"Oh, My Nola!"

Brad had his Pediatric Board Review in New Orleans all last week, and of course I couldn't resist joining him for a few days!! Before I got there, he would call and say, "I have 30 minutes for lunch. Where should I eat today?" I was able to direct him to some yummy places within walking distance of his hotel ~ Tujague's, Acme, and several others. I went down on Thursday, and although he was busy in his classes, I had a wonderful time ~ and he was able to join me for some of it, as well. :)
That night, we had dinner with Melissa (Wilson) and Jeff Berniard at Herbsaint, which was delicious, and went to the Columns (an old favorite of mine!) for drinks. It was such fun to get to see Melissa, one of my dearest and oldest friends, and her husband, Jeff! Friday, I walked around the Quarter, ate breakfast at Cafe du Monde, and did some shopping before Melissa picked me up after work. She drove me around Uptown before showing me their home. We picked up Brad for lunch at noon. The plan was to go to Domilise's for the world's best poboys, but they were on vacation that week (my luck, of course ~ Dot rarely takes a vacation, and when she does, I happen to be there for the first time in 3 years!), so we went to Camillia Grill instead. It just opened again, and it was wonderful to be back there, eating the wonderfully greasy food and seeing a couple of familiar faces behind the bar. After taking Brad back to class, Melissa and I shopped on Magazine Street to finish out the afternoon.

Friday night, we had a date night. I took Brad to Nola, one of my favorite restaurants, and we had a perfect meal after enjoying a drink in the courtyard at the Napoleon House.


Saturday, Brad had classes for half the day, so he finished just in time to join me for a Jazz Brunch at The Court of Two Sisters. We had enough turtle soup, etouffee, jambalaya, and bananas foster to keep us stuffed for days. I had been shopping around in the Quarter before that, and we went to the French Market and a little bit of the Satchmo Festival before heading to Imax for "Hurricane on the Bayou" ~ a definite must-see ~ but bring the tissues, because that is some of the most emotional 45 minutes I have ever sat through in a theater. We went to White Linen Night down on Julia that evening; Melissa and Jeff joined us towards the end, and we finished off the evening with a late-night snack of queso and chips at Superior.

No trip is complete without the required shopping, of course. Brad and I have several traditions when we travel; we have to get a Christmas ornament, magnet, and poster/print from each destination. Brad bought Elizabeth a Nola bib, and Melissa got her a fleur-de-lis sleepsack (thanks so much again!!). We got several surprises for Alli, as well ~ one to wear (a t-shirt), one with which to play dress-up (a mask), and one to eat (pralines ~ which she now loves and calls "plalines")....
Sadly, we had to leave on Sunday. I hated leaving a city so close to my heart, and the only bright spot was being able to return to my baby girl, who had spent time with all of her grandparents in Atlanta while we were gone. I loved being back in New Orleans for a few days; it was a bittersweet trip. The city is looking very good since the storm in some places (the Quarter, most of Uptown), and unchanged in others. I am so proud of the citizens of New Orleans for their strong spirit of revival, and I am proud to have called such a beautiful, amazing city home for nearly 5 years. I will be dragging Brad back every chance I get ~ and I encourage all of you to do the same! New Orleans is a tourist destination, and they need us to visit.

"Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans???"

I'm Back!!

Hey everyone! I have to say, I was afraid no one would really be checking the blog, but to my surprise, you are checking it quite often ~ to the point that I am getting a lot of emails, reminding me that it is time to update it because you want news and pictures. :) In my defense, we have been out of town and quite busy; but hopefully, this will catch everyone up on the latest Buckler News....

Okay, let me see if I can address the questions and requests I am getting.....

Yes, Brad is loving his Neonatology Fellowship. He is definitely in his element, and although it is a very difficult place to be, he truly enjoys working with the babies and his coworkers in the NICU.
Yes, we still have the dogs. Stanley, our pug, is 7 years old now ~ and just as much of a baby as ever! Doc, our golden, will be 6 in a few months, and he is as sweet and gentle as can be. Alli absolutely loves both of them, and they are both great with her. They are too cute and love each other, as well ~ what a pair they make!

Let's see.... What else? Yes, you can definitely "tell that I am pregnant!" I look and feel as if I am carrying a bowling ball in my tummy ~ I can't see my feet without straining my neck out over my belly to get a glimpse of my toes. I love my tummy!! It is so amazing to know what is going on inside of me and to be able to feel and see Elizabeth as she moves around. Alli has been interested in my growing tummy since Day 1. With the first sign of a pooch, she thought I had a boo-boo in my tummy, and she kept wanting to kiss it to make it feel better. Now, she "knows" that I am getting bigger because her baby sister is in there. She kisses my tummy ~ now, not to make me better, but to give her sister "Bootsie" some love ~ and she occasionally looks at my belly button and tries to figure out how to get the baby out! I have gotten several requests for preggo pictures, so here are some pictures from earlier today; I am 21 weeks along ~ over halfway there!!
Several of you have been asking if Alli is still signing ~ and the answer is a resounding YES! She was on the local news back in the spring for her signing, and there was an article in the paper, as well. At the time, she was signing over 100 words, and she continues to learn, constantly saying, "Mommy, I dont know the sign for (whatever). Can you show me please?" It has been a lot of fun and has not hindered her verbal ability at all. In fact, she doesn't ever seem to stop talking! :) I am still teaching my Baby Signs classes ~ just one morning a week, and an occasional evening for Parent Workshops ~ although I am taking a little hiatus right now during the summer and plan to start back again in the fall.

Alli has been having so much fun, and we have really been enjoying this time with her. She is nearly two-and-a-half now, which blows my mind!! I love seeing the wheels turn in her little head as she figures out something new ~ and I have to say, we don't give our little ones enough credit, because they are certainly smarter than we think! Recently, I was telling her that her friend, Peyton, is going to be a big sister, just like her. Alli mulled over this information and said, "So, if Peyton gonna be a big sister just like me...., then....Miss Ashley has a baby in her tummy, just like Mommy!" Wow.
We have been having lots of "adventures" this summer, and as you can see from the pictures below, she has been wearing herself out ~ unable to keep her head up! (The picture in the bottom right corner is Alli in her big girl bed, into which she moved at the beginning of June. It has been a super easy transition, and she calls us to come to her room before climbing down her stool to get out of the bed.)

This sweet, precious baby is our absolute JOY! We thank God every day for allowing us to be her mommy and her daddy ~ and now, we are thanking Him for the second precious gift He is giving us in just a few short months.....
"Every good and perfect gift is from above" ~ James 1:17

Summer Time Fun!!

We have had an amazing summer so far! And by the way, please excuse this post ~ Blogger is being more than just a little bit tempermental!!!
The summer began with trips to Dothan, then the Beach, and then a Fourth of July Party with friends. When Aunt Neen and Uncle Ross came for a visit, Alli and I drove to Lake Oconee for the night to see them and Nana and Papa. What fun!! Above is a picture of Alli and Nana taking a break to read a book together.

Alli has also taken an interest in performing for us. She loves to sing and stands on her "stage" (our entryway) and sings with her "microphone" (a mini-flashlight). She has several favorites, including "Our Blessings" ~ which she calls the "God Our Father Song" and sings as the blessing at dinnertime ~ "Jesus Loves Me," and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."

We also have had fun doing arts and crafts together. After visiting Brad at the hospital one night when he was on call, she decided she wanted to make something for his office ~ of course, she made her princess crown, too:

One of our most favorite summer time treats has been going to the pool at the Y with our friends. We go 2-3 times a week! It is super easy to manage Alli there; there are 5 pools, 2 of which are baby pools (and 1 of them has water fountains and other fun stuff), and a water park area. I basically follow her around from one thing to the next. It's a great way to wear her out and guarantee a good nap in the afternoon! :) Here we are taking a lunch break with friends, clockwise beginning on the left around the table: Maddox Greer, April Porterfield with Baby Caden and Canon, Ashley Lewis with Peyton, and Alli.

Here are Alli and Peyton playing at the water park. These girls have a lot in common! Their birthdays are only 2 days apart, and they both have baby sisters due only 3 weeks apart from each other!

This is Alli in the ring of water ~ it is one of the few times she didn't want me to join her in being completely soaked!

This summer has been a very special, very fun one for all of us. We are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends with whom to spend it! Next week, Brad will be going to New Orleans for his Pediatric Board Review, and I plan to join him for a few days and visit with friends. Alli will be in Atlanta, seeing Dede, Gigi, PapaDoc, and other family. What a summer.....!!!

Elizabeth's 18 Week Ultrasound

I had my 18 week ultrasound today ~ which is always so much fun!! Especially now with 4D ultrasound imaging. The top 2 pictures are profiles, and you can see her little hands, as well; the third is a face shot, and what looks like a claw is actually the umbilical cord; the last picture is of her legs, which were very close together ~ she had her ankles crossed (what a little lady!) until right before the sonographer took the picture. Everything looks great right now! She weighs about 10 ounces, which is right on target, and is extremely active! After Mommy had an ultrasound, the sonographer was nice enough to let Alli have a turn "looking into her tummy," as well!

The Circus Comes To Town!

Upon hearing that The Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus was in Aiken (just a half hour from Augusta), we decided that since Alli loved it so much last year, we had to go! This past Sunday, we took Alli to the circus with our friends the Greers: Emily, Stephen, and Maddox, who is essentially the closest thing Alli has to a brother. He is exactly 1month and 1 day from being 1 year younger than Alli. We had a blast! Granted, there were not many animals to see ~ just horses and dogs, because the elephant would not fit into the building ~ but the kids didn't care. They loved the clowns, lights, and acts going on in the ring. Alli even had cotton candy for the first time. She liked it at first, then after about a second, she said "Mommy, where did it go?" Of course, it had dissolved in her mouth. :) Needless to say, we had some sleepy toddlers by the time we left!

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!

Ultrasound at 16 1/2 weeks

We found out this past Tuesday 7/10 that we are definitely having a baby girl!! We are so excited, and we feel so blessed to have another little princess on the way! We have told Alli, who loves to tell others that her baby sister, Elizabeth ("Lil-Bet", as she says), is coming and that her nickname is "Bootsie Buckler" (yeah, we may have to work on that one!). Everything looks good right now ~ mom and baby are healthy so far, and we counted 10 fingers and 10 toes. We just wanted to share our happy news with all of you! Please continue praying that all goes well with this pregnancy ~ so far, so good!

Happy 4th of July!!!

It wouldn't be July 4th without yummy watermelon!

Having fun in the pool with Daddy!
(Alli certainly wasn't sinking ~ with swimmies, a vest, and an innertube!)

Lunchtime

Floating with Madison

We had a wonderful day yesterday! The Bells had several friends over for a cookout and fun in the pool. Lots of little girls, all 3 and under, were there to join in the fun: Alli, Madison, Megan, Peyton, MacKenzie, and Eva. We missed you, Maddox! You would've enjoyed playing with your "harem" of little ladies!! We hope you all had a safe and happy Fourth of July, as well!