Karen Elizabeth

A blond child in a gray "I love dinos" shirt and green shorts sits on the floor with a small whiteboard on his lap. "1 year!!" is written on the whiteboard. The child's face is scribbled out for privacy.

I have successfully kept a small human alive for a whole trip around the sun! I'm looking forward to watching Niko express his little personality more and more! 😊

Who all is headed to my neck of the woods for GenCon this week?

I'll be there from about 11-1:30/2 on Thursday and Friday with Niko in tow (did you know you get to use the accessible services Will Call if you have a kid in a stroller?) and 11-6/6:30 on Saturday (Grandpa is babysitting).

a screenshot of a video game with the number 99 at the bottom ALT: a screenshot of a video game with the number 99 at the bottom

Hey listen! Prize winners for Zeldathon Voyage have been drawn and emails are going out today, make sure to check the email connected to the account you donated with to find out if you won! 📨📨📨

A current photo - I am holding Niko upright in my arms, with the top of his head nearly level with mine and his feet at my hips

A baby bump picture from nine months ago - I am taking a side-profile bathroom selfie and the bump increases my body... depth, I guess? by another 50%

There's a fun photo comparison that a lot of birthing folk like to do of "nine months in, nine months out", and guess how old Niko is today??

Baby boy went from a basketball under my shirt to a TALL lad who is already basically half my height 😅

Check out all the things you can win this week at Zeldathon.com/prizes!

A hand-drawn classroom map that includes student names, including one desk labled Iñaki

A student note signed Iñaki that reads: I appreciate Miss Karen because she has helped me in class

Late-breaking update: my mom brought me a bunch of stuff from my childhood room, which included a binder I used during student teaching.

THERE WAS AN IÑAKI IN THE CLASS

I have no idea how common of a first name it is???

Marriage club, marriage club!! ❤️

A page from a board book showing a baby reaching for a butterfly - the image bears a vague resemblance to the "is this a pigeon" meme.

Tell me I'm not the only one who sees it...

⛵ Set sail with Zeldathon Voyage!

For the first time ever, we’re opening game submissions + in-person volunteer apps to the community!

⏳ Deadline: April 13

🎮 Submit a game: forms.gle/hATr3oMEWcnX...

⚓ Apply to volunteer: forms.gle/pRESQydq7atN...

Niko will take it on my behalf

(Little guy had his 6mo shots yesterday, gotta keep him comfy from sore legs)

Niko is cutting his first teeth and I am having the HARDEST time using the word "teeth" when talking to him because he is too cute! and the teeth are so little! and so they MUST be "teefers"!!

I have also used "angy"/"hungy", "what do", and probably some others that aren't coming to mind 😅

Baby Niko is ready to enjoy (and join in with) some music that's raising money for LA Wildfire relief! Come watch at twitch.tv/Zeldathon !

YouTube video by Moore Cowbell Studio Purple Monkey In A Bubblegum Tree - [Best Version] - Fisher Price Kick n Play Piano Play Mat Song

On this Valentine's Day, I give you all the gift of the best song from the Fisher-Price Kick & Play piano, which goes way harder than it has any right to. (John Legend even did a cover of it???)

youtu.be/OK-RjNMDOPk?...

Also mine will come back in two to three months

A selfie featuring my new haircut, a "bixie" (middle ground between a bob and a pixie)

Also: I got a haircut! All my hair was falling out anyway 😜 (thanks, postpartum hormones)

Gif of confused man counting on fingers with complicated math expressions floating around him

Me trying to calculate Niko's nap/sleep patterns

YouTube video by TheophanyRemix Colgera (Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom) | Theophany Remix

I'm new to Bluesky, here is a Tears of the Kingdom remix!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDIW...

Just yesterday I saw "used vanilla extract as a substitution for vanilla pudding" and also "can I use corn flour in place of corn syrup."

About to invite these folks over for ice cream and then serve ice cubes instead.

Today in a way feels like the "official" start of being a stay-at-home mom since this is Retsam's first day back from paternity leave and also about when I would have been going back to work if I'd just done maternity leave. I gotta figure out some places to go that aren't the outdoors (it cold).

If you ever again want to look up people being ridiculous in this particular way, the subreddit r/ididnthaveeggs is exactly that.

Asleep at the Wheel in the Headlight Brightness Wars The crusade against bright headlights has picked up speed in recent years, in large part due to a couple of Reddit nerds. Could they know what’s best for the auto industry better than the auto industr...

In one of the strangest chapters of my life, I spent several months in the trenches of Big Headlight, looking to understand just how and why headlights became brighter than the sun. Answers, graphs, penis sketches—it's all here, on the brand new Ringer site:
www.theringer.com/2024/12/03/t...

Oh dang, I saw you shared a WIP on Discord but I didn't realize it was life-sized!

A lit Christmas tree with a mix of store bought and handmade ornaments and a vintage red tree skirt

Yes, the Christmas tree is up before Thanksgiving. I have a two-month-old that likes looking at lights, and that's probably the extent of Christmas he's going to like this year.

Calling all crafters, artists, and community members!

It’s time for our Prize Jam!

We are seeking high-interest, "WOW" factor prizes to encourage donations during Side Quest: Winter Masquerade!

📅Prizes are due December 14th
📧: if interested, please reach out to prizes@zeldathon.com

It's weird to me how surreal parenting is sometimes, even two months in. We are the same people living in the same house, but somehow a small human is here too? I'm the one who was pregnant and there is still a part of my brain that goes "wait, where did he come from?"

Good luck!

Related fun facts:
- Iñaki Godoy is from Mexico City (or Mexico D.F.)
- He was born in Aug 2003, so depending on grade cutoffs, he may have been in 4th grade in 2011.
- I student taught 4th grade at a school in Mexico City in 2011.

I don't think I actually did, but I COULD HAVE TAUGHT LUFFY.

Luffy is peak golden retriever energy and I love how the other characters are exasperated by him yet can't help being won over by him at the same time. And the aesthetic has such a good balance between realism and fantasy! Chef's kiss, no notes!

We finally got a Netflix subscription since Retsam has a nice long paternity leave, so we're watching the live action One Piece now. I know shockingly little about the anime or manga (other than: it long) but dang is this a charming little show!

I am sitting in a rocking chair, holding and looking down at my infant son

It's hard, but I am enjoying finally being Mama Trina ❤️