Abbi Season 18

Well, this is it.  A project I started 18 years ago has finally ended.

When Abbi was born, I decided to undertake an insanely ambitious project – create a “flip book” style video of her growing up.  So, Sunday Night Headshots started.  Every week, I would take a photo of Abbi laying on a white blanket background.

We missed some weeks…it’s funny to see my “average yearly photo” decrease as the years go by.  We started in the high 40s and then dropped to the mid 30s by the time we finished.  Some weeks we were busy.  Some weeks Abbi just wasn’t in the mood for a headshot night.

But, 18 years and 797 headshots later, her final video is done.

In the beginning, the plan was to produce a new video each year that showed the previous year’s growth.  Then, there would be an “all years” flip book at the end of the video.  As Abbi (and, eventually, Ellie) got older, I had less time to stay on top of the project so we didn’t get those annual videos like I had originally hoped.  Despite that, headshot night continued.

And here we are!!

What a fun way to look back on Abbi’s first 18 years.  Here’s to many, many more to come.

Headshots Season 18 is embedded here.  Below that, some thoughts on the photos that made the cut for the video.  Below those, her previous Headshot Season videos.

Enjoy,
Jacob

Headshots Season 18

All the Photos

Here’s a gallery of the 42 photos that you just saw.  I’ve included some thoughts on each one as a comment.

33 weeks – Tricia and I were so excited to meet Abbi. We would sneak into her Residency offices after hours and use the Ultrasound machine to look at her. She’s 33weeks old here.

4.5 days – Lots of photos of little Abbi laying on various blankets. This adorable yawn was just too sweet.

9 hours – Brand new baby with her Mom. Delivery was…exciting…but they both did great.

9 hours – Dad was there too! We’re in the 2nd largest room at NMC Portsmouth. USAF Captain Wessler couldn’t pull the biggest room (there was already someone in there!)

5 mos – Baby’s first family Christmas photo. This annual tradition will be a hated annual event that turns into a beloved family event. We’re in the park in Rockville, MD while we were stationed in Washington DC.

3 mos – Abbi in her crib in Silver Spring, MD. Isn’t she adorable?

1 year – FIRST Birthday. We had to really push her to smash her cake. She was such a good kid she knew she wasn’t supposed to do that!

2 yrs 6 mos – the beginnings of Abbi’s addiction to window bellies! Those footed onesies are just too cute.

3 yrs 1 mos – Asleep on the couch in our Silver Spring, MD house. I think she wasn’t feeling well and was watching TV before tuckering out.

3 yrs 6 mos – The backyard of our house in Portsmouth, VA. This was such a fun photo shoot. I had to plan my walk to the chair so I could “sneak up on it” and keep my footprints out of the frame. It was hard to carry Abbi out there and plop her in the chair.

4 yrs 2 mos – First day of Pre-4. She started Pre-3 halfway through the year so we didn’t have a first day photo for that.

4 yrs 7 mos – this photo shoot was part of a gift for Tricia. There’s a version with both Abbi and I. It’s hanging in our guest room. It’s…um…something.

5 yrs 4 mos – Saying hello to Baby Ellie for the first time.

5 yrs 5 mos – Our last “first” Christmas photo as a family. We’re in the backyard of our Portsmouth, VA house.

6 yrs 1 mo – Riding her birthday bicycle.

6 yrs 7 mos – Abbi was out with Tricia somewhere and ran towards her while calling Mom. Tricia turned and Abbi ran right into her elbow. Had this amazing bruise for a couple days. I couldn’t resist putting it in the video!

7 yrs – I’m not sure why Abbi is in long sleeves and pants in the middle of the Summer…but she is! She’s being goofy with “bunny ears” on Ellie.

8 yrs – at our neighborhood pool in our new house in Suffolk, VA. This is the summer after we moved in!

8 yrs 2 mos – If you take enough photos of someone, eventually, they’re going to get “too comfortable” in front of the camera! We were working on a new set of pictures for the hallway and I got this masterpiece.

9 yrs 2 mos – Abbi has always been an avid reader. Here she is reading one of her favorite series – Ivy and Bean.

9 yrs 8 mos – Abbi read the book Wonder for class and this was her project. During headshot night, we did a special photo at her request.

10 yrs 1 mos – Happy Birthday! Getting her ears pierced at the Blue Horseshoe tattoo parlor. Cannot rave enough about them. They really treated her like a princess.

10 yrs 3 mos – sitting pretty in a custom gown from Gran Wessler.

11 yrs – Spending some time with Great Grandma Geyer. Abbi and June really had a special connection.

11 yrs 9 mos – Abbi onstage in Annie Jr. as The Star To Be. She nailed this role…and all the ones that came after it.

12 yrs 5 mos – Abbi as Anna in Frozen Jr. She carried the majority of the show on her talented, young shoulders.

12 yrs 6 mos – Abbi and Ellie at Christmastime with their hoodie pajamas.

13 yrs – Vacation at the beach. This was during COVID times. We rented a house in Sandbridge, VA to get out of the house for awhile.

13 yrs 1 mos – Time in the cabin at Lydia Mountain. We had just taken a rain walk and I snapped this before we went inside to get warm and have some hot chocolate.

14 yrs – Cape Charles, VA. She’s really growing up.

14 yrs 2 mos – Eating s’mores at Lydia Mountain (again). We had a beautiful cabin with a huge backyard overlooking the mountains.

15 yrs 9 mos – AAAAAAHHHH!!! She’s driving! Working on some skills in the parking lot so Abbi can get her 45 hours to apply for her license.

15 yrs 11 mos – Ariel in The Little Mermaid Jr. Abbi’s powerhouse voice really blew us all out of the water…so to speak!

16 yrs 10 mos – Spring Break in Chicago. We were at the Shedd Aquarium and Abbi was really taken by the sharks.

17 yrs 11 mos – I mean…come on…break a father’s heart.

2 years 3 mos – a vacation in Cape May, NJ. She was pretty tuckered out after a long day on the beach.

2 yrs 3 mos – Cape May, NJ…but with Dad this time.

15 yrs – With Ellie while on vacation in Hilton Head, SC. We were having dinner and an alligator was spotted just behind us on the dock!!

14 yrs 2 mos – hiking in the Shenandoah National Park at the Appalachian Trail. We were so high up and could see for miles.

1 yr 9 mos – Mom and Abbi in her bedroom in Silver Spring, MD.

16 yrs 10 mos – Abbi and Ellie looking out over Lake Michigan. It was a lot of walking in the rain but they both held out and we had an absolute blast.

17 yrs 11 mos – COLLEGE BOUND!! Abbi in her Fordham sweatshirt after choosing where she wanted to go to college.

Headshots Season 2

Headshots Season 3

Headshots Season 4

Headshots Season 5

Headshots Season 10