Our Little Firecrackers

I am posting some pictures of our "little firecrackers" from Independence Day. They light up our lives and ignite wonder and delight in us. And they definately keep us on our toes! I can't believe in a few short days we'll have a third to add to the craziness!

We had a great time on the 4th...parade, swimming and fireworks.

Here they are patiently waiting for the parade to make its way to us:

Anagrace was particularly proud of her patriotic fingernails and toenails:

Both of the kids did great staying up to watch the fireworks....waaay past their bedtime! There were no tears, whining or even fear of the loud noise! Here's sweet Anderson ready for bed:

Learning New Things

Anagrace is learning to ride her bike without training wheels! She can ride several yards by herself and hasn't had too many wipeouts. She is usually pretty apprehensive about trying new and difficult things, but she has been very persistent with learning to ride her bike "like a big girl". If she falls down, she gets up, dusts herself off and wants to try again. I took several little video clips of her practicing at the park, but only downloaded one. I chose this one because there's a bonus to the video...at the beginning Anderson walks into the frame and then back out again. He is quickly learning new things, too, and I don't think he will have much hesistation at all with trying scary new things. He's got the walking thing down pat...working on running and climbing, now! He had a great time exploring at the park while Anagrace practiced riding, even tasted the dirt on the baseball field! Just another difference between girls and boys, I guess.

No More Mullet!

My grandmother trimmed Anderson's hair on Wednesday...his first haircut. It took him forever to even grow hair, but it seemed that the fastest growing part was in the back. It looked like a little mullet. There were these little wispy hairs that would poke out behind his ears and trail down his neck. It drove me crazy. So my grandmother, who back in the day worked at a beauty shop, got out her cape and scissors and cut off the mullet. I have it saved in a plastic baggie!

Anderson is ONE!

I can't believe my baby boy is one year old! He has brought so much joy to my life this past year. He has a wonderful personality that keeps me laughing. He finds humor in most things, and flashes his cute grin or gives a sweet chuckle. He is a busy boy, into everything. You can just see the curiosity in his eyes as he explores everything. He is starting to walk. He takes steps on his own, making his way halfway across the room to us or a toy he wants. He will brush his hair, change channels with the remote, dance to music, and pretend to answer the phone. He thinks "no,no" is funny and seems to like to hear me say it. He will seek out things to do and then look me in the eye and say "huh?" just to see if it is still a no,no. He is babbling, often with a lot of facial expressions. He knows what he is saying even if we don't! He has said "mama" and "dada" but is very stingy in saying them, no matter how hard we encourage him he just smiles at us. The boy loves to eat. We call him the "eating machine". I am not sure he is ever completely full, it seems he would eat just as long as we will feed him. He is a very loving baby. He likes to be held and likes to cuddle for short periods of time. He will come over and lay his head on our leg or shoulder to "give love". He has learned to give kisses. I just love his kisses! I just love him, everything about him I adore! He is so precious to me and although the time goes by so quickly I do love watching him grow and learn and show his sweet personality.

Happy Birthday, Anderson Jude!

Teething Bites

Anderson is apparently teething again. He has been a little fussier than usual and everything he picks up goes straight to his mouth. Some things he particularly enjoys chewing on and he will seek those items out around the house. He was digging through a drawer with various items that I use in the bathroom....hair dryer, make-up, contact solution, lotions, etc. and found a new item to teethe on. It has a wonderful crackly wrapper and is the perfect shape to hold and chew . Of course, one day he is going to hate that I documented this in writing and by photo......

It Won't Be Long

Anderson is on his way to learning how to walk and talk! He has been pulling up to a standing position and cruising down the couch and between the couch and coffee table for a while. But now he has started practicing going back and forth in our living room using a little push toy. The push toy and a walker that my friend Amy let us borrow (thanks Amy!) is adding a whole new diminsion to his mobility. He doesn't bend his knees yet, so he walks rather stiffly.

He's also been babbling a lot lately. He only says "babababa" for now. But the "b" sound is made the same way as an "m" sound, they are both bilabial sounds except the "b" is a plosive. Probably only Erin understands that speech lingo, but the point is it should not take Anderson long to learn to say Mama instead of baba.

The Sweetest Sound in the World

Holiday stress got you down? Just watch this video clip and your spirits will be lifted! It has got to be the sweetest sound in the world (so make sure your volume is up). Sorry that the lighting is not so great, though.

A very Merry Christmas to y'all!

Third Time Is a Charm?

No, I'm not talking about the baby on the way. I'm talking about taking Christmas portraits...I don't even want to think about adding a third child to the mix for next year's pictures! We have been to JC Penney's twice already trying to get the perfect decent photo. I mean, is it too much to ask for both children to be looking in the general direction of the camera? Am I crazy to think that they both might smile? I am giving these photos as gifts...who wants to open a framed portrait of Anderson looking behind him and Anagrace with an expression of boredom and confusion? But, that may just be the best we can give. It is very difficult to find a time to even take the photos between Anderson's sleep and eat schedule. I hope that I have it timed correctly today. And that something or someone can get my children to look at the camera and smile.

I'll post the photo for your opinion later.

Bittersweet

Anderson has taken three formula bottles since Wednesday. Justin and I went out for a few hours when he 2-3 months old and he took bottles then, but they contained breast milk. I tried formula bottles to no avail at 5 months. The past few weeks he has been battling sickness and an ear infection, so he has not had any interest in eating baby food. His interest has been solely in breastfeeding. In one word...OUCH! I was eager to try the bottle again. And so, here is the bittersweet transition. I don't think I am ready to entirely wean him, but I am ready for a break and some freedom.

Last month, my mom kept him while Justin and I attended our class reunion. But, before his bedtime he needed to nurse. My mom brought him to the restaurant, so I could feed him in the bathroom! The restaurant is a sports-bar type place. I was waiting for the reenactment of the scene in Sweet Home Alabama...a classmate would approach me and exclaim "You have a baby...in a bar!". I felt the need to explain to everyone that he would not take a bottle and needed to eat.

So, part of me is happy because he is taking a bottle...but part of me is very sad.

Halloween Fun

The kids really enjoyed Halloween. Well, Anagrace did. Anderson seems to be okay with most everything....he's such a "go with the flow" type of baby. Anagrace dressed up as Sleeping Beauty and Anderson was a firefighter. We went to Carowinds on the Saturday before Halloween for some "Nick-or-treating". Anagrace loved getting candy and hugs from the Nickelodeon characters.

Then on Halloween night we went trick-or-treating in a nearby neighborhood with some friends and family. Here are all the trick-or-treaters in their costumes.

The Latest on Anderson

Anderson will be 6 months old on November 1st! Here are a few new things that he's doing:


1. Sitting in his Bumbo seat (Thanks for letting us borrow it, Beth!)

Yeah, I thought my son was a gifted escape artist....then I realized there was a recall on the seats. He enjoys sitting in the Bumbo, but if there is a toy in his line of vision...he's outta there. So, I have to watch carefully so that his escape doesn't injure his noggin!


2. Eating...ALOT!


Anderson really enjoys his food! He is eating 3 meals a day, usually 2 jars each meal! He especially enjoys "gumming" biter biscuits.
I guess he needs extra calories for all the energy he is expending, which leads me to...



3. Anderson scoots around on his belly, kind of like an army soldier. Watch the video and see for yourself.

I thought it was funny to note what Anderson was in a hurry to get his hands on...I guess the male's facination with the remote control starts early.

I was amazed at how similar these photos are! A comparison of my babies at 5 months of age...

Raspberries

Anderson learned how to make a "raspberry". (Anyone know why people call it that? I know I'm the one with the speech degree, but that wasn't in any of my textbooks!) I love to hear him do it, but it's even cuter to watch.

YUM!

I attempted to feed Anderson rice cereal this past week, but he kept spitting it back at me. Then I played with the consistency a bit on Tuesday and tried it again. He loved it! He giggles and grabs for the spoon. He uses quite a strong grip to guide the spoon to his mouth. It cracks me up how excited he is to eat. Also, I'm happy to report that the past two nights he has only woke up once to nurse. WOO HOO!

This is how he rolls!

I finally saw Anderson roll over on our trip to the beach. Since then he has become a "pro". It was difficult to even get a video clip of it. As soon as I lay him down, he starts to roll over. He's starting to enjoy his "tummy time"! Check out the clip of how he rolls...

I missed it....AGAIN!

Anderson rolled over the first time on July 28th, and then again a few days ago. I missed seeing it for my own eyes both times because of laundry! Add "missing my son's milestone" to the list of reasons why I hate...no loathe... laundry. (What other household chore requires so much time...sorting, pretreating stains, washing, very occasionally ironing, folding, putting it away...and it is NEVER really done!?) Did I mention I loathe doing the laundry? Anyway, both times Anderson rolled from his back to his tummy after I placed him on his activity mat to do one of the many steps involved in the laundering process. He began to cry after rolling over, I guess it scared him and he wasn't really sure what had happened. When I checked on him and realized what had happened, I cried a little bit myself! I can't believe I missed it...twice! That makes me think...how much do we as mothers miss because we are worried about things that in the "big scheme of things" don't really matter? Please tell me I am not a bad mommy, and that you other mothers sometimes stress more than you should about the things "undone"! I struggle with how I am going to get it all done and be a good mommy, too. I know that I cannot completely abondon the chore of laundry...the Prevette family would be one wrinkly, stained, stinky mess...but perhaps I should not let it bother me so much that the dirty clothes hampers are always full. It's just part of life...and life should be spent focusing on the things that really matter, like family. Next time I'm gonna see it!

Look in the background of the picture....a laundry basket!!!!!:-)

He wants to see the world!

Since the day he was born Anderson has been trying to check out the world. I noticed in the hospital that he was trying to pick his head up off of my shoulder. Now he's a pro at it. He's even able to hold his head up while on his tummy, which is not his favorite position to be in! He likes for me to hold him so he can see everything with his bright blue eyes.

Anderson's sweet voice

Anderson has started to "talk" to us, he's smiling and cooing and squealing when we talk to and play with him. We captured a little of it on this video, but he is not as boisterous as we've seen him. I hope we can catch a clip soon when he's really "letting loose"!