Newborn photo shoot -- slide show!

This has been on our photographer's website for a couple of weeks now...but I was keeping it to myself :) 

I can't believe they were this little...

Click HERE !! 

I love Dawn Haas. She is super nice and obviously knows what she is doing behind the camera! I ordered our announcements last night and they should be here soon. Not that I haven't been announcing them enough already...

Weekend Update!

     On Saturday Brian and I enjoyed some fun at the Strawberry festival! We bought cowboy hats and wore them the whole time, it was hilarious! And we ate so much junk food. I won two goldfish but forgot to go back and get them before we left. Later Brian told me he remembered about the goldfish but didn't want to remind me!!! How rude. I was trying to rescue them from a life on the road, traveling across fairgrounds. Oh well. We also bought some strawberries. A half of a flat! I see some strawberry banana smoothies in my near future! 

     On the way home we stopped for dinner at a sushi/hibachi restaurant in Tampa called Koto. It was delicious! I had what seemed like the world's largest glass of wine. It hit me pretty fast so I knew I should not be pumping for a while. (Don't worry I waited over 2 hours!) It was so nice to have a dinner where we didn't have to jump up to take care of anyone. We could just enjoy ourselves. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!! 

     Sunday morning I snuck away to breakfast with Lauren, Katie, and Stephanie while Brian took care of Brett and Emma. I think he had it pretty easy. When I came home they were all cuddled up in bed! 

Rocco trying to squeeze in for some cuddles, too!

     So that was our weekend, it was pretty nice! Monday always comes too fast!

     In other news...Brett and Emma are going to be formula babies. GASP! I have to get back on an RA medication that can cross into my milk and harm the babies. I haven't been feeling too bad but I had an appointment with my rheumatologist today and she can tell my joints are swelling and I need to start the medication soon because it takes about a month to start working. I also really need to get off of the steroid I have been on since August. This is all bittersweet to me because I love knowing that I am giving them the best with breast milk (breast is best!) but I hate hate hate having to pump all the time (7x a day/night to be exact!) and am so glad to be done with it. So they got all the immunological benefits of breastmilk -and possibly excessive amounts of caffeine- for 6 weeks. I am good with that! 

     That's all for now...but I had to post the cutest YouTube video ever. In case you haven't seen this, get ready for a belly laugh! 

Thanks for reading!

Brown eyed girl!

     Guess who is gonna have brown eyes!! This picture doesn't do it much justice but I am pretty sure Emma's eyes are turning brown. (Just like her momma's!) It might be too soon to know for sure, but they are definitely getting much darker, only time will tell!

Brown eyes??

     Brett's eyes are still bright blue...maybe they will stay that way? Or be green like his daddy's??

     Today Brian and I are going to the Florida Strawberry Festival. We are very excited because this will be our first date since the babies were born! B&E will be going to Grandma and Grandpa Boksen's house for the day. I know Susan and Bert are very excited. And why wouldn't they be?? Look at these cuties!

                                       


     Do you see that little toy in the corner of that last picture?? It is Jacques the peacock. The babies love love love him!! I ordered Jacques and his friend Freddie the firefly from Amazon. The toys are bright and colorful and make squeaky sounds, which they will love as they get older. Right now they stare at the black/white contrast patterns that line the backs of the toys. It is very cool to watch. They also love looking at themselves in mirrors! Playtime is so fun with them!

     I hope everyone has a great Saturday! The weather here is super nice today. It is only supposed to get up to about 72 degrees, but in the sun I think it will feel perfect. A great day to be outside, eating a ton of junk food and playing midway games!

What's next? Kindergarten?

     Oh my goodness these babies are growing out of control!! I just cannot take it. 


There is a small pile of clothes forming as I do laundry...the "too small" pile. 


     At night we swaddle Brett and Emma in Summer swaddlers and they just wear white Gerber onesies. Brian was putting Emma in one the other night and told me that her head could barely fit through the opening! And the snaps were coming undone on Brett's! So the newborn onesies, 5-8lbs, are now too small. Isn't that heartbreaking?! How do they grow so fast?


I found this online yesterday and of course it made me get so teary...

     Song for a fifth child - Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth, 

Empty the dustpan, poison the moth, 

Hang out the washing and butter the bread, 

Sew on a button and make up a bed. 

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?

 She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I’ve grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue 

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due 

The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew 

And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo 

But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo. 

Look! Aren’t her eyes the most wonderful hue? 

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow, 

For children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow. 

So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep. 

I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

Did you read that last line?? 'I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.'

waaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!

OK...so to cheer you up after that tear jerker here are some pictures!

Emma during some tummy time!

Hi!! 

Me and the kiddos at my sister's house last weekend

OMG! Isn't this the cutest picture ever!! And I love this
onesie from Stace and Caitlin - 'mommy's new man' HA!

Wacky Wednesday!

     So, today is Ash Wednesday. I am not Catholic but giving up something for Lent is always a fun little way to revive a failed new year's resolution or try to eliminate a bad habit. 


 I decided to give up 3 things:


1. Budgeting. It just isn't for me. I am too impulsive. I thought having a budget would be fun. I even signed up on Mint.com to track my spending. Well those colorful pie charts only confirmed what I already knew; I do a lot of shopping! And Brian goes out to lunch a lot! (So, we are even.)


2. Doing laundry every day. I spend way too much time doing laundry. And I never have time to finish it so clothes sit in the washer and have to be re-washed. Or they sit in the dryer and get wrinkly. Or worse, they sit on the couch where Rocco nestles in for his naps. So, I am resolving to only doing laundry when Brian is home, so I can give it my full attention!


3. Powdered Formula. I really cannot wait to give up using formula for good, if that ever happens! But for now the babies get about one or two bottles of formula a day. The rest is mommy's milk! But the powdered stuff is so gross to me. I hate mixing it. It gets clumpy and after you shake it you have to let it settle. I don't have time for that mess so I am sticking to liquid formula and ready to feed bottles only. It is more expensive but totally worth it in my opinion. Besides, see #1. I don't have a budget anymore, so I can do whatever I want :)


That's my spin on Lent. I know some people are giving up chocolate, TV, Facebook, all kinds of crazy things! Overachievers.


                           *I'll check back in around Easter and let you know how I did*


     Brett and Emma are doing fantastic, they are sleeping away right now! Brett is in the pack and play and Emma is in her swing. I am sure they will be up very soon, ready to play. We are trying to get our recommended 30 minutes a day of tummy time, but it is harder than you might think. But I would say they are doing pretty well because they are both lifting their heads up all the time. They are very strong babies! 


     We haven't seen too many smiles yet. Except the sleepy/gassy ones. Emma is a little more expressive than Brett right now. She stays awake longer and loves to look around. She makes some noises and likes to play. Brett makes noises but they are his gas squeals! But I did pick up some Mylicon so hopefully that helps a little.  


     They have been sleeping a little more. Last night Emma slept almost 4 hours straight. Brett slept 5 hours on Saturday night. So they are making their way to some longer stretches. Last night they were not waking up at the same time. When this happens I would usually wake the other up so that they get back to the same schedule. But, I wanted to see how long Brett would sleep so I didn't wake him when Emma got up at 3:45AM. After I fed her, changed her, re-swaddled and then pumped two bottles...it was 5:00. I got back into bed and just a few minutes later Brett was stirring around. I started to regret not waking him up but Brian was a champ and took care of him. He's the best!


     That's all for now. Happy Wednesday :) 

  

  

About Brett's bottom...

     Yesterday was an interesting day in the Boksen home!! Wednesday afternoon I noticed Brett had a little diaper rash. I put some Desitin on it but I didn't think it was too bad. Thursday morning when I changed Brett his rash had gotten way worse. His skin was raw and even bleeding. Of course I freaked out! So I called my sister - a certified baby pro in my opinion :) - and our pediatrician's office. My sister gave me good advice. I washed Brett in the tub and wrapped him up in a towel to dry off/air out without a diaper. And I lathered him up in Butt Paste. A couple of hours later the pediatrician called me back and said we should come in so they can take a look. I was sort of surprised that they wanted to see him for a diaper rash but was glad they were being so proactive. They wanted us to come in right away, so I fed them quickly to make sure they wouldn't be hungry and loaded them into their car seats. And then I ventured on a little journey called "taking twins out by yourself." It was something I didn't think I would be doing for a long time, but I was in a pinch! And guess what..it was pretty easy! I didn't use the stroller because the thing is huge and I wouldn't be able to hold doors open and push it through. So I just kept them in their car seats and carried them, one in each arm. I am going to be pretty buff soon! 

     When we got to the office we got to meet a new pediatrician, Dr M. He was a nice guy and gave me lots of great tips. Actually all the same tips I got from my sister. He also said Brett might have sensitive skin and to not use baby wipes on him for a while. I am not sure if Brett was impressed with him though, because he peed on him twice! 

     So that was our little adventure yesterday...Brett's diaper rash. He was sooo upset in the morning. He was dirtying his diapers constantly and screaming every time. I could barely put him down without crying! But when we came home from the doctor he slept in his car seat for almost 4 hours! He must have been exhausted from all the crying and fussing he had been doing all day. 

     Today his rash looks pretty good. It should be completely cleared up in another day or so. And I am so glad because I hated seeing him so upset. 

    So one mommy freak out moment down, a million more to go!! :)

HAPPY FRIDAY!

PS - For anyone having diaper rash issues, Maximum Strength Desitin Original Paste (NOT cream) is 40% zinc oxide. I know a lot of people say Desitin doesn't work well, but try the paste instead of the cream. Even Boudreaux's Butt Paste is only 16% zinc oxide. So this is the real deal, people!

One Month babies!

Brett and Emma turned one month old on Tuesday!! I cannot believe how fast this month has gone by. It has been fun/crazy/eventful/stressful/interesting...and so much more! 

We have been taking lots and lots of pictures, here are a few of our favorites!

Be back soon with updates...it has been busy!!