Still Alive, and Baby Musings
Monday, October 20th, 2008Above, some pencils from the upcoming page of Penance. Mor-me’goth does not look happy. J.D.’s done with the inks, so it’ll go up when she’s finished with the colors. Can’t say when. At the rate we’ve been going since Baby was born, I estimate the next page will be up sometime in 2009.
It’s amazing how much parenthood has changed our lives so far. Taking care of Baby is more than a full-time job — it’s a career. There’s so much to do, to learn, to unlearn. So many questions that — a year ago, hypothetical — must now be answered. When to introduce solid food? Tummy or back? Homeschool or public school? What to say about Santa?
Hobby time is nearly nonexistent. Before Baby, I spent my free time writing, drawing, playing music, enjoying video games and movies. J.D. would also write and draw; she’d create worlds and relationships and clothing and philosophies. Now, we struggle to get the must-dones done, while our creative ventures and entertainment are moments snatched when duties allow. Last night J.D. and Kitsune spent three hours cleaning piles and piles of dishes because we had not had time to do them this whole past week.
But. Lest it sound as though I regret our new addition — let me say that my dear little daughter has transformed not just my circumstances but my heart. The two paragraphs above fade into insignificance when I look into her eyes, and she looks back at me and squeals with joy. Nothing else matters.
At a restaurant today, a knowing grandmother smiled at me holding my daughter and asked: “So has she shown you a whole new world of love? One that you never knew existed inside you?”
“Yes,” I answered. “Yes, she has.”
“Just wait ’till you have grandchildren,” she said, winking.
October 21st, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Welcome to our world.
October 31st, 2008 at 8:02 am
Just for the record, you don’t get hobby time back until they get MUCH older. Your only hope is to get them interested in your hobbies so that instead of being “hobby time” it’s “quality time”. Unfortunately for me, I’ve got three girls…..Barbies were never my hobby.
Layne
November 2nd, 2008 at 5:24 pm
I and my wife mused over much the same.
It does not get much less busy until they are about five to seven. Feeding, wiping, and bathing give way to teething, reading, play dates, swim lessons, etc.
Homeschooling is my wife’s decision because the schools are usually overfunded and underperforming, whether public or private. Only real good areas allow gifted kids to excel, and only rich kids go to school in real good areas…
So with homeschooling, my kids are at least a half-year ahead of grade level. But if the Communists come into power, you can be sure that one of their goals will be to make sure every kid gets brainwashed in our public screwls. That’s after judicial activism, collectivism and wealth redistribution, I guess. We’ll see.
Santa is harmless. They grow out of it by about seven. I can direct you to a book that tells the real story of Saint Nicholas and his love for children.
Kids do involve all your time that is not spent on work, home repair and maintenance, and a lot more. It is easy to grow distant in marriage when one has multiple kids. Somehow, you still need “me time” as a couple. But that happens a lot less. And one kid will always have the knack of interruptus…
Getting the kids interested in your hobbies is fun. You can read to them or draw pictures for them while they watch. Their curiosity will be their guide.
But then they will get addicted to computer games and your schedule will magically clear.
December 6th, 2008 at 8:14 am
Anything happening? Is the comic on hold until your kid is 18 and leaving home?
December 6th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
@Timo: LOL! I hope not! But I doubt we’ll get much of a chance to work on Penance until after the holidays.
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Merry Christmas (a little early) Craig & J.D. I hope everything is going well with you and the baby, and that you guys all have a blessed holiday season.
Merry Christmas to everyone else who reads this as well.
December 23rd, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Merry Christmas!
I pray that folks stay safe, be well, keep your jobs, and keep the faith.
Thanks Craig and J. D. We’re rooting for you. Hope your daughter’s first Christmas is full of love, excitement, and happy memories. They grow up so fast!
February 11th, 2009 at 2:02 am
Just checking in every now & then, to see where things stand. I’m hoping that no new comics means you both still have jobs (no guarantee in this economy) and that baby is keeping you busy but staying well. You still have fans out here, whenever you choose to return. Good luck and whatever gods you may believe in bless you.
February 21st, 2009 at 5:57 am
Anything happening? Over two months and not a word. Is everything OK?
March 22nd, 2009 at 1:47 am
YAMonth gone. Still alive?
April 6th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Is everything ok Craig & JD?
May 10th, 2009 at 3:39 am
Apparently this webcartoon is dead. If you someday continue please announce it in ook forum and rec.games.roguelike.angband newsgroup. I’m removing my bookmark for this page.
May 17th, 2009 at 9:42 am
Wishing you guys all the best. As an editor for theological books that works with designers, marketers, authors, and so on, I know how intensive art projects can be.
As a parent I know how intensive (and stressful) parenting can be. There are no guarantees and no easy certainties.
And that you also have to bring home the bacon on top of that, well, I respect your setting of priorities and will welcome back the Penance comic when those priorities allow.
May 17th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
Timo, Maverick, Charles: Thank you for your comments. Yes, everything is OK. The story is much the same: 60-hour work weeks, parenting on top, time and energy are hard to find.
Also unchanged: We haven’t given up on Penance, we’re just trying to figure out how to work on it within the time we have.
@Maverick: All is well. J.D., Baby, and I are all doing fine. Baby’s celebrating her first birthday this month! We’re very proud of her; she’s healthy, happy, and intelligent.
@Timo: Thank you for hanging with us as long as you could. I hope you come back as a reader when we’re able to once again devote time and energy to Penance. (Besides, we’re not done with Wanderer yet!)
@Charles: Thanks for your kind words. J.D. and I really appreciate your understanding. We’ve loved your insightful comments on Penance and look forward to hearing your thoughts on future pages.
All, thanks again. I can’t promise when Penance will come back, but we haven’t forgotten about it.
Craig & J.D.
May 26th, 2010 at 3:48 am
Any developments on the future of Penance?
June 1st, 2010 at 9:53 pm
Hi Rob,
Nothing new, really. Same story, different verse: trying to balance two jobs, two children, and a Master’s degree all at once.
Although Penance is still on the back burner, it’s still very much on our minds, and hardly a week goes by that we don’t talk about it. As soon as we’re able to put pencil to paper once again, we’ll come back here.
Thanks for checking in. It’s good to hear from you!
Craig
June 16th, 2011 at 10:00 am
Even one year later… Penancecomic just jumped to my mind… Are you still talking about the comic every week? I loved it and read every single frame and would be too happy if you continued it someday.
I think I’ll just add the page to my Google Reader account and wait for good.
I do understand you being a little short of time lately, our third child is nine months now and giving us a time with very little spare time…
Keep on drawing
Georg