more!

I finished up work on December 17th. It is hard to believe I will not be working again until August! I am looking forward to getting ready for the babies...and then spending lots and lots of time with them.

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and they measured the babies, again! I love hearing how much they weigh! Baby A (Brett) is estimated to be 3 lbs 13 oz and Baby B (Emma) is estimated to be 4 lbs 9 oz! She is "hungrier" the nurse said! Both babies are moving around a lot, have strong heartbeats, and have been practicing their breathing. Some days I wish they would just come out already, but hearing their weights reminds me they still need time to keep growing and aren't ready for our world just yet. In 4 more weeks the babies will have their measurements again. We can't wait!

I have been feeling pretty good the last few weeks. Just tired but no problems. I have been a little uncomfortable. Mostly because I am so big it is hard to get up and down. My feet swell out of control, and my hands too! I cannot wear my wedding ring but I did get a fake one from Claire's. My ring is a 4 1/2 and this one is a 6!

Isn't it cute! :) And look at my nice manicure. It is called Shellac and is a two week manicure that does not chip! A lot of salons are starting to offer this service and it is well worth it! It is much less harsh then acrylic nails but just as sturdy! Check it out :)

That is all the news for now..I promise to update more frequently now that things aren't so busy. Just a few more weeks and the babies will be here. HOORAYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!

32 Week Poll

How far along? 32 weeks, 5 days
Total weight gain/loss: 53 lbs
Matern

ity clothes? Yes...and I have plenty that are way too small if anyone wants to borrow some!
Stretch marks? ugghhhhhhh

Sleep: Yes yes yes!
Best moment this week: Hearing the weight estimations

Movement: Oh boy! All the time.
Food cravings: Chocolate.
Gender: One boy and one girl!
Labor Signs: Nope. Possible Braxton Hicks but the babies move so much I can't really tell.
Belly Button in or out? Mostly out but it looks so silly!

What I miss: A lot of things!
What I am looking forward to: Meeting the babies
Weekly Wisdom: Get lots of sleep.

Milestones: Nothing new!

28 weeks!!!!

At the beginning of November, Brian and I went to Naples for the weekend. We had a really nice time. We stayed at the Naples Grande Resort, and it was very nice. I would seriously recommend it to anyone visiting Naples. Brian planned the whole thing all by himself! Very impressive :)

We are still working on the nursery! Brian put together both cribs and a changing table. The painting is done. Now I am busy searching the internet for Dr. Seuss decor! I found these adorable outlet covers and shelves online.

I know this isn't the best picture, but they are very very cute! The outlet covers are from Etsy seller Starrs Creations. The shelves are from eBay seller mine-n-yours_2008.

I am also waiting on some wall decals that I found on Etsy. I cannot wait to get them on the walls!!

The babies have been moving around so much! They practically never stop. Between the two of them there is always something going on :) It is so weird to see body parts rolling across my belly! I don't really feel "kicks" anymore. It is more like rolling or strong, heavy moves. Every time we go to the doctor the babies are in a different position. I know they are getting cramped for space in there, but they are still finding ways to get comfortable :) At my last appointment, both babies were breech. That means their feet were down. They have plenty of time to switch positions, but if they are breech when it is time for me to deliver, I will need to have a c-section. I really do not want to do that, but obviously it will be whatever is best for the babies!

It might seem a little early to be thinking about delivering, but it is really so close! I only have about 9 more weeks, at the most. Anytime in January would be OK for the babies to be born. The later the better, but definitely before January 27th they will be here!!

I went in for a one hour glucose screening this week and passed! The nurse told me with twins and being on prednisone I would likely fail the one hour and need to do the three hour test. Luckily that was not the case! YAY!

I am off of work for the next week and will be sleeping a lot! Also shopping for the nursery, making appointments to meet pediatricians, and getting ready for my baby shower on Saturday. I am SO EXCITED! Susan brought some stuff for the shower over this week and put it in the outside room and told me not to look. I am being so good, I promise I haven't peeked! But it is killing me. I would have never thought to go in there anyways, now I am so curious.

How far along? 28 weeks, 3 days
Total weight gain/loss: 45 pounds
Maternity clothes? Jumped sizes in maternity clothes from small to medium!
Stretch marks? ugghhhhhhh

Sleep: Lots of sleep, 10 hours a night! More on the weekends!
Best moment this week: Watching the babies move!

Movement: Yes
Food cravings: Not really...just enjoying eating whatever I want!
Gender: One boy and one girl!
Labor Signs: Nope. Possible Braxton Hicks but the babies move so much I can't really tell.
Belly Button in or out? Making its way out!

What I miss: A lot of things!
What I am looking forward to: Meeting the babies
Weekly Wisdom: Don't make eye contact with strangers or they might talk to you FOREVER -- I am sticking with this one!

Milestones: Nursery is still coming along very nicely :) Babies are moving a lot!

Giraffe for sale!

Guess what!!!

Brian and I decided on a new nursery theme! Dr. Seuss!! We are soooo excited, it is going to be super cute. We decided on it last weekend and then immediately started painting! So it is official :)

I wanted to do a striped wall and I think this came out so nice! I was nervous to paint ourselves but I am very happy with it. Brian and I were so lucky to have lots of help from Katie and Lauren!!

Thanks so much!

Brian worked so hard on painting!

I have found A LOT online for Dr. Seuss nursery decor and I am pretty much obsessed. I am especially loving cartoon furniture and am trying to find some pieces at a reasonable price.

Doesn't this stuff look so fun??

Over the weekend we also went and had maternity pictures done! Our photographer posted one picture on facebook and the rest will be on her blog next week. We loved her! She was very nice and professional. I cannot wait to see the rest of the pictures but here is the one she posted...

We still have a lot to do before the babies come! We are finishing up our registries, signing up for birthing classes, and picking out a pediatrician! Lots of important things.

The babies are growing quick and moving a lot these days. They are each about two pounds! I feel them move all day and night and it is such a fun feeling :)

The babies are about the size of an eggplant!

I cannot believe at one point they were just poppy seeds...it is crazy to think how fast this has gone by!

Well, that is everything for now! Thanks for reading :)

24 weeks!!

It has been a long 3 weeks since I last posted. A lot of updates! Brian and I are still playing the name game. We are settled on a name for Ms. Baby Boksen -- EMMA!!! Mr. Baby Boksen is still in the works. I have a feeling we are going to be debating this for a little longer.

We decided on a theme for the nursery, this was a lot of work. At one point I seriously considered two nurseries. Brian was against this and luckily he talked me out of it. I know it is way more work...but I am having such a hard time picking a theme that will work for boy/girl. There are some pretty cute gender neutral nurseries out there and after lots of searching we are set on an alphabet themed jungle safari room! That is just a combination of two nurseries that we could not decide between.

I am excited to order this 5 foot stuffed giraffe for the room!

I already bought this little giraffe at a craft fair this weekend. It is hand made out of a gourd! Pretty cool :)

G is for Giraffe!

Brian is working hard on the nursery. So far he has put together one of the Graco Lauren cribs! Using just these two tools...

And it is all done! :)

There is still a LOT more to do, but this is a good start :)

Brian and I are getting maternity photos done on Saturday. We are both very excited. Right, Brian??? Just kidding -- he is not really that excited. But I am. We decided to use Dawn Haas after some recommendations and looking at the beautiful pictures on her blog. She is reasonably priced and very nice! I cannot wait to see how the pictures turn out!

We have a doctor appointment on Wednesday...I will keep everyone posted :)

21 Week Poll

How far along? 24 weeks, 4 days
Total weight gain/loss: 30+ pounds!
Maternity clothes? Yeah!
Stretch marks? Still looking good :)

Sleep: Sleeping well but waking up a lot! My back hurts!!
Best moment this week: Brian put together a crib

Movement: Oh yeah!!!
Food cravings: Not really...just enjoying eating whatever I want!
Gender: One boy and one girl!
Labor Signs: Nope
Belly Button in or out? It is just a flattie!

What I miss: Wine and sushi!
What I am looking forward to: Painting the nursery...this weekend!! :) (Well, supervising the painting of the nursery!)
Weekly Wisdom: Don't make eye contact with strangers or they might talk to you FOREVER

Milestones: The nursery has officially been started!! Wood floors are in, one crib is together, and I bought a super cool giraffe at a craft booth over the weekend.

21 weeks!

It has been a really great week with the wombmates!! Wednesday we had a heart scan of all the chambers and everything looked fantastic.

The doctor said my babies have beautiful hearts! :) They are right on track at 8 inches and 1 pound each!

The babies switched places in utero so baby A is now the girl and baby B is now the boy. Weird! We really need to name them so we can stop calling them A and B.

Especially when they are going to be switching all around!

I have been feeling so many kicks, punches, everything! Even Brian is able to feel

them now. They usually only happen once or twice in a row so I try to get him to catch it but he misses it a lot. I think last Sunday was the first time he really felt it, he was very excited!

I did have a little scare this morning! I was unplugging my hair straightener and the box popped off of the cord and I grabbed the exposed wiring as I was unplugging it! I didn't even realize what

happened until I felt a jolt up my arm and dropped the plug! I called my doctor right away and left a message with the answering service. My doctor called me back within 5 minutes! He said the babies should be fine and I have felt them moving since then, so

that is good!! I am hoping they come out with some sort of superpowers though.

This is the killer straightener plug! It is a CHI and I have had it for a few years, so maybe I needed a new one anyways! I went to Trade Secret today and they were on sale! Woo-hoo. I got a new one that has a digital thermostat and you can change the temperature! Pretty cool :) Just another baby expense I guess!

Anyways I am SO HAPPY that it is October because I can finally put up these Halloween decorations I bought weeks ago! Brian and I are decorating tomorrow. It is his only day off this week, so I won't go too hard on him! Lightning pre-season kicks off tonight so he is busy working already. Booo. He will be busy all the time now until the season ends in April (I think). Later if they have a good season and make the playoffs! Yikes!!

21 Week Poll

How far along? 21 weeks, 2 days
Total weight gain/loss: 20 lbs
Maternity clothes? Yes -- every day!
Stretch marks? Not yet :)

Sleep: I slept in until 10AM today!! I have not been able to do that in a long time!!
Best moment this week: Seeing the babies on Wednesday! And their "beautiful" hearts!

Movement: Yes, more and more every day!
Food cravings: I was craving chocolate alllll week and Brian took me the The Melting Pot last night. Delicious!!
Gender: One boy and one girl!
Labor Signs: Nope
Belly Button in or out?Almost a total outtie!

What I miss: clear skin!
What I am looking forward to: Getting started on the nursery
Weekly Wisdom: Keep smiling!

Milestones: Over halfway!

20 weeks!!

WOW! I cannot believe I am over halfway done with this pregnancy. Thank God. I honestly am not a good pregnant person. I used to think that after a few weeks I would LOVE being pregnant and I felt a little guilty when other women said they loved being pregnant. I kept thinking "I am sure I will feel that way, soon!" Well guess what. No freaking way. I am way too vain for this. It is a truly humbling experience. Somebody told me that when you are pregnant with a girl, she "steals" your beauty. I must be growing a Victorias Secret model inside of me!!

I feel a little better getting that off of my chest. In a few years when Brian and I decide that we might want more children, please refer me back to this post so that I can be reminded of how very little I am enjoying this. THANKS!!

Here are some updates:

1. We are getting wood floors installed upstairs next week!!! We are very excited. Once those are done we can put together the nursery. I need to get a picture ASAP of the "before."

2. I am trying to decide between two fantastic area photographers for a maternity photo session for me, Brian and the wombmates. I am very torn between Jason Angelini and Dawn Haas. I am sure we will use the same person for a newborn session within the first two weeks of birth also, so it is a tough choice!

3. I went back to work this week and it is so great to be back. I missed my kids! And the week went by so fast. I am actually sleeping much better because my job gets me so tired.

4. We have an appointment on Wednesday to see the babies hearts during an ultrasound called a Fetal Heart Echo. We love seeing the babies so much, they are bigger and bigger at every appointment! And we get to learn a little about their personalities. Someone is always doing flips off the others head or something crazy. Who knows what Wednesday will bring!

20 Week Poll

How far along? 20 weeks, 2 days
Total weight gain/loss: 20 lbs
Maternity clothes? Yes -- every day!
Stretch marks? Nope! Using cocoa butter every day on all the B's and it has done a good job so far!

Sleep: I have been sleeping a lot since going back to work! My job wears me out.
Best moment this week:Feeling lots of kicks!

Movement: Yes, a few times a day I feel something.
Food cravings: Not really.
Gender: One boy and one girl!
Labor Signs: Nope
Belly Button in or out?Almost a total outtie!

What I miss: clear skin
What I am looking forward to: doctor appointment on Wednesday
Weekly Wisdom: Keep smiling!

Milestones: Over halfway!

Until the floors are done and the nursery is ready...here is a picture of our baby furniture piling up :) We ordered the Graco Lauren convertible cribs over Labor Day weekend when they were on sale with a changing table and mattress! Even though we probably won't use the convertible beds (I am thinking car and princess beds!), it was a really great deal. You can see Rusty and Rocco are not that excited, but Brian and I are! And you can catch a little glimpse of the green carpeting on the stairs. The whole upstairs is carpeted that color and in a week it will be wood! The stairway will be carpeted a lighter color that matches the wood very nicely! I can't wait for it to be finished!

Things that I have been missing...

I have been pregnant for almost 5 months!! It has been such a great time...but it does not come without sacrifices. Here are some things I have been missing...

I do not miss Snoopy....but I miss sleeping all night long! Instead, I wake up to pee a few times and can never fall right back to sleep!! I don't turn the lights on, I try to keep my eyes closed the whole time, I try everything! But once I am up it is a good 20 minutes before I can fall back asleep, and that is if I am lucky. Take today for instance...I have been up since 4:30AM!

I miss wine!!! Red wine, white wine, it doesn't matter. I just miss it! Lauren was an AMAZING friend and found some non-alcoholic wine to bring to me last week when we had dinner together. I thought it was the coolest thing! It turns out it was really grape juice, in a wine bottle. Oh well..it was still fun!

Of course I miss sushi! I used to drag Brian out to sushi almost once a week. It is my favorite thing to eat after a good workout. I think I will have some sushi brought to me in the hospital as soon as I deliver these babies :) And do you know what goes great with sushi??

SAKE! Mmm sake is so good...warm or cold! I could drink a kettle by myself - not really a good idea but totally possible! And sake bombs are my favorite! A lot of my college memories are clouded by images of flying chopsticks and spilled beer.

I miss runny eggs!! I eat a lot of eggs, breakfast is my favorite meal! But these days, my eggs have to be scrambled all the way. That is so boring to me! I try to make fun omelets and add cheese and things to help the eggs out...but in the end it is never exactly the same.

Even though giving up some of these things have been hard, it is going to be totally worth it in just a few months!!!!! I cannot wait to meet these healthy little babies I have been growing :)

Gender Reveal Party - Twins Style!

Brian and I hosted a gender reveal party tonight and it was so much fun!!

We invited our families over and asked everyone to wear different colors to represent what their guesses were for the sex of the babies. Blue meant 2 boys, pink meant 2 girls, and purple meant one of each!

What do you think most people guessed???

Purple!!!

There were a few team blue...

And a few team pink...

Brian's dad wanted to vote for everything, so that he would be right...

Finally it was time to cut the cakes!! Yummy :)

Brian's parents cut cake A...

AND.....

It's a boy!!!

My parents cut cake B...

AND....

It's a girl!!!

We are so happy to be expecting one boy and one girl :)

The party was fun...the cakes were adorable...it was really a great time!

I was hobbling around on my leg some of the night, but was back in my wheelchair before it was all over. It was nice to move around some and I am really hoping that by the end of the long weekend I will be able to go back to work!!

I will leave you with a picture of me looking huge while I grow one baby girl and one baby boy sweet potato!

Thanks for reading :)