2nd Anniversary

When I think back to our dating days, it both seems like a lifetime ago and like I could be getting ready for our first date tonight. Yesterday (December 11), Daniel and I celebrated two glorious years of marriage. I can't believe how wonderfully blessed I am! Seriously yall, sometimes I feel guilty for having the most perfect husband ever. But then I just bask in the warmth of our love and don't feel guilty one little bit!

I remember getting ready for our wedding two years ago. The craziness of wedding planning, starting my first full-time job, graduating with my masters degree (the day before the wedding), and setting up our first home in time for Christmas was ever so stressful but when December 11, 2010 dawned, I was the happiest girl in the world. A bride on the brink of heaven. I woke up early to finish a project I had been working on for Daniel (a journal filled with my thoughts from our dating and engagement days) and got to work on my appearance with my best friend (and maid of honor) Claire. Together with her and Jennifer (another dear friend and bridesmaid) I somehow got my hair washed and dried (to go to the salon later), toenails painted, went to a different salon for my manicure, got my makeup on, and eventually my gorgeous wedding dress.

When the photographer was taking my pictures I kept asking if it was time to see Daniel. That's all I wanted. To be with my Daniel. Finally the moment came, and it was perfection!

The moment I had been waiting for all my life was just around the corner. And then, like the first snowfall of winter, my magical winter wonderland wedding was in full swing. Daddy, my first love, the man who had led me to the Lord, baptized me, and prayed for my husband all my life, gave me to my Daniel forever. And I was the happiest I had ever been in my life. 

The reception was divine. There were stars in both our eyes the whole evening. The dance hall was filled with merriment and warmth and all of the people in the world that we loved. And I was Mrs. Daniel Lane Patterson.

Two years have passed. We now have the most darling little girl in the world. We've moved once and gone through a few jobs. I thought that December 11, 2010 was the happiest I'd ever be. But I was wrong. I'm happier and more in love with my Daniel now than I've ever been. I grow more in love, happier, more grateful, and more excited to see my husband every single day that passes. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

{MSP}

First Bite!!!

Last night we gave Emma her first bite of "solid" food! Rice cereal...yum! Well, Emma seemed to like it anyway. She either liked the cereal or all of the attention from Mommy and Daddy...and bonus--something going in her mouth! This girl loves to put anything in her mouth...so we have to be careful!

Emma did great, she wasn't totally sure what she was supposed to do, but after a bit she got the hang of it. She didn't finish every bite, but that's alright with this mommy. She was pretty interested in her new slick bib that she got to wear (I didn't want her getting her other bibs gross with crusty rice cereal). I had to keep getting her attention by dinging the bowl with my fingernails. I'm sure we'll get the hang of it in time.

It was also wonderful getting to try out Emma's early Christmas present from Mommy and Daddy: her brand new high chair! I deliberated for a long time on whether to get a space-saver high chair that straps to one of our chairs or a real high chair. We opted for the real high chair. This one folds totally in half and is not too giant. It's super handy and the fabric is so elegant for our little lady!

Bon Appetit!

{MSP}

6 Months Old!

It's finally happened! My darling girl is 6 months old. I can't believe it. In some ways it seems like she has always been with us, and in others I feel like I just brought her home from the hospital!

Sweet Emma is 14 lbs 11 oz, she is in the 25% for her weight. She is 24 and 5/8 inches long--also in the 25% for height. It looks like we have a petite little lady on our hands. She is laughing and babbling all the time.

We are so proud of our darling girl! Emma didn't really want to cooperate for the photo shoot, but here are a few samples of what she's looking like these days.

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Milestones

Darling Emma is growing up ever so quickly! Here's a very blurry picture, but proof that our wobbly girl is sitting up (sometimes) by herself. We're practicing all the time and she is so proud of herself! I do have a couple of pictures of her sitting up on her changing pad smiling at herself in the mirror, but she is in her birthday suit, so I thought I'd forego putting those on the internet!

Even now as I've been writing this blog Emma is playing on the floor by herself with her little dolly (of course she is trying to eat her friend Dolly). Independent play (aka Mommy not holding Emma every waking minute) is something we have been working on very hard. Many tears have been shed--and Emma has fussed a little too. Just kidding. Our little cuddlebug is growing up ever so quickly and I don't want to miss a second of it--so I'd better run!

P.S. Emma decided Mommy needed some help finishing the blog post, so the independent playtime was cut short...but at least there were cuddles involved!

{MSP}

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is by far my very favorite holiday! Family, Falltime, food, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, football, and lots of love. All ingredients for a wonderful day! And it definitely was. I'm incredibly thankful this year for my baby Emma and her darling smile. My family is my greatest treasure--and even though I missed Brother, Carol, Abraham, and Anna Beth (and little Mary Elle of course too!), I'm so proud to lend my family to the service of King Jesus.

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Weddings

October and November were a month full of weddings for us. We went to three weddings in fact. The first of which was in town. One of my sorority sisters got married on her parent's farm here in Louisville and it was lovely! The weather was gorgeous as was the bride! We were a little nervous about little Emma's behavior (my parents were out of the country and couldn't babysit.) but she was a gem! She was quiet through the whole ceremony and fell asleep at the reception.

The second and third weddings were in Nashville. For two weekends in a row the Pattersons were pretty much burning up the road on I-65S. Again though, Emma was a champ! She had to stand up in the back during both of the Nashville weddings, but she was a trooper--I couldn't have been more proud!

The third weekend my parents were also in Nashville and on Sunday we went out to brunch after church with my very best friend from college. It was so much fun! Unfortunately, Amanda has the photo of us with Emma, so I'll only be able to post the one she so graciously took of the family.

We are so happy for all of our friends who are newlyweds and wish all happiness and God's richest blessings upon their new marriages!

{MSP}

5 months old

Our sweet baby flower is 5 months old! How did that happen? I know the time is quickly coming where she will start rice cereal, then about 6 months later be weaned from nursing, and next thing you know she'll be getting married! Ok, not exactly, but how is it that time can be slipping away so quickly? I'm so grateful and cherish every day with this sweet baby darling.

Now that little darling is five months she is quickly approaching lots of developmental milestones. She can almost roll over both ways (though she despises tummy time, so development there is a drudgery). Our house is filled with the happiest of jibber-jabbery noises and laughs and coos. She is so close to sitting up on her own, but I'm treasuring the time before she is too independent. I love knowing that when I set her down for a second that I'll come back to find her in the same place. I think it's safe to say our girl will be a petite lady--she is in the 12th percentile for her height and still in her 0-3 month onesies. We're working into her bigger clothes, but all of her 3-6 month pants are miles too long (more or less). She is growing and changing every day! I can't wait to see what the next few weeks have in store. 

Brother (Uncle Brother) as our little one will call him, says this is one of his favorite baby stages, and I can see why! We love our affectionate, social butterfly and she is the apple of our eyes! 

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Photo Shoot

 I have never prided myself on being a wonderful photographer. I took a class with my mom at Mississippi College when I was in middle school, so I know a few of the basics, but I am by no means an expert. Taking pictures of and with my baby girl has taken me from being a not completely terrible photographer to being a dismal one. Whenever I post a picture of her, people always compliment her and say how gorgeous she is--and boy are they right! But if they only knew--it takes approximately 65 pictures to get one happy smiling one--and usually that one is blurry or has my finger inching into the photo. She really is the happiest of creatures--but she is so curious about the phone/camera/ipad--whatever is being used to snap her picture that she won't smile or falls apart. I assume most mothers have this problem--but  I'm prepared to release a few photos that show what really happens when moms try to get that one perfect shot to prove to their friends that they have the happiest and best behaved baby ever.

Roger borrowed her pacifier

Here's a break to show you that sometimes it all comes together.

Darling photo...had to throw in a good one!

Peeling off that sticker to have a good look.

Chewing on Sophie

Eating her hands

Eating the book

All that to say, I do have the most beautiful and darling girl in the world! And like singer/songwriter John Mayer (the voice of my generation) sang, "Didn't have a camera by my side this time. Hopin' I would see the world through both my eyes." So here's to moms like me who aren't the best photographers in the world, but snap a few photos and then put down the cameras to see our kids through "both our eyes".

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My New Job

Before I started my new job as a stay at home wife and mommy (a homemaker as they used to call it--and I still do), I worked as a counselor at a Pregnancy Resource Center in downtown Louisville. As you can imagine, it was a tough job, and one that I'm sure one day will merit its own post. Staying at home to work now is the most fulfilling thing I've ever done. And by far, the most difficult.

I had all kinds of ideas about what a stay-at-home mom does before I actually became one.

1. Pinterest Queen: I had this idea in my head that stay-at-home moms have huge chunks of time to sit at home and do all the crafts that we all see on Pinterest. I had visions of baking endlessly and creating wonderful, picturesque meals for my family. I was sitting at my desk at work, very pregnant, longing for the day I could glance over at my baby daughter playing on her playmat as I bake away. False. I will say, I do occasionally do a Pinterest inspired craft or recipe. But, do not be misled, it is not a common occurrence. First of all, I have to plan my days very carefully and often times, arts and crafts just do not fit in. Second of all, my daughter loves to snuggle (as do I!), and laying contentedly on the playmat only lasts about 25 minutes which is often times not long enough to complete any Pinterest activity.  Thirdly, perhaps when my children are in school during the day I'll craft more often, but for now, I'd rather enjoy my little girl's infancy by reading books together and taking her for walks int he park than relegating her to the exersaucer so I can make a wreath. (All this to say, I do occasionally do Pinterest activities like every normal woman.)

Picking pumpkins at Huber's

My fancy little scholar and I spent the afternoon reading.

2. Nightime: Before I had our little girl I remember hearing about people being up all night with screaming babies. So that's what I thought--new parents are exhausted and get no sleep because their babies are up all night crying. False (at least in my house). When I had my little girl, she lost a little weight in the hospital (as most babies do), and I had to feed her every two and a half hours. Around the clock. I was unaware that this is the real reason new parents get no sleep. Our daughter has a sweet disposition (PTL!) and isn't given to fits of crying. She didn't wake herself up because she was hungry--I had to set an alarm! New parents get no sleep because they are responsible adults who feed their children on time...and because those babies often are not excited about going back to sleep right away. (My daughter now sleeps about 12 hours at night, so this is not really an issue anymore.) The lack of sleep is a good thing at first--of course new parents should bond with their babies. Of course a baby that comes out of a womb of full-time darkness has no idea that night and day are for different things. Waking up to feed your baby at night may seem like a nuisance, but it is the most bonding and sweet time for a new mother with her baby. I treasured those days--though, truthfully, I do not miss them.

All snuggly for bedtime

3. Wedded Bliss: I heard that a lot of marriages suffer because of a new baby. I hear of couples that one or the other parents stays up with the baby all night or sleeps on the couch to avoid waking the other. I also have heard about couples that simply stop going on dates because it's too difficult. False in my house. Praise the Lord! My husband and I are still celebrating wedded bliss. Now, this is mostly because I have the most perfect husband alive. He continues to pursue me into deeper love and a happier marriage. My husband does not complain when I get up and return to bed multiple times in the night, even though he has to wake up to go to work for our family. We love to be together. Having our little girl only contributes to our wedded bliss. Now, there are times, of course, that we wish she wasn't crying so that we could have a genuine conversation. There are times that we wish we could still steal away for the weekend. All of the wishes for an easier and carefree existence fades away when I remember that he is making every single one of my dreams come true. Bottom line: nothing has made my realize the depths of love I have for my husband more than him giving me the gift of our little girl.

My handsome husband and me on our wedding day! 

I have many more musings on my journey into parenthood--many more misconceptions that I'm sure will make their way into a post here or there. The most important lesson that I've learned at my new job is what I learned as soon as I saw my daughter for the first time--when I saw her unformed body during her first ultrasound at 5 weeks and 3 days gestation--I learned that my love for her was very deep and powerful. My heart could hold more love than I could imagine.  When she was born and I first held her and felt her warm body against mine, and knew I was the person that she needed most in the world, my heart swelled and my life was given meaning. At nighttime, when all the world's asleep and I hear her faint cries, I run to pick her up and snuggle her tight. I know the time is short and quickly slipping away when holding her in my arms is all the comfort she needs in the world. And I treasure it. The depth of love I have for this tiny person, that has been in the world such a short time is immeasurable. I had no idea that this could happen to me--that I could love so much.

The first time I laid eyes on my little girl at 5 weeks and 3 days. 

For the first time in my life, I know that I'm doing exactly what I'm meant to do forever. I'm meant to glorify and enjoy God by being a stay at home wife and mother. I'm meant to glorify God by making a home for my family that is clean, nurturing, warm, inviting, loving, and above all that honors Christ. I'm humbled and honored beyond anything I can say that all my dreams are coming true.

My new job makes me happier than I've ever been and I could not be more grateful.

{MSP}

It's Time to Blog

 I moved around my whole life. There are very few things in my life that have been stable, but my family is one of them. My first family-my parents and my older brother, Christopher (but who I call Brother, and will hereafter refer to him as such) and the Lord were my source of stability all my growing up years.

I do think it is common for most siblings to be each others first and best friends. All of my friends who have sisters ask them to be the maids of honor in their weddings. But I don't have a sister. I have a brother. (The best in the world, if you ask me.) My brother was my first and best friend. Even when he graduated high school and went to college three years before me (and even though when he went to college my family moved to another continent to pursue missions), we remained close thanks to technology. Net2Phone was the ancient version of modern day Skype--and we were pros. Thankfully, we didn't live apart for too long, eventually we even went to Seminary together. There was a time, in fact, that he and I (and my darling sister in law--more on her to come), were in a class together--with our dad as the professor!

Right before I started Seminary, Brother wed my wonderful sister-in-law, Carol. I couldn't be more grateful. The night before their wedding, we sat together and talked about how things would be different. The differences have been perfect because they included Carol in our family now. A few kiddos and moves later, they are now serving the Lord overseas through missions. And so, Brother, Carol, and their three kids--5 of my greatest treasures, are farther away than ever. Brother-my source of stability all my growing up years, my first friend is a whole continent away.

Thus, with my marriage in it's early years and my new darling baby girl, life is flourishing, and I must share it. I must have a way to share my day to day musings with one of my first and favorite friends. If I only wanted to share things with Brother and Carol, I could just email, but we have many other friends scattered to the far ends of the world (you can't grow up globe-trotting as a missionary kid and not have friends all over the place!). And so we will grant the world (or at least Brother and Carol) a small glimpse into our little nest.

Happy Reading!

{MSP}

Welcome to Patterson Place

Here's a little snapshot of our lives.