Anna Marie Patman Petty

Anna's First Birthday Party

2009-03-02T19:55:00.000-08:00

I Can Open Present- Sideways!

I didn't do it....honest...someone else

tore up all the paper....

Yay! Wrapping Paper and Ribbons!

The Caterpillar Rolls up in the cocoon...

Time For Cake!!!
Testing out the Icing....

The Joker's Gone Wild....

I'm so addicted to Vanilla Wafers....

Mmmm......Red Dye #3....Mmmm....

Mashin' up the Cake...

Wow- It's a Birthday Hat!

Can I eat that too?

Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen....

I hope you enjoyed the show!

The Debut of the Birthday Hat

Hey Grandpa- wanna bite?

Anna's First Christmas

2009-03-02T19:07:00.001-08:00

Looking at the Christmas Tree with Daddy

Playing in the Christmas Beads

Look- Christmas Presents!!!

Eating a Candy Cane and Waiting for Santa

While visions of sugarplums danced in my head......

Anna's First Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-19T19:10:00.000-07:00

2008-09-26T15:15:00.000-07:00

This is a video of Anna's first crawl. I apologize for the size. It's what we could do on the spur of the moment. Enjoy! And post comments, all you lurkers out there who look but never post!

Next Stop on Anna's World Tour: Houston

2008-08-26T11:25:00.000-07:00

Uncle Bubba Feeding Anna

Playing with my cousin Dylan and Uncle Bubba

Look out dolphins- here comes Anna!

Smiling with my Aunt Laurie

(maybe one day I'll have pretty teeth like her)

Playing with Aunt Cici

My Trip To San Francisco

2008-08-19T18:37:00.000-07:00

Meeting My Aunt Barbara

Playing with My Cousins Sidney, Mark & Ian
Wearin' Shades at Fisherman's Wharf With Daddy

Haning Out at the Japanese Tea Gardens

Growing Up

2008-08-19T17:51:00.000-07:00

Rolling Over

Sitting Up By Myself

2008-07-31T15:04:00.000-07:00

Me, Dad, Mom and Shelly

Papa, Mom, Dad and Me

Putting on the baptismal gown Mimi made over 30 years ago

with my Aunt Becca, the first person who wore this dress

It's the whole crew!

Anna in Strawberry PJs

2008-05-31T22:32:00.001-07:00

Anna is fashioning something with strawberries on it. For those of you who know Rachel is that really a surprise?

First Mother's Day at Abuelo's

2008-05-31T21:57:00.000-07:00

Don took Rachel out to eat at a restaurant called Abuelo's (Spanish for Grandfather's). Try not to think about the inconsistancies of going to grandfather's on Mother's Day. Rachel and Anna stood in front of the statue and looked cute for the camera. Anna is wearing the colorful dress that Don picked out.

Baby Shower Pics Part 1

2008-05-31T21:20:00.000-07:00

Anna had the good fortune of two baby showers! Both were after she was born. Her dad already posted pics from the first one. Here are a few from the second one, hosted graciously by Linda. Forgive Don. He has taken to modeling baby clothes at these events. He does not, I repeat does not, have a future in the modeling industry!

This beautiful cake is modeled on the designs found in her nursery butterfly pattern. It's quite impressive.

Everyone posing for a group photo. Ever wonder where the men go to when it comes time for a baby shower? It's very scary for them. They might be mistaken as the sweet, sensitive type.

This book is entitled "The Wheels on the Bus". Angela's daughter Olivia pointed out that the author of the book dedicated it to "Anna and Rachel". A different Anna and Rachel, but we found it very neat. Plus, Don likes to slide the doors on the bus open and shut. He's very easily entertained.

Baby model in training.

Baby Shower Pics Part 2

2008-05-31T20:19:00.000-07:00

Mom and Anna

Angela with Anna

Mary Beth holds Anna

Mom, Dad, Anna, Grandma, and Aunt Sarah smile big

Laura holds Anna

A Visit To Knoxville

2008-05-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

My Aunt Beverly

I Love My Granny

Aunt Sarah Plays Peek-a-Boo!

Taking a Nap with Uncle Rusty

My First Trip To Oklahoma

2008-04-21T18:32:00.000-07:00

Anna meets Hunter

Kissin' Cousins

Will Hunter let Aunt Becca hold Anna?

Debbie Gets a Turn

Lovin' My Mimi

New pictures are on their way!

2008-04-02T18:57:00.000-07:00

No, it's not a post-humous April Fool's Day joke. There are more pictures, many more, inside our digital camera. They are happy and content to stay there for as long as they like. However, I will attempt to coax them out tomorrow around noon and have them jump magically onto my computer screen so you can view them too! Ah, the wonders of technology. :)

It's Official: She's born! (and other news)

2008-03-25T15:29:00.000-07:00

Well, technically Anna was born on February 21st. But we marked two important birth-related dates this past week. First, she turned one month on Friday. Second, she reached her official due date on Easter Sunday. Yes, that's right, our child was due on the least busy day of the Christian year. Her pastor dad duly notes God's ironic sense of timing.

As of last Thursday, she was up to 6 pounds, 6 ounces and is roughly 20 inches long. We've had to readjust her car seat seatbelt straps. She's also starting to outgrow some of her premi outfits! Now, I know what you're thinking. It probably sounds something like this, "Oh my goodness! I can't believe she's so tiny! I didn't know babies were ever that tiny." Please don't say this around her parents though! We knew her when she was barely at 5 pounds and just 18 inches long. A month seems like a year in our world and we're quite proud of the work we've been doing taking care of her.

Tangential side note that Don stresses is of utmost importance:
I know veteran moms and dads have warfare stories from the trenches about how difficult times will get ahead (like when PETA was called because their child tortured their dog and they were featured on the nightly news or the time when the neighborhood street was flooded because their child flushed a diaper and caused the pipes to burst and the septic tank to bubble over). And by sharing these stories they think they're providing us with comfort. But lest I sound repetitive for articulating the obvious, let me definitively say, "They're not!" The appropriate response is not conditional or comparitive. It's really quite simply, "She's so cute!" Get back to us in five years and then we'll talk about selling our horror stories for Hollywood movie rights. ;)

In the end, Anna is taking her time to grow. And why not? People have their babies on a schedule even before they're born (Nine months? I mean honestly, how many people are born on their exact due date?) We know this: She's breast-fed and so she'll be much slimmer earlier on. She was premature and her weight wasn't expected to skyrocket in the beginning anyway (Mom and Dad still maintain that it's harder to predict what your baby should be doing when they're not expected to be born for a month). She's not tiny. She's perfect just the way she is. :)

And a final unrelated note: Don can't really take credit for the last ten or fifteen posts. The photo shots were set up by Auntie Lee and she took several of the really good ones of Anna's hands and feet. Thanks Lee for your photog skills and lighting tips.

Raising My Head Up

2008-03-24T08:47:00.000-07:00

Aren't I just the cutest?

2008-03-24T08:44:00.000-07:00

Trust me, I'm really cute!

2008-03-24T08:41:00.000-07:00

Hey Mom! This blanket never looked so good!

2008-03-24T08:39:00.000-07:00

Why does everyone keep taking all these pictures of me?

2008-03-24T08:36:00.000-07:00

Anna likes it when Auntie Lee holds her

2008-03-24T08:32:00.000-07:00

Sneezing

2008-03-24T08:24:00.000-07:00

Pre-sneeze

Mid-sneeze

Post-sneeze. Whew dad! That was a big one!

Auntie Lee Holds Anna

2008-03-24T08:21:00.000-07:00

Say Ahhh!

2008-03-24T08:04:00.000-07:00

Anna's Hands: Part 1

2008-03-18T12:18:00.000-07:00

She curves her hand like a ballerina.

Piano player, anyone? Or surgeon?

Anna's Hands: Part 2

2008-03-18T12:13:00.000-07:00

Open!

Close!

Open!

Close!

Open!

Anna's Feet

2008-03-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

She definitely has her dad's big toe and size 13 feet! Maybe if long fingers mean a piano player then long feet mean a good swimmer? Aunt Sarah, you're the aquatic one. What do you think?

Baby Shower at Mt. Ephraim: Part 1

2008-03-18T10:22:00.000-07:00

Welcome Anna! We knew you were coming so we baked you a cake!

And you thought stitching booties was difficult! Thanks to Nancy Corvin for the cake and exquisite attention to details.

A diaper cake! Again, the creativity here never ceases to amaze me.

Don tries on a bib, and remembers fondly the days when they didn't make him close his mouth when he ate.

Rachel sits back and enjoys the baby shower. What a wonderful blessing from Don's four churches.

Baby Shower at Mt. Ephraim: Part 2

2008-03-18T10:09:00.001-07:00

Sharon preaches to the masses about how wonderful Baby Anna is. Seriously though, thank you Sharon. You are a great baby holder.

Rachel asks, "Are you sure this isn't for me?"

The youth at Evergreen gave us this wonderful pink bouncy seat. Did you know the baby equipment now can do more than your cell phone? From her seat she can text, e-mail, surf her blog, play music, and sleep (Mom and dad are especially excited about the last feature ;)

Our Anna's feet are thiiiiiiiis small.

Baby Shower at Mt. Ephraim: Part 3

2008-03-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

Where does Baby Anna get her facial expressions? Rachel? Or Don? Hmmmm...

Like her dad would not be happy about a gift that allows her to brag about him.

Mama Jane holds Anna

Four women and a baby. I think this is a beautiful picture! There are women from each of the four churches: Jane Vaught from Mt. Ephraim, Brenda Fowler in the background from Evergreen, Nancy Corvin laughing from Cedar Hill, and Claudine Smith side profile from New Bethel.

Rollin' Around on the Bed

2008-03-18T09:59:00.001-07:00

More Rolling

2008-03-18T09:57:00.001-07:00

Anna Makes More Faces

2008-03-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

Will She Get Her Daddy's Hair?

2008-03-18T09:54:00.001-07:00

In my ballerina outfit

2008-03-14T13:30:00.000-07:00

Swaddled in the Bouncy Seat

2008-03-14T13:26:00.000-07:00

Grandpa Kevin Comes to Visit

2008-03-14T13:21:00.000-07:00

Grandma Linda Comes to Visit

2008-03-14T13:15:00.000-07:00

Of Patience and Pediatricians

2008-03-11T22:16:00.000-07:00

A week and a half of sickness, followed by going back to work has decreased Don's blog-posting time. So, if you are family, friends, parishioners, or otherwise invested in looking at the most recently updated pics of Baby Anna, please wait just a little longer. I understand you are anxious for new pictures and appreciate your patience. :)

Her pediatrician's visit on Monday went very well. She is now past her birthweight of 5 pounds, 8 ounces! She's also gained over an inch in length, mostly in the size of her fingers and toes I believe. She is starting to hold her head up on her own, and she is starting to roll over (when not bundled up tightly) on her own. According to the development books, that's something that isn't supposed to happen for another month. What do they know? Do you see me grinning ear-to-ear through my computer?

On a developmental side-note, I have decided that instead of teaching her big words like Obstetrician and Gynecologist (words Rachel was taught early on to impress), I am opting for the simple phrase, "Jesus is our soteriological, ontological, and eschatologically apocalyptical hope!" If you're not a seminary nerd or German theologian, my apologies for the disconnect.

Vogue

2008-02-28T17:21:00.000-08:00

The Many Faces of Anna

2008-02-28T17:20:00.000-08:00

Rachel holding Anna

2008-02-28T17:19:00.000-08:00

It's Official: She's cute!

2008-02-28T17:17:00.000-08:00

Preparing for the First Bath

2008-02-28T17:16:00.000-08:00

Mommy, no matter how happy you look, you can't fool me. I will not be happy about this bath.

I do not like my first bath and I do not have to like it!

2008-02-28T17:14:00.000-08:00

Post-Game Wrap Up

2008-02-28T17:12:00.001-08:00

First Doctor Visit

2008-02-26T13:40:00.000-08:00

Anna went to the pediatrician on Monday.

Bundled up to prepare for the cold Virginia winter

Dad and Anna checking in (Anna looks adorably cute. Dad, however, resembles Fabio.)

Waiting on the doctor

Still waiting...and happy as can be

Whew! What an exhausting visit! Time to go back to looking like a sweet angel again. Life is rough!

Anna and Papa Sleeping

2008-02-26T13:37:00.000-08:00

Baby Blues

2008-02-24T18:12:00.000-08:00

The most beautiful women in the house

2008-02-24T18:09:00.000-08:00

Mother and Child

2008-02-24T18:05:00.000-08:00

Proud Grandpa

2008-02-24T18:01:00.000-08:00

Grandpa comes to visit

2008-02-24T17:56:00.000-08:00

Trying out Grandma's Outfit

2008-02-24T17:53:00.000-08:00

Trying on Grandma's Outfit

2008-02-24T17:50:00.000-08:00

Going Home

2008-02-24T17:48:00.000-08:00

Mommy and Anna

2008-02-24T17:41:00.000-08:00

Chillin' in my Hospital Crib

2008-02-24T17:39:00.000-08:00

Wide-eyed Anna

2008-02-22T19:22:00.000-08:00

Holding Anna

2008-02-22T19:19:00.000-08:00

Mommy holding Anna

2008-02-22T19:16:00.000-08:00

Baby Feet are Happy Feet

2008-02-22T13:44:00.000-08:00

Anna and Daddy

2008-02-22T13:35:00.000-08:00

Daddy holding Anna

2008-02-22T13:26:00.000-08:00

Nanny holding Anna

2008-02-22T13:22:00.000-08:00

More Anna

2008-02-22T13:15:00.000-08:00

More of the cutest baby ever

2008-02-21T22:47:00.000-08:00

Aunt Sarah

2008-02-21T21:57:00.000-08:00

Grandma holding Anna

2008-02-21T21:24:00.000-08:00

2008-02-21T13:36:00.000-08:00

Nanny and Papa holding Anna

2008-02-21T12:06:00.000-08:00

A wall of cards

2008-02-21T09:05:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone for all the cards and letters that were sent! We lost track around eighty, as you can tell from the wall. The nursing staff said they have NEVER seen so much mail for one expectant mother before!

2008-02-20T23:31:00.000-08:00

2008-02-20T23:29:00.000-08:00

2008-02-20T23:27:00.000-08:00

2008-02-20T22:40:00.000-08:00

2008-02-20T22:37:00.000-08:00

2008-02-20T22:34:00.000-08:00

2008-02-20T22:27:00.000-08:00

2008-02-08T21:11:00.000-08:00

Rachel and baby-to-be hangin' out in that comfy hospital air bed. Tell us how happy about it you really are Rachel.