Picture Perfect

Oma visited this past weekend and while she was here she attempted a Yeager family photo.
 

Don't hate us because we're beautiful.

Meet Me In St. Louie

This past weekend we drove to St. Louis to visit with my sister and brother-in-law, Lauren and Nathanael. We figured Abigail needed some time with her aunt and uncle. And we thought a trip to the St. Louis Zoo would be a fun way to spend an afternoon.

 

We think the elephant might have been her favorite.

Lunchtime

Look at our hilarious and adorable kid.

She also knows the sounds for a duck and a snake, but I forgot to ask for those. Oma, Bapa, Nana, & Gragon are her grandparents. So far she hasn't been brave enough to try any other names. Sorry Auntie M and Lauren... and all you other aunts and uncles. We'll keep trying.

Curbside Shopping

I'm feeling rich and a little bit clever today. A few weeks ago when I was driving home from the grocery store, I spied our neighbors getting rid of a perfectly good six-person patio table and chairs. We've been garage sale-ing for patio furniture for years, and this stuff looked way better than what we'd seen before. I pulled over just as Ed began tacking up a sign that said, "FREE. Please take."

Um, all right. I will, thank you very much.

I know I shouldn't care so much about getting/having stuff, but this was FREE! And I'm so excited - the set looks brand new. The other two chairs are residing on our screened porch off to the left of the photo. Plus, David and Mom2 bought me the umbrella for my birthday, and he had a chance to put it all together this weekend. So last night after Abigail went to bed, we sat outside, lit some candles, and actually enjoyed being in our backyard. How nice.

Yay for free stuff. And birthdays.

Just a Few More Pictures, I Promise

 After our trip to Ocean City, we spent a long weekend in VA with David's sister. R & S have three kids. Their youngest, Anna, was born just 4 hours before Abigail. It was a blast watching the baby girls play together.

 David's nephew, Adam, pulled out his guitar shortly after Uncle Vid started strum- ming. Look at how he's trying to play left-handed!

Daniel reminds me of Ralphie (from A Christmas Story) in this picture. Not sure why he donned the glasses to read, but I thought it was pretty great.

The girls spent a lot of time swapping toys, following one another around, and staring each other down. They really enjoyed having one another to play with (at least from what we could tell).

A Little Before and After

The family that bought The Little House has lived here for just over two years now. This is what it looked like the morning we moved in.

And this is what it looks like now:

I'm pretty proud of us.

Since we've owned our home we've redone a bathroom, waterproofed the basement and put in a sump pump, installed an attic fan, replaced every single window, installed central air, replaced the front door, removed some bushes and planted new ones, and pruned the trees. Oh, and of course we repainted every room in the house and tore up old carpet, too. See why. (Does that count as crucial home repair? I think it does.) I just talked with a tree guy today about taking down a tall spindly pine on the east side of the house. (I'd love to plant a dwarf Redbud in that empty spot on the right side of the photo. Someday, maybe.) On Wednesday a contractor friend is coming to price what it will take to replace our second bathroom (that we had to tear out during the waterproofing job) and better heat our partially finished basement - we want a playroom for the Babblegail. I know we won't be able to afford both jobs, but I'm excited about his visit anyway. We will be able to afford the bathroom, and it will be nice to be a two-bath house once again. We had some near-emergency situations during my pregnancy, and I want to avoid that before we start on the next one.

Ocean City in Black and White

More Ocean City Photos

Steamed crab night. It's serious business, people.

David learning to eat steamed crab.

Steamed crab is one  thing my sister Lauren will eat that I won't touch. I like crab - I just don't want to dissect one in order to get my dinner.

Mom and Craig.

PopPop and his granddaughter sitting in the shade, having a conversation.

Abigail loving the ocean.

Abigail and Oma. I used to make this face.

On Holiday

The trouble with blogging as infrequently as I do is that when I finally sit down to blog, I have too many things I want to say. Like right now. I know I ought to talk about our now three-week-old vacation to Ocean City, MD. But I also want to tell you about David and the Bee, and David vs. That Tree Root. And I want you to hear about and celebrate with me because today I got a "Save the Date" email for the annual Best Fall Party Ever (not its real name). And I suspect one of my friends might be pregnant. All post-worthy stuff, at least according to this blog's standards.

But that's too many topics for one post. So I'll stick with vacation. But now that it's so far gone, I can't think of much to say, other than this: My family goes to Ocean City, Maryland every summer. I've posted about it before - a week of gluttony and sun-worship. I'm a big fan, despite the fact that I don't actually like swimming in the ocean. But this year was a little different. Still indulgent and gluttonous, definitely - just not so much sun-worshiping for this Yeager. I was conscientious and careful for the first time, ever. And it was torture. And it will be that way for the rest of my life, thanks to my dermatologist. Sigh.

Also different - and probably more important - is that we brought a toddler with us this year. Well, when we left for vacation she wasn't a toddler, but by the time we returned home, she was. Abigail took her first steps in front of the whole family (about 25 people), during our "Appetizer Night".

It was Abigail's first time seeing the beach. First time in anything bigger than a bathtub, and first experience with sand. And she loved every minute of it. Here she is with her Aunt Lauren and her cousin, Luke.

She showed no fear whatsoever, which thrilled her father, aunt, and grandmother - and worried me just a bit.

Long Time No Blog

All five of you who actually read my blog will most likely already have seen this photo on Facebook, but my first child's first birthday merits a blog post and a photo, don't you think? And she looks so cute. Who would know that only seconds beforehand she'd been crying (and would be again)? Alas, it's true - Birthday Number 1 (or two, really) was rather too overwhelming for the Babblegail. Mommy and Daddy were glad for the leftover cupcakes, though.

I can't believe we have a one year old. An 18 lb., 2 oz, 30 inch tall, 7 word speaking, almost walking one year old. Her newest word is "balah" which means "balloon". She is fascinated by her birthday balloons that are still floating around the house. (Thanks for those, Oma.) She's learning how to drink out of a sippy cup. She'll walk holding someone's hand, but isn't brave enough to stand or take a step on her own.

This time last year she'd only been home from the hospital a day (remember that she spent a week in the NICU - I remember leaving for the hospital to visit her while our 4th of July block party was in full swing) and we were learning how to nurse. She was all of 7 lbs. We slept on the couch (with her on my chest) those first few nights home together. And now she's a pro at nursing - and while I look forward tothe freedom of her being weaned, the thought of it also makes me cry.


We figure our next kid will be chubby, sedentary, and snuggly - everything Abigail wasn't (and isn't). It's funny - I'm ready to start trying for number two, but every time I think about adding another one to the family, I get a little sad knowing it means Abigail won't be the center of attention any more. I know it sounds silly, but does it make sense? I think Vid kind of understands what I mean, but it has a different nuance for him. He wondered aloud the other day if Abigail would be his favorite, even after her siblings come along. I think she might be.

Two Stories About David

I love my husband.

1. When I found out I had to get a root canal, I called Vid from the dentist's office to cry a little bit. Later that day, he went out and bought me these:

He also bought me a bottle of my favorite Merlot. When I asked him why, he said, "Well, you were sad, and it's not like I could go out and buy you something sweet to eat."

2. Abigail has a sweet stuffed lamb our friend Em bought her for her baptism. I decided to name him Jeremiah. I don't know why. I guess I liked the name. A little while later while I was picking up her toys, I realized Abigail had not just one, but three lambs.

When I told my David I named the middle one Jeremiah, he told me we should name the other two. Can you guess what he decided? From left to right: Isaiah, Jeremiah... and LAMBentations.