8 months...

Well...we officially have a little boy on our hands who loves to get in to EVERYTHING and is extremely ACTIVE!! For instance, typically his monthly pictures go so smoothly...he just sits there and smiles and wha-la! Cute Pictures! Well...just take a look at how our photo session went this month...

My days consist of chasing Watson all over the house, pulling him away from cords, blinds, bar stools, the trash can, the fireplace...everything! Don't get me wrong, he loves his toys, but not as much as he loves everything that he can't play with :) I am typically extremely tired by the end of the day, but I would not trade it for anything in the world. I love our little active boy so much...he is a pure JOY to Graham and myself!

Included in him being so active...one of his most active spots is the changing table! Makes changing a clothes or diaper pretty interesting.

Size diaper: 3...have had to start using the overnight diapers for nighttime due to his waking up soaked every morning. If anyone has any tips or ideas that work for wetting through a diaper at night, please let me know!
Size clothes: 9 months, some 12 months
Eating: W has decided he is not into his bottles as much any more for some reason. We offer 8oz three times a day (breakfast, lunch, bedtime) with a 4-6 oz bottle in the late afternoon, but he rarely finishes a bottle any more. He has gotten much better with his sippy (though still definitely not perfected..) but at least he is getting some more water through that. He eats baby food (stage 2) for breakfast (1 fruit) and dinner (2 veggies). Still loves everything he has been offered!
Sleeping: 12-13 hours at night, 2 naps a day that are around 2 hours each

This month W is...
-Waving hello and bye bye
-Army crawling
-Going from crawling, to sitting, and back to crawling
-Getting up on hands and knees and rocking back and forth
-All about his books and his toys (especially this bumpy ball we got him)

-Very social...has no problem going from person to person, but has to keep his eye on mommy and daddy

-Loving this beautiful weather and time outside...especially when that includes bubbles or the park!

-Saying "da-da-da-da" all day with an occasional "ma" thrown in
-Would rather crawl through the bottom of his exersaucer than sit in it...but still a favorite toy :)

-Absolutely loves riding in the buggy (or as Graham corrects me...the "cart") at the store. He smiles and waves the entire time...so precious!



Words cannot explain how much love fills our hearts for this little boy. I am almost daily blown away by the fact that Christ loves Watson..and me..and Graham..infinitely more than my heart can even begin to understand. Wow. Wow!

Loving time with Papa...they even dress alike :)

The day that Watson turned 8 months, my little nephew, Hampton, had to have emergency surgery for a condition called pyloric stenosis. We are so thankful that they found it when they did, but continue to pray for his recovery. He is doing much better, all things considered, but poor little buddy has had a rough go so far in his short 6 weeks of life! My sister has been super-mom, though, and shown so much strength and peace during everything...we are so thankful to God for granting her and Reynolds exactly what they need when they needed it most!

I know I went a little picture crazy with this post, but I had to include this one. I kept Abby while Hampton was in surgery and during lunchtime she was insistent on two things:
1. Having all three bunnies sit with her. 2. Wearing my necklace. She is a wonderful big sister and cousin - love her so much!

7 months...

Time has gotten away from me so quickly - I can't believe how long it has taken me to get this post up! The past month for Watson was taken over by sickness - it was a pretty pitiful sight to see! Poor baby got a double ear infection, and croup...twice! As is typical in our family, Watson has gotten sick, both times, on the weekend. We got to know the people at Children's After Hours Clinic pretty well in the course of 2 weeks! I firmly believe that seeing your baby sick is one of the most helpless feelings. He is definitely teething as well, so that has been lots of fun :) He chews on EVERYTHING. Seriously - I looked over the other day and he was chewing on our couch. I guess whatever works :) Teething rings have become our best friends. I still can't see or even feel any teeth, but he is working on it for sure!

Weight: 18lbs 6oz at 6 1/2 months
Size diaper: 2 - will be size 3 as soon as our next shipment comes in :)
Size clothes: Between 6-9 months. 6 month clothes are too small, 9 months are a little big. Poor thing either looks squeezed in to his clothes or like he hasn't quite grown in to them yet
Eating: 7oz 4 times a day, fruit in the morning, vegetable (or 2) at night (stage 2 baby food) Still loves all foods - really doesn't turn any down!
Sleeping: 12..sometimes 13..hours at night. Morning nap (1 1/2 - 2 hours), afternoon nap (1 1/2 - 2 hours). W has really gotten to the point where he has to have his naps or he is a grumpy little boy in the evenings!!


A few things I wanted to note about Watson this month:
- Loves bath time! We got a new bath seat which allows him to sit up in the bathtub (rather than recline in the little chair we did have)...and he LOVES it! It's so sweet to see him splash and have such a good time every bathtime :)


- He cannot stand to be alone...and let's you know it! W seems to be a social little boy...he cries..no, screams..any time he is the only one in the room...or just thinks he is the only one in the room. I feel like I have to sneak around the room if he is playing because as soon as he sees me walk by he just let's it all out...loud.

- Incredibly active! I'm giving him a couple more weeks to be fully on the move with crawling. He is doing a sort of army crawl now - up on his elbows and just kind of dragging his legs behind him. It's pretty impressive how quickly he can get from point a to point b though! It's so sweet to watch him around kids older than him - he makes it so clear just how badly he wants to be able to get up and run around with them! He absolutely loves time with Abby - they make each other laugh and it is absolutely adorable!


- Loves cell phones and remotes - he can have all of his toys around him and he will barely see a corner of the remote or a cell phone and he is instantly on the move towards it.

- Always likes to have his eye on mommy. Can't say I mind this :)

Loving his high chair..he knows it's time to eat as soon as I put him in there!

- Still VERY smiley! This boy is the happiest little baby I have ever been around...and I love i! He is incredibly content (as long as someone is in the room with him!) and laughs all day. If I have the tv on and he sees someone smiling, he always smiles back at them..it's hilarious :)

First trip to the park - he loved the swing!

Graham spent 9 days this month in Africa. During that time, my nephew, Hampton was born. Thankfully my mother in law came in town to help with Watson for several days - what a blessing that was!!! Watson actually got croup, round 2, while she was here..so it was a HUGE help to have her here during that time so that I could be with my sister when Hampton was born. Luckily the second bout of croup was not has bad as the first! I usually try to enjoy winter and the cold weather...but I have never been more ready for Spring in my life. The weather in AL has been crazy. 70's one day, 40's the next. In other words, everyone's allergies and sinuses are all messed up...including W's. We are definitely praying for a healthier next month!

Family picture and a sign we made for our friend, Maureen, who Graham was able to see while in Kenya.

In Love...

Watson's seven month post will be up sometime this week, but I had to take a minute to show off the newest addition to our family...

Hampton Reynolds Anderson was born on Tuesday, February 21...and our whole family is so in love with this handsome bundle of joy. We have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of Watson's future best friend and co-troublemaker...and we are thrilled that he is here. These two boys are exactly 7 months apart and I cannot wait to watch them grow up together!

Proud Aunt :)

Graham is in Africa right now so he was not able to be there for the birth...He cannot wait to meet his nephew when he gets home!

And this sweet girl is already a wonderful big sister. She loves to help take care of "Baby Hampy" It is very clear that she is going to have no trouble, whatsoever, keeping these two boys in line :)

Six Months...

What a busy, but wonderful month we have had! I absolutely cannot believe our little man is already 6 months old. That's half way to one year...yikes! Where did the time go?! This has been SUCH a fun month with Watson - he is developing so much every day. I can honestly say that every morning I wake up looking forward to playing with W and seeing just how much he has developed over night. Between the talking, playing, grabbing, watching, laughing, eating and sleeping...this boy stays busy all day long...and consequently, so do I! I would not have it ANY other way, though!

Weight: 17lbs 11oz
Height: 26 1/2 in
Size diaper: 2
Size clothes: 6 months, 6-9 months (some 9 months)
Eating: 6oz 4 times a day, with a fruit after his morning bottle and a vegetable after his evening bottle
Sleeping: We have a wonderful nighttime sleeper on our hands - he sleeps anywhere from 7-8pm to 7-8am...we are so thankful! He has a morning nap (1-2 hrs) and an afternoon nap (1-2 hrs).

W hit a big milestone this month: he can now sit up all by himself! We first noticed it the day after Christmas...he still needed a tiny bit of assistance then, but within about a week or so from that day he was sitting up like a champ! He still topples to the side...or front...or back after sitting for a little while, but we are so proud of him!

We began rice cereal with Watson at 4 1/2 months, but he began his actual baby food at 5 1/2 months. The first food he tried was sweet potatoes - and he LOVED them! He now eats a fruit in the morning and a vegetable at night - all of which are Stage 1 baby foods. His favorites are pears, sweet potatoes, squash and prunes. His least favorite is peas - we have seen the dramatic side of our boy come out when eating peas! Overall, though, W is a great eater and loves his baby food - he gets so excited when he sees me walking towards him with it!

This little boy LOVES to play with his toys and books. It is so cute! When we put him in his exersaucer, he acts like it is his command center. He always gets so focused on what he is playing with and just goes from toy to toy - it is a wonderful thing for me when I am trying to get something done around the house as well :)

W is trying so hard to crawl. He will get up on his knees and stick his little hiney in the air and try to move, but it's just not happening quite yet. He still manages to get to whatever he is reaching for though, usually by rolling back and forth until he gets it!

This month we had our niece, Abby, over for a spend the night party! She loves Watson and helps us take good care of him...always making sure he has his paci and kissing on him...so sweet! W loves watching Abby and usually that includes a big smile on his face.

Before bath time...

Before movie time...

Several months ago, Graham, myself and 2 other friends started a small group that has since grown to include some wonderful people who are quickly becoming great friends! We meet at our house each week - and it is always a highlight of our week to fellowship and study the Word with this group of people. This month we had everyone over to watch the National Championship game.

We love our sweet boy so much and are cherishing this precious time with him.

Memory Lane...

I finally found the charger and cord that go with my point and shoot camera! I had no idea that there would be pictures from all the way back in 2010 on that little camera...guess it has been a good while since I connected it to my computer...whoops :) It was fun looking through all of the pictures though and remembering such great times...

Summer 2010 on the road with Student Life. I am so incredibly thankful for this time in my life!

Fall 2010Trip to California and lots of quality time with Briana!

Fun visits from great friends - this sweet little boy, Mattox, is who made me so excited about possibly having a boy some day (I was not pregnant at the time)
Waiting on Watson...

Three year anniversary...

Watson's first bite of solid food (rice cereal)...

Christmas 2011...
Picture with Santa

Christmas in Tuscaloosa...Watson loved cuddling with Stacy...
Sweet time with the Mattocks' - so thankful for this sweet couple and the strong influence they have had in Graham's life!
Story time with Janza and Grandpa