My Little Pony

Hi Family and Friends - almost another week has passed by and I'm just now getting to another post. By the time Austin and I get Camden down for bed, do the chores around the house, and spend a few minutes of time chatting about our day I'm totally exhausted. But, I wanted to share a few highlights of the last week and weekend.

Last Thursday we went to the fair for the not-so-healthy food. Austin and I enjoyed having lots of yummy treats while Camden enjoyed being outside and watching the animals. While we were watching Pappy's sheep in the sheep show, Austin and Camden spotted a Pony and her baby. Camden was very much interested. He even got to ride a Pony just his size.
Friday we traveled to Greenwood to visit Jon and Ashley Pankey. This was Camden's first time meeting "Uncle Jon". CONGRATULATIONS to Jon and Ashley as they are expecting a little one on Christmas Day. We can't wait to find out if Camden will ave a new buddy or a little gal. While we were in Greenwood, I was able to find some bargains at Gymboree - we are getting started on Camden's 2009 wardrobe. Here we are all smiles after our short shopping spree at Gymboree.Saturday I spent most of the day doing laundry, cleaning house, and baking cookies. While Austin and Camden were taking a nap, I was able to make a quick trip to visit Mandi at DCH. When I peeked into Mandi's room, her bright smile glistened. She looked absolutely wonderful. It was great to see her and talk to her firsthand to know that she was doing well. Baby Gabe is still at Riley and Mandi reported that hopefully in the next few days he will taken of the ventilator. Baby Knepp is doing well and is growing :-) Saturday evening we went to Nana and Pappy's for Amish pizza and carrots (Camden had some carrots). Nana fed Camden his carrots and we've discovered that Nana isn't quick enough with the spoon just yet!

Sunday we went to church. Then we went to Aunt Deb's to swim, but it was too cold. Instead, Camden and I watched Austin play with Cousin Craig. Sunday evening we began packing for our trip to Nashville.
Wednesday morning we will be heading to Nashville for a short little vacation. We are traveling with the Shake's and we are very much looking forward to a relaxing time at the pool, downtown Nashville, and shopping at Opry Mills. We'll post pictures when we return.

Playgroup friends, unfortunately we will not be able to make it to our play date on Wednesday. We hope everyone has a great time, and we hope to see you the next time!

Green Beans and Toys

So much has happened since our last post, I thought I'd take a few minutes before heading to bed to provide an update on what has been going on with the Yake's over the last few days.

But, first, I'd like to update you all on Mandi and Gabe Knepp. Mandi is now at DCH and has begun rehab. The reports I've been given is that she is doing amazingly well. Baby Gabe is still at Riley recovering from a surgery to repair an obstruction in his airway. Hopefully soon Baby Gabe will get to come home to be with hid Daddy and make frequent visits to see his Mommy.

On Saturday evening, Camden got to watch his first parade. The parade started and then buckets of water poured out of the sky. Thankfully the rain let up and we were able to enjoy the remainder of the fair parade. We were not the least surprised that Camden loved watching the people, floats, tractors, and animals in the parade. Even Daddy enjoyed helping all the other little kids catch candy. Aunt Allie made sure Camden was happy while Mommy took pictures!I have been back to work for almost a month. Camden has done so well at adjusting to different eating methods - bottle during the day and nursing in the evenings. However, the last week or so I've been struggling to get enough milk while at work to supply Camden with enough food for the next day. While my hopes were to wait until Camden reached 5-6 months before starting solids, Austin and I decided that we would add some veggies with one bottle feeding he gets during the day while I'm away. We decided on green beans for the first food. It was a toss up between cereal and veggies. After reading the nutrition labels, we thought we'd give the veggies a try first. I was a bit worried on how Camden would do with a spoon and if he'd even be interested in eating. To my surprise, he sucked the green beans right off the spoon and begged for more. Daddy could hardly get the spoon back to the bowl to fill it up again and get the spoon back to Camden's mouth soon enough. What can I say - he must get his appetite from Mommy.
I think I've shared this before, but I want to show how certain we are that we do have a thumb sucker on our hands. Camden does take a pacifier when he is sleepy, but when he is happy - he tends to knawl on his thumb. For now, it is so cute. I guess we'll see how cute it is in a few years, huh?Today is Wednesday a.k.a "Wednesdays with Mommy". I am fortunate enough to be home with Camden most Wednesdays. Today we slept in a bit and caught up on our housework (well mostly laundry). These days there is always housework as we don't get everything cleaned or done all at once. Camden helped Mommy fold clothes and strip the bed today.


The last week or so, Camden has enjoyed being on his belly. All the books say that by the time he is 4 months old (which is just around the corner) he should be turning over belly to back. Well, I think he may turn from back to belly first. See his attempts this morning in Mommy and Daddy's bed. He got a little help from Mommy getting to his belly. Hopefully this milestone occurs when both Mommy and Daddy are home.

Another milestone that has occurred this week is that Camden has discovered toys. Before this week, Camden had not showed much interest in any toy except his mobile in his crib (which he loves). But he has learned to hold a toy and bring it to his mouth. Daddy has spent lots of time playing with him this week while Mommy has been at work. Nanna also enjoyed playing toys with him this week too!
Lastly, we want to say "Thank You Nanna" for watching Camden this week while Daddy worked on the church restroom. We are grateful to have you nearby to play with Camden when Mommy is working and Daddy has things he needs to do. We love you!

Happy Birthday

Happy 1st Birthday Landon!

Tomorrow is our nephew's first birthday party. We are regretful that we are not able to travel to Fort Wayne for the special day, but we are definitely wishing you a very Happy Day! Hugs and Kisses from Uncle Austin, Aunt Beth, and Cousin Camden.

Special Prayer Request

Several of you who read our blog are very much aware of this special prayer request; however, we would like to share this prayer request with all the other prayer warriors we have among us. This spring Camden and I have been going to a play date twice a month. We have been blessed to meet some new mommies, babies, and toddlers that we now call our friends. Our new friends, Mandi and Gabe Knepp, are a mommy and son that participate in our play group. Early this week, I learned that Mandi and Gabe were is a serious car accident last Saturday evening. Mandi is currently at Methodist hospital in Indy recovering from nerve damage in her back. Mandi has undergone surgery and is doing well; however, she is having lots of pain in her legs. Mandi is currently carrying her and Andre's (her husband) second child; therefore, doctor's must be selective in the type and dosage of medications that Mandi takes. The unborn baby's heartbeat is strong and things seem to be going well. Mandi's oldest baby, Gabe, is currently at Riley recovery from a fractured skull. Gabe is doing well, but is still getting a little help with some oxygen. As of this morning, they were trying to get Mandi transferred to Daviess Comm. Hospital so that she can continue with recovery and so that her OB can closely monitor the unborn baby. While prayers for physical healing are much needed, please pray that God gives Mandi strength, patience, and peace as she is away from her baby Gabe. Mandi is a stay at home mommy; therefore, I cannot even begin to imagine how much she misses Gabe and how difficult it is to be away from him especially when he isn't feeling well. With Mandi and Gabe being only a few miles apart, family and friends have been able to travel easily to both of them. With Mandi moving back closer to home, please pray that Gabe heals quickly so that he is able to come closer to home also. Keep Andre' (husband and daddy) in your prayers as I am certain that he is emotionally overwhelmed. Andre', Mandi, and Gabe - you are in our thoughts and prayers each day!

Happy Belated Father's Day!

Well, almost a week later I am finally able to post my first Father's Day tribute to my wonderful husband Austin. God has truly blessed me with the most wonderful husband a woman could ever ask for and Camden is so lucky to have him as his Daddy. Daddy - Camden and Mommy are so grateful for everything you do for us - clean house, cook dinner, laundry, change diapers, mow the yard, clean our vehicles, get up with us during the night for feedings - just to name a few items you do on a daily/weekly basis. We are also very thankful for all the time you spend with us. You are so unselfish and always put our needs and wants before your own. We love you Daddy and we hope you had a wonderful first Father's Day.

Giving all my attention to my Daddy on his first Father's Day


Mommy's Precious Boys


A Big Smile For Daddy

Mason's and Swimming

This week time has gotten away from us again! This weekend was another great weekend in which we spent with friends and family. Friday night we met the Swartzentruber Family at Mason's for dinner. Lately Mason's has been our eatery of choice. It is nice to be able to eat outdoors just in case Camden has a brief meltdown. On Saturday evening we went to eat with Grammy and Pappy Yake at the Gastof. Thank you for coming to visit us Grammy and Pappy as we had a nice time!

The last few days it has been crazy around here with all the flooding. After church on Sunday, we went to Elnora to the Parsons' while Austin helped sandbag. Camden and I hung out at Uncle Jerry and Aunt Deb's. There was so much going on but Camden remained calm for portions of the day.

Austin and I took Camden to the Smith's for his first swim. The last few baths, Camden has done so well. Since Camden was born, he has hated taking a bath as he would continuously scream from the time his body touched the water until we could get him out, dried, and dresses. Since he did so well in the bathtub for two nights in a row we thought we'd try the swimming pool. While he did not like to put in his floaty, he did seem to warm up to the pool water and enjoyed the 1/2 hour he spent in the pool with Mommy. After his swim, he was exhausted.




This week Camden and I were looking forward to our play date at Mandy and Emily's home, but unfortunately we are not going to be able to attend. Due to the flooding I have been home for the past two days so tomorrow I will have to return to work. Have fun at the play date friends and we hope to see you next time!

Busy Busy Busy!

Long time, no post! We've been way too busy this past week. I returned to work last Thursday for the first time since Camden arrived. I never thought I'd wake my baby up at 4:15 a.m. in the morning, but last Thursday I did. I wanted to take my dear, sweet time nursing and holding him until I absolutley had to leave for work. I can't describe how difficult it was to tell Camden goodbye for the day, but as I was driving to work, I kept picturing him in his Daddy's arms. We are so lucky that Austin can be home with him this summer. Other words of encouragement for me on the way to work is that it is only two days and then a weekend! I arrived at work at 6:30 a.m. and was home by 3:30 p.m. Austin was great and did all the cooking and housework when I arrived home so that I could play with Camden. On Friday we did it again!

Saturday morning we had a garage sale at Kim's (a friend of mine). Austin spend the day helping my dad at the farm. Camden's Aunt Allie wanted to babysit on Saturday while I helped with the garage sale. Aunt Allie did great and Camden had a nice time. Thank you Aunt Allie for taking care of Camden for us! Saturday evening we went to Bill and Whit's for a cookout. We had a nice time catching up with friends, eating, and playing corn hole.

Sunday we went to church and then to Whit's bridal shower. Only 7 more weeks until Bill and Whit's big day! Sunday evening we went to Ed and Dee's to see Tim, Anna, Kaitlyn and Emily Klingle. I babysat Kaitlyn as an infant 9 years ago. Boy has she grown!

Monday I went back to work and came home to spend the evening with my family. Camden was sure happy to see me when I returned home, so we took the opportunity to take a photo shoot outdoors. Tuesday evening we spent the evening at Pappy and Nana's house and had dinner with them. It was very nice not having to cook after spending a day at work!





Today I was home with Camden, and I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to be home with him one day during the week. We did some laundry, catching up on reading BLOGs, and cooked lunch for Daddy, Cousin Cory, and Nana. Camden is taking a little nap with Daddy so I thought I'd take an opportunity to update you all on our week. This weekend should be pretty calm which will be nice for a change! That is all for now!