Boy or girl--what's it gonna be?

Our 20-week ultrasound is next Thursday (April 8), so we should soon know whether BlazeBaby 2.0 is a he or a she. In the meantime, let us know what you think we're having, using the poll on the right.

Come back Thursday for the announcement!

Crazy Hair Day

Myla's day care had "Spirit Week" last week. Each day had a different theme, like Pajama Day or Class Color Day. I was most looking forward to Crazy Hair Day, because, let's face it, the girl was born for it. Unfortunately she's not too keen on letting me play with her hair for very long, so the best I could do was put her in pigtails. Not super-crazy, but super-adorable.





However, even as I put her in them, I thought "if I know day care (and I think I do), this hair will look a lot crazier by the time I pick her up." Day care did not disappoint. Here are some of the "after" pictures:

Lookin' good!

Welcome Lofton Buckles Fish!

At long last, Baby Fish has arrived! Kelly was induced yesterday (2 weeks overdue), and ended up having a cesarean. It turns out that the cord was wrapped around the little guy, so the cesarean was definitely a good thing. Lofton arrived healthy and adorable, and Kelly is doing well. Congrats to all the Fishes, we're so excited about our new nephew/cousin!

Check out Kelly's blog for more details, and here are a few pics (thanks to Uncle Tim for sending)!

21 Months Photos

Matthew took these great pictures of Myla at 21 months. She's really starting to enjoy these shoots!

Truly Magic Words

Myla has gotten really good lately at saying "thank you" whenever Matthew and I give her something or do something for her. (We also hear "please" occasionally but less often). It is absolutely the sweetest thing to hear her say "thank you Mommy" after I give her some Teddy Grahams, or even change her diaper. I have nearly cried a couple of times.

I think the charm is twofold--1) it makes us feel like we're raising a good kid (at least at the 21-month mark, still a long way to go), and 2) it's always nice to feel like she appreciates all this hard work we're doing on her behalf!


P.S. Take this as a reminder to say "thank you" to your Mom or Dad today! :) Thanks, T & B!

Baby #2 Update

I just passed the 16-week mark, so it's time for a little update on BlazeBaby 2.0! We had a doctor's appointment yesterday and everything looks good. We heard the heartbeat again, and I'm pretty sure I've felt him/her move a few times. We scheduled an ultrasound for April 8, so mark your calendars--that's when we hope to find out if Myla is having a brother or a sister!

As for me, I'm feeling less tired but otherwise no real changes. I haven't really started showing yet, possibly because my appetite is so strange. I don't always feel like eating, and while there's no one food I crave consistently, I often feel like eating ONE SPECIFIC THING and that thing only. This didn't really happen with Myla, and it's pretty crazy. For a few examples, at one time or another I have had an irrational need for buffalo wings, fruit-flavored hard candy, a junior bacon cheeseburger from Wendy's, black cherry Kool-Aid, a "cheap frozen pizza like the kind we used to have at Mamaw's," and a Buckles family concoction known as "taco salad" (in quotes because it doesn't resemble either a taco or a salad all that closely). As I read this, it is obvious that the baby has no concern for nutrition whatsoever.

Matthew has been very accommodating, pretty much just leaving the choice of meals up to me and my whims. And occasionally making a run to the grocery store to get whatever the baby wants that day, which we of course never have on hand. Such a good dad (and husband)!

Swim Lessons

So Myla just finished up her five weeks of parent-tot swim lessons at Notre Dame. I'd say she seems to be somewhere between the skill level of her dad (has a hard time floating) and her mom (could have been an Olympian). It was a really nice reason for us all to get out of the house in the middle of the brutal South Bend winter and the pool must have been 90 degrees so that sure helped.

Myla loved jumping off the side of the pool, trying to grab the rubber duckies in the water, and just splashing around. She didn't even mind getting dunked in the water. By the last week, she knew exactly where we were going when we loaded up the car on Sunday afternoons. When we pulled into the parking lot she would see the building and start saying "water." We'll probably start the next lesson up in the fall.


The class usually started with the parents dancing in a circle singing songs.



Kasey pulls Myla through the water as she tries to grab her duckie.



Myla chases after her duckie!



Myla takes her attention off the duckie and notices that daddy is snapping pictures.

First Funny Myla Quote

Matthew and Myla picked me up at the airport today, which was a really nice way to end a trip. On the way back, we got stopped by a train, and we pointed it out to Myla. After we continued on, she kept asking for "more choo-choo?". I turned around and told her that we wouldn't be seeing any more trains, and that there was "just one" train on this trip.

She let this sink in, and then asked hopefully, "two?", as if it were a negotiation. Maybe it was a had-to-be-there moment, but it really made us laugh.