Raspberry World

Luna moth

Originally uploaded by Raspberry World.

Welcome to rainy June. So much rain.

This morning I saw a luna moth on the driveway. I didn’t know what it was - in fact, when I first posted this picture to flickr, I titled it, “What the hell is this?” but while my pictures were uploading I managed to find it. By searching Google for things like “moth or butterfly green leaf.” And there it was. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one before.

On the way back up the driveway I took a bunch of pictures of our lush green woods. They are up in the June set on Flickr, along with some pictures of Alex from the recent “Touch a Truck” event in town. There’s even a video. (Look back at May if you are looking for pictures of Charlie.)

Playing school

Originally uploaded by Raspberry World.

Tonight Marty and Alex were playing Hi-Ho Cherry-O in the playroom before dinner, and I heard this snippet of conversation:

Marty: My leg is asleep.

Alex: My leg is having breakfast.

Two months old today!

Originally uploaded by Raspberry World.

This little fella is two whole months old today! What a sweetie!

March pictures are updated.

Sweet little face

Originally uploaded by Raspberry World.

Charlie is waking up and beginning to notice the world. This week he even started smiling a little. We are so glad he came to join our family!

There are a few new pictures in the February set on Flickr.

Three today!

Originally uploaded by Raspberry World.

Happy birthday, Alex!

We celebrated all day long, from a birthday breakfast at home, to a birthday party with friends at Stay & Play, and finally a Superbowl dinner with our neighbors. Alex had a great day. Pictures are in the February set on Flickr. Also, check the January set for more pictures of Charlie.

Happy birthday to my little sweetheart!

I love that tree

Originally uploaded by Raspberry World.

Today it’s a year since we bought our house. I can hardly believe how the time has flown.

Big Brother, Little Brother

Originally uploaded by Raspberry World.

Alex and Charlie wore matching pajamas on Charlie’s first night at home. Alex and I bought them last summer, shortly before we found out that the baby was a boy. Alex picked out these bright, sunny Tigger pajamas and we agreed that they would be fine for either a baby brother or a baby sister.

I am so glad we got a baby brother!

Charlie is doing great. He is settling in and becoming part of the family. He seems like a happy baby, but he’s still sleeping a lot (and eating a LOT), so it’s hard to tell exactly what his disposition is. We look forward to getting to know him better.

Alex is doing well too. He reminds us at least once a day, “I’m a big brother!” He seems proud of Charlie and is learning to be gentle with him and play quietly around him. It’s not all easy - Alex is definitely responding to being out of his routine (and so much of my time currently being taken up by someone else) but I think the immediate challenges are temporary and once we reestablish a more normal routine, the acting out will stop.

We are so enjoying having Marty home from work this month. And Nana and Granddad have been a great help. They will need a vacation themselves after this extended visit to our house. But thank goodness they are here.

So that’s my update from babyland. I hope to post some new pictures by Friday. I have been having some trouble with my computer (I’m posting now from Marty’s laptop) but I will try to take care of the pictures soon. In the meantime, if you haven’t seen them, there are several in the January Flickr set.

Family of Four

Originally uploaded by Raspberry World.

Charles Nicholas was born on January 12, 2009. He weighed 8 lbs, 15 oz, and was 19 inches long. He is doing great!

We will call him Charlie.

Alex is so happy to be a big brother. We are enjoying this time at home with each other and Nana and Granddad.

What 40 looks like

Originally uploaded by Raspberry World.

I am 40 years old today. I expected it to feel like a bigger deal than it does, but I think the impending arrival of baby brother is taking my mind off of it.

Still, 40 is surely the biggest milestone since 21, at least in my mind. We celebrated with Italian food and delicious birthday cake. And I got a pedicure. Not a bad way to start the year.

Snow fun

Originally uploaded by Raspberry World.

We are getting more snow today. It already looks like more than the 2 - 4 inches that were predicted. (The picture is from our last big storm, not from today.) So I guess we’ll add a white new year’s to our white Christmas this year.

It’s the last day of the year, and I’m not feeling very introspective. 2008 has been a year full of surprises. If you’d told us last December 31 that we would be anticipating the arrival of baby brother a year later, neither Marty nor I would have believed you. Now we have a house full of baby gear (thank you, playgroup friends) and a big brother rarin’ to go. What a great surprise.

So, happy new year, RW readers. Enjoy the end of 2008. I hope 2009 is a great year for you all.

PS Lots of pictures now up in the December Flickr set.