On the move :)

I know everyone says "Be careful what you wish for," but I have loved this crawling stage!  We had to get the baby gate up and outlets covered, but other than that Anderson's easier than ever.  It's so fun to see where he wants to go (especially if it happens to be Mama's lap!).  I feel like he's learned so much in the last couple of weeks from crawling.  At first, as soon as something (most likely a ball) rolled out of sight, Anderson would stop chasing it immediately- it was gone forever.  But now he'll get flat on his belly to retrieve a ball that's rolled under the couch, and he'll definitely chase a ball beyond a blind corner.  So cool to see his brain learning.

A couple of things are recent favorites of this crawling boy:

1) Crawling INTO things.  He has a little easier time getting into than out of, but he's figuring it all out.  Pictures below show what I mean:

Under high chair (He "drove" it around the kitchen a while before he could climb out- ha!)

Under his table

(My favorite) into his racetrack

2) I mentioned chasing a ball.  I think he would happily throw/ roll a ball and chase it all day long if he could.    He's so determined.  If it rolls all the way into another room, he just starts crawling away.  So far he doesn't get frustrated easily, and laughs if it bounces or rolls differently than he expected.  He has started to fuss if it gets caught under somewhere he can't get to, though, so Mama gets to help out every now and then.  Glad to know he still needs me ;)

Here's a video of the ball-chasing-wonder-boy:

He crawls!

It seems like this weekend our baby became a big boy!

 Friday night he was working really hard to go forward.  By Saturday afternoon he was officially crawling, and on Monday (today) he seems like he's been doing it forever.  Here's a video from Saturday night. :)

Ryan and I have settled into a delicious routine of going to Moe's on Sundays for tacos and nachos...mmmm.  It also so happens that Moe's has "Kids Eat Free" on Sundays, so this weekend our "kid" (aka sweet little baby) got his very first kid's meal!  A cheese quesadilla seemed like a safe bet, if not the healthiest.  He loved it! 

He's been sitting in restaurant highchairs for a few weeks now, but this time he seemed to think it was especially fun.  He kept looking at the pictures near our booth (of Michael Jackson and Buddy Holly look-alikes, ha) and smiling and laughing at them.  

I know some of his lunch did make it into his mouth, but we got a good laugh seeing how much of it ended up on the floor (and in the highchair).  :)  We did clean this up, btw...

The last "big boy" event of the weekend was switching his infant carrier car seat for his new convertible car seats.  No photos of this yet, but I am happy to report he does still look like quite little in his new big car seats. :)  

Update

Anderson's fans have spoken, and I am WAY behind on the blog. Sorry :) As I told Michael P, don't worry, he is still really cute!

We have been busy! In the last few months, we bought a new house, moved, and found renters for our old house. Change of address cards are on their way, but here's our new address in case you want to come see us in the meantime (please do!):
                   ******

It's actually really close to the house my family lived in before my parents moved out to the country. We'll have a pool we can join for the summer, and we've already loved the pretty sidewalks and parks nearby.  We plan to be here long-term for sure.  We are pretty much moved in, but there are plenty of projects to keep us busy for a while!

Anderson has been so easy-going about the move, and he seems to like his new room and house. :)  He really has been at the perfect stage for moving.  He's old enough to play independently, but he seems to be in no hurry to crawl.  So he's happy to sit and play (and roll) for a little while at a time, and I've been able to clean or put away in 10-15 minute intervals.

So like I mentioned, Anderson is not yet crawling.  There are lots of things he's really, really good at:
     Being SUPER cute
     rolling 
     giving kisses
     Saying "mama", "dada", and his newest: "whoooaa"
     Laughing
     Picking up things (lately crunchies or pieces of cheese or other new foods!)
     I could go on...
So far crawling isn't on the list.  He's working on it!  See below:
(P.S. I let him go pantless thinking it might allow for more friction, haha)

Booty up

Head up

Everything up

And when all else fails, roll....

Here's one more close-up of the cutie. It's also a sneak preview of FIRST BIRTHDAY INVITATIONS, which have been ordered!! :)

Snow Day!

Today was supposed to be a teacher work-day, so I was planning a lunch date with Anderson and my mom.  However, it is still a welcome snow day!  Anderson woke up hungry around 5:30, but then was happy to sleep in until 8:15- woo hoo!  Those mornings are few and far between. :)

Since the forecast is back up to the 70's this week, it is very likely that this is the last (and practically first) snow of the winter.  The tags were still on Anderson's snow suit, but we decided to get all bundled up and head out to the snow while we could!

It was bright and pretty cold, but Anderson was a good sport.  He had two fuzzy boots on, but one was already missing by the time we made it down the stairs.  Oh well, no running in the snow today!

 After a few "accidental snow angel attempts", we headed inside. 

New tricks

7 1/2 months- Anderson is so much fun these days!!

He is an excellent roller, specializing in all directions. Sometimes he has a clear destination (most likely something that rattles when you shake it). And sometimes he's definitely rolling just because he can. Now that he's even rolling in his sleep, I think he's officically a pro.

Action shot ;)

He's so proud!

Also, my FAVORITE of Anderson's new tricks is smoochin.  He has received thousands of kisses from mommy in his little life, let alone daddy, grandparents, etc.  Recently McKenzie and Sadie have laid a couple of good ones on him (which he does not seem to mind).  So he's decided to return the favor.  It's drooly and wonderful :)  God is so generous!

Anderson is trying lots of new foods.  Oatmeal and rice cereal are favorites, along with carrots and pears.  It takes him a little while to warm up to most any new taste.  So far, Puffs are a definite no-go.  I've tried them twice, breaking one Puff up into 6  itty bitty pieces to give to his toothless self.  The reaction is somewhere between mad and sad :(.  This second time we knew we'd better get a picture of it.  Poor thing.

CHRISTMAS!!

We LOVE Christmas!  The following photos are from Christmas day only ... We have a lot more I want to post, but I need to get them from other people (like the people who actually remember to bring their cameras when we need them!).  In the meantime, here is an incomplete collection of Christmas 2011:

Anderson has been such a good boy, and accordingly, Santa came!  Anderson was excited to see his gifts (or as excited as a 6 month old gets, I would guess).  There was some smiling and reaching and arm-waving. Ryan and I were both thrilled :).  (We have plenty of video, too!)

"I wanna hippopotamus for Christmas"

Anderson really liked this one because the baby in the mirror was sooo good looking!

The boys are excited to haul things in Anderson's new wagon!

The race track was from mommy and daddy; the rest were presents from Santa :)

 Christmas Eve, we had spent time with Nannie and Papa.  We visited Santa (like I said, more photos to come!), and Anderson got to open a lot of great presents.  We were all especially excited about this...

Anderson loves it; perfect for a baby boy who's eager for more and more independence.  And now that we've stored the pool table at my parents' house, Ryan's man-cave is all set to double as a playroom with space for Anderson's new toys.  Good thing Anderson's totally worth it.

We finished Christmas in Montpelier with Grandma, Grandpa, and Great-grandma.  It was a quiet day, and we were all very happy to be together.  There's never been a doubt, but Anderson is one well-loved and lucky boy!

Never so thankful

Needless to say, this year Thanksgiving took on a whole new meaning.  The 2 1/2 extra days at home were sweeter, seeing family meant more, even the turkey seemed tastier (let alone the mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli casserole, chocolate pecan pie.... where was I?).  I've never been so thankful!

Wednesday was a half-day at school, and it is always one of the happiest school days of the year.  The kids were happily productive in the morning, so I sat at the art table and made Thanksgiving cards for Anderson's grandparents.  Once I got home, he helped me finish them by adding a handprint turkey and this photo:

Oh, the dimples!

Thursday started quietly.  Anderson and I got up and had a lovely morning.  Daddy was awake to hang out before too long. 

At 1:00 we went to the Hammitt's house for the big Parker family Thanksgiving.  We're estimating about 35-40 people were there; more little ones each year!  We got to spend time with most of Ryan's aunts, uncles, and cousins, and of course Anderson's Nannie, Papa, aunts, uncles, and cousins.  Anderson met his great-uncle and great-aunt Jerry and Kathy for the first time, as well as quite a few cousins.  This was a good warm-up for the Christmas festivities to come!

Nannie and Anderson (matching)

Anderson and Papa

Nannie with her littlest grandson, Toby

I swear none of these guys were paying me any attention (football was on) when I wanted to take their picture, and yet amazingly they all smiled at the same time.  A Thanksgiving miracle. :)

Meredith, me, Casey

After lots of hugs, we headed on to Montpelier for Thanksgiving with the Hardens (Kinderknechts and Cassons, too!) Anderson got to be with his Aunt Lauren and Uncle Kyle for only the second time; they met him back in August.  They couldn't believe how chubby he'd become :).  I think Kyle said that his chin was putting up a good fight, but his cheeks were taking over- ha.

 Chris, Sarah, and Liam were there, along with Chris' parents, my Aunt Mollie and Uncle Tim.  I had really been looking forward to seeing Mollie and Tim, and I was eager for them to meet Anderson.  The newly one-year-old Liam was sweetly interested in the baby.  He was also eager to show us all how good he is at finding his belly button (which he is about to show off in the picture below.) 

 Ryan and my second feast of the day!  We wish we'd worn my maternity pants. ;)

Friday after Thanksgiving, Anderson and I took Daddy out to lunch after meeting the crew at his new branch.  Then my sweet boy and I headed over the river and through the woods back to Grandma's house to hang out with everyone.  It was a beautiful (!!) day, and we all spent our time on the patio with a fire burning in the fire pit.  Liam and Tim did some exploring and visited the miniature animals, but the rest of us were pretty happy to stay put.

Anderson and Grandma

Sarah and Liam (Liam was breaking out some booty-shakin moves, haha, it was so cute!)

Two very happy Grandmas!

Anderson completely bored with Lauren and I.

 Saturday we took some family pictures while the Harden-people were all together.  We got some good ones of the little Ives family, too...

This is not the official Harden-family Christmas photo, but I like it, and I LOVE the snuggle going on in the middle. :)