How do you know you’ve had a baby?

How do you know you’ve had a baby?

When there are things on the floor and you kick them that light up, dance and sing.

There is a pack n play in your living room.

To go to the bathroom or get in the kitchen you have to stand over a baby gate.

Your daily cleaning includes picking up Cheerios’s from your floor.

The cats always look panicked and slightly pissed.

You do laundry 4 days a week.

You know the words to the Barney theme song.

You’ve formed opinions on the new Sesame Street, Yo Gabba Gabba and The Back Yardagins.

A trip to the store includes two bags and two trips to the car.

You use the words “Did someone poop their pants!” and now it’s no longer after a long night drinking.

Waking at 6am is no longer an option.

You find yourself choosing to go to work sick rather than stay home.

Your friends no longer see you after “bedtime”.

There is a giant duck in your husband’s bathroom.

You no longer get grossed out at the thought of picking someone else’s boogers.

You get to work and discover baby vomit on your top.

There are pages of chewed paper around the house.

A Friday night now ends at 11pm.  If you can stay up that long.

You use the phrase “If we can find a babysitter.” when friends ask you to go to dinner.

Your grocery budget has gone up yet you’re still not eating steak for dinner.

You have rubber toys that squeak in your bathtub.

The Mek is back and you’re gonna be in trouble….

I am officially a WoW player again.  Mek’s up and rolling and strolled through Kara last night for some good old fashioned killing fun.  Man it feels good to be a warlock.

In my last few months of pregnancy I was so tired that everything was an effort, sitting upright was near impossible for long periods of time and it placed Kyle square on my bladder.  So I peed.  A lot.  Around that time Angelic Wrath breathed it’s last breaths and I and the other officers were working on trying to keep the people who’d stayed with us and supported us a float in the game.  Then came the merge with Corner Stones of Azeroth and the bumps that come with that.  I didn’t raid much and when I could I was completely useless most of the time.

Post Kyle I was so tired when I got home I wanted to play mindless games where I could point and click then not think of strat or how to get my butt out of that spot I just put it in.  Then game the stretch of money when I wasn’t getting paid for more than a month at a time.  I had to take a break.

During that time the guild moved on, as they always do.  I was demoted, which is understandable.  I’m not out geared and out classed by most everyone and I feel a little a drift.  I wouldn’t say that I’m not happy, just sort of floating in that odd do I belong or not sort of place.  My tepid mention of maybe raiding again was met but an even more tepid response and I realize I don’t know a lot of the people anymore.

But, over all it’s a great guild.  Zultura is a very nice person.  I want to contribute so I farm and send mats to the bank and pass over gear that’s actually an upgrade from Kara, sad yes?, to alts.  I’m not a raider and I’m in a raiding guild.

Even with this sort of floating non belonging belonging I’m so happy to be back.  To be Meki.  For a long time I lost myself in being Kyle’s mommy and now I have a piece of Dana back.  I play once he’s in bed for the night or sometimes while he’s playing in his excersaucer behind me.  He likes the movement and dancing.  But I still don’t come anywhere near the play time I once had.  And I’m ok with that.  Because I don’t play for the gear or the glory, I never did.  Yeah, I get pride when I wear gear that is hard fought and other, lesser Warlocks drool, and there is a thrill from being from a guild that people respect.  But really I play for me, because after being Jason’s wife, Kyle’s mommy and an employee I’m a gamer.  And I’m a WoW player.

Hi! I’ve crashed your wedding!

It all started out as a joke.  Neil was, of course standing up in Brad’s wedding.  They were best friends after all. And Neil’s girl friend had just dumped him, again.  So I jokingly told him, “Hey, I’m your date!”

Yeah, Neil is literal.  And once he says ok to something he’s committed to it.  It’s the kind of guy he is.  So I’m crashing Brad’s wedding.  Sort of.

I met Neil and Brad through WoW.  The first raiding guild I was in was mostly made up of people from WI.  We never really set out that way but it sort of fell together that way.  The Boys had also been in my previous guild, the one I’d leveled Meki in but I’d only known them peripherally.  It wasn’t until I made the jump to AW that I got to know them better.  I might add, around that time Jason was working mega hours and traveling a lot so I played.  A lot.  When the day was done, house clean, cats fed, I’d log in and play my heart out.  I was Meki of AW.  Warlock Class Leader.  Princess Meki Mek of the Pink Buns of DOOOOOM.

Anyway, Neil, I got to know much better.  Brad.  Well Brad is Brad.  And if he probably can’t end up in your pants then he’ll be happy to see you and share a beer but other than that you’re really not on his mind.  He’s adorable but in that sort of giant boy way.

So when Brad got engaged I never really thought about it.  Until Neil and his girl broke up.  And I only ever said it as a joke.  But Neil, well he wants me and Holly to go with him as his date.  Though, really, Holly’s the crasher.  Neil did put down himself and one so you could argue I am technically invited.  And Brad, being Brad, probably doesn’t realize that having a crasher at your wedding is most likely going to send the bride into swoons.  I just comfort myself in knowing that they will be people who’s dinners they paid for that aren’t showing up.  Also, from what I hear, almost all of Brad’s invites were wrong.  Neil’s name, Andy’s wife left off, Neil’s brother, who’s a groomsman! not invited.  So we’re going to pretend our invites just got lost in the mail.

Over all I’m looking forward to it.  I really hate leaving Kyle for a day.  It’s rare Jason and I do.  But he loves his Grammie and she loves spending time with him and she was happy to watch him for the day because J’s at work.  I know he’ll have tons of fun with her.  And I’m really looking forward to meeting Andy’s wife.  Who’ve I’ve only ever known as “The Wife.”  A women who really frowns on video game play and has some very strong opinions on those who play.  But me being me I know I’ll set that image on it’s side to her.  I’m a gamer, love it.  Adore it.  It’s my hobby.  But more than ever now it’s secondary to making sure my home and family is well fed, loved and happy.

Nom, nom, nom

Kyle wore an outfit his daddy wore

Last Sunday we put Kyle in an outfit that came home with Daddy.  Needless to say he was adoriable.

We’ve moved on to 2nd Stage Foods and some solids now too.  He loves squash and turkey and peach cobbler.  In fact I was worried that he’d keep eating until he got sick tonight.  As for the wagon wheels for babies, the jury is still out but he is starting to grasp the idea that he can chew food down.  I’m so proud of my little boy.  I’m a little concerned that he really doesn’t want bottles much except to top off his tummy but he doesn’t look like he’s hurting for food.  In fact he looks like he loves it.  So like his daddy.

He and Peabody are in a show down for who’s really in charge. 

It’s sort of a draw.  Mommy has to pull Kyle back because he loves to grab Peabody’s hair and squal with delight.  Peabody enjoys not moving for Kyle, as if Kyle gets that Peabody was here first.

I’m still waiting to see how this one turns out.

And the GOP are the heartless bastards?

After Katrina Kanye West famously said that George Bush hates black people.  The President, and in many cases his party, was accused of not caring about the poor black people in NOLA who had no means to flee the storm and were left on their roofs.  There was a giant outcry over conditions in the Superdome, questions and accusations of the Federal government ignoring the issue, of FEMA being hapless.

We were the heartless bastards.

The left leveled accusations of anyone feeling that, perhaps, 3 years should be enough time for people to no longer be needing temporary FEMA trailers and continued government support were racists.

Oh how the view changes when they have something to gain politically.

Michael Moore, a pompous wind bag of epic proportions, said that Gustav proved there was a God because, laughing, the GOP convention was being held up the Mississippi while NOLA was being decimated.

Former DNC Chief Don Folwer says pretty much the same thing, gets caught on tape then issued a non apology and follows that up with, well you don’t expect some right wing nut job to be taping you.

Other, private citizens have also said pretty much the same thing.  As long as it’s hurting the GOP’s convention then it’s AOK with them.

How can anyone think that because their political rivals are hurting it’s ok to have an entire region decimated, families flee, homes destroyed, businesses flooded and people’s already hurting bank accounts ruined.  That, my friends, is so beyond repulsive I can only call  it comic book supervillany.

If the situation had been reversed and the Repubs had said that about the coronation that was their convention we’d be called all sorts of names, from heartless to racists and down to rich asshats.  But when the words come from the Dems and it’s seen as helping their cause, their oh so important, morally high, want to help real people cause, it’s just dandy to destroy an entire coast.

I’m so beyond repulsed by this thinking I’m not even sure what to say about it except if you ever think that it’s funny or ok to watch a part of your own country, or any country for that matter, be decimated for what you perceive as good you have gone down a path of self destruction.