Gaming With Bab..ies: Preparing for Additions

So instead of another 8 month gap, I have a new report in just two months. Things have advanced substantially though. Most noticeably, I can now say that my little boy has a sister on the way (Achievement Unlocked: Complete Set). But that is just one of several additions on the way.

Baby Report

First Sebastian. His enthusiasm for walking has declined in favor of being carried (by me exclusively) everywhere. Once it gets a bit cooler I need to rectify that.

Otherwise he continues to grow, putting on another inch (and at least a pound) over the summer. He’s almost moved above the 5th percentile finally. He climbs, he moves big boxes and toys, runs and has almost figured out the pedals on his tricycle.

Continuing on the physical front, he now has 12 teeth. We are still waiting on canines and the last set of molars but otherwise he is on track. His eyes and ears appear keen, picking out sirens before I can (“fire truck helps”) and spotting the moon through leaf cover when it is out during the day.

His vocabulary continues to expand with new verbs, nouns, and adjectives. Sometimes we catch him flipping through his books by himself at night. He’s also been telling stories of a sort. Something about “monsters coming”, attracted to light bulbs, and “eat,eat,eat.” Maybe I should be worried.

He is a somewhat picky eater, preferring food that is separated by type. With the exception of dinner though he usually at least tries the food.

His empathy is also improving, identifying emotions based on facial expressions and suggesting possible remedies (Sad = needs a hug). Sebastian is also warming slowly to the idea of a sister. We’ve moved from “No sister” to “sister play outside” (and not with his toys). Hopefully I can get him to let her play inside by winter.

As for Baby 2.0 (her codename until we decide on something more permanent), she’s doing well. She is supposed to be joining the family in January (and shortly before my birthday). No word yet on whether she’ll have laser eyes or super strength.

Movies & TV

So we still don’t have a babysitter so we missed out on most of the summer blockbusters. My wife caught Ghostbusters while I caught Star Trek Beyond. Individually we enjoyed both. We managed to catch (together) Jason Bourne which was fun if not amazing. At the beginning of the summer we took Sebastian to Finding Dory which was more enjoyable. Remarkably we actually kept him the theater the whole time.

As for TV, Octonauts has consumed our evenings. The show has become Sebastian’s favorite activity after dinner. After bedtime, we managed to work in some bingeing for Dark Matter and Stranger Things (and my wife used her summer off to watch lot and lots of cooking shows). Looking forward to the new fall shows and my horror movie runup to Halloween.

Conventions

With the new baby coming in January, there will be no DunDraCon next year. I’m hopeful I'll manage KublaCon 2017 though and to run a series of Urban Shadows games there.

House improvement: Additions

So my gaming table remains on its way (and possibly arriving at the same time as my daughter) but the bigger project is the possible expansion of our house.

Currently we have 3 bedrooms and 2 baths but one of those bedrooms in my office (and also poorly placed to be a child’s bedroom). So we’ve hired a designer to remove the upstairs bath and one of the bedrooms, extend the second story over the kitchen with a higher roof line and add two new bedrooms and two bathrooms (one being a master bath).

If it can work then it would give us plenty of room for our growing family. The question is cost/financing. If all works well, we’d decamp in the spring and get construction done before summer. Then we can settle in for long haul. Fingers crossed.

Gaming

And now the all important question, how does this all impact my gaming?

The Online Group

In a way this doesn’t impact anything. Since I’ve begun running my wife separately (with her jumping in at the end to upend the other player’s expectations) things have gone well. The slightly smaller group means thicker plot and more detailed character interactions. I’d say this situation should be stable until my kids become more capable of occupying themselves.

Play by Post: Streets of Blood and Steel

This game did not come back from the dead this summer. I’m not holding out much hope and this will be the last time I do play by post.

The Local Board Games: The Baby Years

So our local board gaming group has become more of a meet up once or twice a month and maybe play a game or two. Which is nice if not ideal. On the plus side we are all homeowners now so in the long-term prospects are good. At least I hope to give Sebastian a gaming group of his very own in several years.

New Local Group: Vampire: the Teething Troubles

Other than losing a player in character creation (first case I’ve encountered) this is going well. I’m still getting a gauge on the players’ interests and aptitudes but it feels good for the most part. My hardest player to please is my most familiar. My wife often seems disengaged which can throw me off midgame.

Going forward I see some major shake ups. The online group will likely take a short break after my daughter’s birth with the board gaming going on hiatus until summer. Ideally the local group will start-up again at the same time.