Anson at 8 months

And so it starts.  Anson just keeps getting older and older.  He's definitely not a baby anymore.  He has a sense of humor.  He has an idea of where he wants to be.  He's starting to copy the sounds I make, or at least tries it.  He's not rejecting tummy time so much.  He plays for "long" periods of time by himself or with his sister.  He looks at the right person when you say their name.  He's babbling with mixed sounds and inflection in his voice.  He doesn't want to eat anything from a spoon, he wants to feed himself with his hands (and yet doesn't chew so just ends up stuffing his cheeks with food bits).  He cocks his head to one side and smiles when people say hello.  Where's the baby?

Here's what our Anson is like at 8 months.

And so it starts: getting dressed up by Sister when Mom's not looking.  She doesn't even put the bow on her head.  Why his?

And so it starts: standing.  He's so happy to get in the tub he locks his knees and hangs on to the side when I show him the water filling.  Just try to get him to sit down...

That double-armed flapping thing he does in the beginning is his self-created, "Pick me up!" sign.  He's been doing that so long I can't remember when it started.  He's been saying "da-da-da-da" for maybe a month already but this video clip night we knew he knows what it means now.  And just so you know, he said "Mama" twice today. Yay!!!  That's the first I've heard it.  Whenever I asked him to say "ma-ma-ma" before all I got was "Ba" or a kiss.  So it's official.  "Dada" is his first word, and "Mama" is his second.  It doesn't matter what he says next now.  :)