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!