Another month has flown by

I can't believe how fast time is flying by......Gray is 18 months old and in his new big boy room, I'm in my third trimester (28 weeks) and Baby Hayes is growing fast, and her nursery is almost complete!





We have had a fun month filled with lots of firsts for Gray and fun memories to boot. Linda and I took Gray down to Cedar Hills Farm in Hernando for his first picture with the Easter Bunny, who he took to surprisingly well considering its a life-sized rodent. He also got to visit a petting zoo, take a hayride out to his first Easter Egg Hunt, and ride a pony for the first time. We've got a real cowboy on our hands!


The next day, we headed out to the Cole's for another fun Easter Egg Hunt and while he was a little more enamored with the ducks in the nearby pond, he had a great time....especially once he got to drive Airey's golf cart. More importantly, I satisfied my craving for Rice Krispy treats and was really excited about how well the egg and bunny shaped creations that I made for the crowd turned out. Yum!

The following weekend was Easter and we made the long and dreaded trip down to Gulfport, suprised at how well Gray did (mostly thanks to his Aunt Mal's entertaining antics). We had a good time visiting with friends and family at the crawfish boil on Friday night and Gray got to try his hand again at the ole Easter Egg Hunt, thanks to Mal's friend Amy who introduced him to the joy of money-filled eggs. Oh yes, he's already a fan of the green!

Saturday morning he attended yet ANOTHER Easter Egg Hunt at my parents church, St. Marks, and it was fun to see the friends I'd grown up with and their little ones. By this time, Gray was an all out pro at the hunt and me and my mom had a great time watching him! Easter Sunday mass was also very special as it was the first one in their new church that was built after Hurricane Katrina. It is so beautiful and I'm so proud of them for how far they've come as a congregation!

On Easter morning, Gray was delighted to see all the goodies that the Easter Bunny had left him and it was so much fun for us to see him really respond. This time last year I'm not even sure he noticed his Easter basket! My how times change....

We are glad to be back home in Memphis and had a busy weekend painting Hayes' nursery (see above) and celebrating Sophie and Ford's wedding with friends and family. We also heard some wonderful news about Hayes' and Grays' baby cousin....it's a girl! Congrats to Lauren and Andrew on a healthy little girl on the way! I am already so excited about all the fun times ahead. I have a work event tonight and a busy week as usual so until next time, take care!

The Pattersons

It has been WAY too long since I've posted....nearly a month....and a LOT has happened on the Patterson front. The biggest news is that we found out we are having a litle girl! I'm so excited and terrified at the same time, but I know it will be a wonderful adventure for all of us. P was in town for the big day and she, Lovie, and Aunt Mal welcomed the news with a shopping bag full of pink to shower our baby girl with. I've always said I wasn't a "pastel kind of gal", but lately I can't get enough pink! I'm working on throwing in a splash (or a bucket) of petal pink color to the nursery to girl it up for her arrival and have had so much fun in the process. Even Adam has gotten "tickled pink" with our news and can't wait to buy her lots of girly things....the madness has just begun! We've also decided on a name for our little princess.....Olivia Hayes (we'll call her Hayes). Just 18 weeks until we meet her...can't wait!

Until yesterday, we were enjoying Spring-like weather here in Memphis, which Gray adored. We spent every afternoon outside with the neighborhood kids shooting basketball, swinging, and running around having fun. Now it's cold and rainy so we're all getting a little cabin fever. Adam's out of town until tonight but we're anxious for him to return and spend some time together as a family (and catch up on our Tivo shows). Last night, Aunt Mal met us for dinner at Chic-Fil-A (Gray's favorite place). As always, we had a blast and I'm not sure who was more entertaining to watch....Gray or Mallory! Gray got to eat french fries and chicken nuggets AND ice cream! Plus, Aunt Mal snagged a balloon for him which provided a LOT of entertainment on the drive home. Thanks Mal!

I'm 22 weeks pregnant and very ready (physically) for Hayes to arrive. The morning sickness has been replaced by sciatica and I'm about as tired as I've ever been. Her constant kicking is reassuring and I'm looking forward to our next doctor's appt on the 23rd to make sure all's well. Until then, I'm trying to keep the faith!

Looking forward to this weekend when our good friends, the Lynches, come in town. I'll post all about it next time, but until then, take care all!

Love,
The Pattersons

We've had some great weather over the last few weeks and took advantage recently by going on a visit to the Memphis Zoo with our good friends and Gray's godparents, the Cole's, as well as Lovie and Papa. Gray had a great time simulating the animal sounds and playing chase with his godbrother Airey, but I think we had an even better time enjoying the fresh air and the company of good friends and family.



Adam has been busy traveling again, which is good for business but no fun for me and Gray. We miss him terribly when he's gone and will be excited to have him back home with us again tonight.

We celebrated Valentine's Day by going to a champagne brunch at Chickasaw Country Club while Lovie took Gray to the park and for a long walk. Then, Adam made dinner for me on Valentine's Day itself, which was so yummy. This baby has been asking for cherry crunch for a while now and finally got what it asked for! Thanks Adam!

We've been battling a cold, teething, and pink eye but hopefully by this weekend everyone will be back in tip top shape for P's visit. She's coming up this weekend and will be there for our big 20 week ultrasound when we find out what the gender of the baby is. My guess is "girl", but we'll see. Hey, I was right last time!

Gray is getting more and more verbal every day, now repeating most of what we say, which is cute but dangerous. When we tell him we love him, he blows us a kiss now, so I think he really understands what is being said too and I love that! His favorite words right now are "mine", "cheese", "Papa", and "juice". We're working on "please", but I have a feeling it's less about the pronunciation and more about his stubborness. I can't imagine where he gets that from.

Until next time,
The Pattersons

Another low-key (but good) weekend

I'll be 17 weeks tomorrow and I think I'm finally (fingers crossed) starting to feel better! Unfortunately, I can't say the same for little Gray who has had a stomach bug since Friday. I know, I know....could I have a sicker child? The answer is yes so I'm thankful. I'll take all the stomach bugs, stuffy noses, and croupy coughs as long as it's nothing serious. Needless to say, our weekend was pretty uneventful as a result. We took him for a big boy haircut on Saturday and then to feed the ducks at Audobon Park. He definitely enjoyed the ducks more and is not a good salon customer, hence the big tip I left. But, he does look precious so it was all worth it. And no Mom, it's not too short and he does not look like "Moe" from The Three Stooges. Besides, if his hair grows as fast as mine, we'll be back in the barber's chair before we know it.
We cooked and watched movies both nights and by Sunday we had a little touch of cabin fever. Fortunately, it was GORGEOUS with sunny skies and 65 degrees! We went mattress shopping for Gray's big boy room and he had a great time testing all of the floor samples. I got the feeling that the salesman did not think it was quite as endearing as we did, but oh well. We can't wait to get his mattress delivered tomorrow so that we can start putting his room back together finally!
With Gray still feeling crummy, we decided to stay put for Super Bowl Sunday so we're making lasagna and watching it here over a bottle of wine. Of course, Gray will miss all of the action, as most of it will take place after he's asleep, but we'll fill him in tomorrow. He got his fill of sports today anyway by watching the FBR Open with Adam.

Tomorrow starts another busy week, but thankfully Adam is in town again! I know! So exciting! I've got two work events this week so it will be a busy one for me. I can't believe February is already here! Before we know it, it will be Valentine's Day, then Easter.....where does the time go? If you find out, let me know. Until then, take care all!

The Pattersons

Our godson, Airey Cole, turned 2 last Thursday and we helped celebrate at his party on Friday. Here's a pic of Gray using some of Airey's birthday gifts...think he was a little overwhelmed by all the toys. Here he is in the middle of a real dilemma....which shopping cart to push?


We also got a last-minute visit from P last weekend, which made Gray very happy. Since I was under the weather, it was really nice to have some help and home cooking. Thanks Mom! Lovie and Papa came by on Tuesday to play with Gray, which was also lots of fun. But he's at the age where he's devastated when someone leaves. So sad! We got to go on a long walk with our friends Ethan and Elise on one of the only tolerable days this week (Wednesday). Boy was it cold (but beautiful)! Hopefully it will warm up some this week or this cold I've got will never go away! We tried to lay low this weekend so I could kick this cold to the curb, but we got a wild streak and started working on Gray's big boy room. Lovie was nice enough to come and distract Gray for a little while so we could get some of it knocked out. We painted the walls of his new room as well as his bed and chest. I can't wait to see how it all comes out! Since I'm keeping the nursery the same for the new baby, I'm having lots of fun putting all of my energy towards Gray's big boy room. I can't believe he's going to be out of a nursery in just 6 months! As for the new baby, it's starting to make itself known...kicking a lot and very squirmy. I'm 16 weeks today and have been able to feel it for a week or two now. I have an appointment tomorrow so hopefully the kicking is a good sign that all's well. We have a busy week ahead with lots of meetings and running around. Have to run to get a start on it all, but until next time, that's it for the Pattersons!

A long weekend

It's cold, it's Monday, and I'm already exhausted from a long weekend of taking care of Gray and doing tons of laundry (see above for reason #1). Let's hope this week goes by quickly, as I'm ready for another weekend! Poor Gray has had some kind of funk since Wednesday of last week and this weekend it got much worse. His fever just would not go away and when Linda came to babysit for us Saturday night, he threw up all over his crib and just wouldn't go back to sleep. Last night Adam was up with him for an hour or more trying to console him, poor thing. I think we finally have his fever under control, though he's not his normal silly self, and he's off to school today. Since I have two important meetings today, I'm sure the daycare will call and tell us to come pick him up. Just my luck. One good thing that did come out of this weekend was our friend Scott's 30th birthday party. Happy 3-0 Scott! It was so much fun to catch up with all of our friends and have a little adults only time, even though I could only drink St. Paulie girl all night. Sigh. Only 6 more months, right? Until next time.....

Emily

I can hardly believe it's 2009! So much has happened over the last year and Adam and I have so much to be thankful for....Gray has grown into a beautiful, happy, funny boy, we've made some great new friends, we've taken some fun trips (Santa Monica and Puerto Aventuras top the charts), we've shared some unforgettable memories with our families and friends, and we were blessed with a new baby on the way. I can only hope that this new year will be half as wonderful as the past year.

I'm so excited to finally be entering my second trimester! Whew, that was a tough couple of months for everyone. I'm looking forward to celebrating by enjoying a nice glass of wine and finally highlighting my hair. Let's just hope this trimester marks the end of the morning sickness.

Today it's back to work and school for the three of us but I feel renewed after having the last two weeks off to relax, get some things done, and spend quality time with family and friends. I think this week will be an uneventful one....Adam is actually going to be in town after all and I only have one night meeting (yea!). Hopefully the weather will warm up a bit again and we can enjoy a few afternoon strolls in the neighborhood like we got to do last week. We miss the warm weather and are over fires and hot chocolate (gasp).

Until next time,
The Pattersons