Originally posted by: ADigitalManNow that I think even more about it, given that Anakin hadn't seen Padme for about 9 months leading up to the movie, how'd he pick up R2 in the first place?
It was shown in the Clone Wars. before Anakin went away for the first time, Padme gave him R2, apparently as a gift for being knighted. He saw her again between that moment and Ep III also, after he got the scar on his eye.