Visiting Eleen and Zoe
Jimmy’s on an overseas business trip so we went down to Alameda to hang out with Eleen and Zoe on Tuesday evening. We brought over some tasty Hawaiian food and just hung out. Zoe has put on some cute little cheeks and a belly and it was so neat to see how much she’s changed since we first met her. She’s SO adorable.
Jesse did his monkey dance for Zoe and it worked like a charm. She got to take a little catnap while Kumquat played with her toys.
Kumquat also showed off her new skills and chatted-it-up with Eleen and Zoe.
*sigh* What a fun evening! Let’s do this again soon!!
Jason and Jia wanted to break in their new grill and they just finished furnishing their new place so we went to their apartment for a BBQ on Sunday.
We also invited Jen and Kevin who live nearby. We hadn’t met their little Keenan yet and Kumquat hadn’t met them yet either.
Keenan is such a cute little guy and he slept for most of the afternoon.
But when he was awake he sat and watched our chunky monkey playing with her toys. It was great spending time with Jason and Jia and we got to catch up with the Lams since we hadn’t seen them since before Keenan was born.
They were also so sweet to give Kumquat a box full of cute clothes, some books, and a toy that she loves. Thanks for the gifts, Lams! And thanks for the tasty eats, DiDi and Jia!
I wore my tiger costume from a few years back and Ranee and Jamie dressed as peanuts. Very clever.
Rowan dressed up as a doggie but he didn’t like wearing the hood.
There was trick-or-treating along the main street with all the stores. We didn’t actually pick up any candy but we did go inside the Apple Store and Kumquat was given a magnet with the Apple logo on it.
For brunch, we went to Stacks and Kumquat got to sit in a highchair for the first time. I think she liked watching Rowan and all his hijinks that morning.
Later in the evening, we drove over the bridge to Downtown Oakland to meet up with Mai and Ranee. We tried going to Make Westing but their liquor license didn’t allow babies. So we went across the street to Rudy’s Can’t Fail Cafe and sat out on the patio for drinks and food. It also happened to be on the Hella-ween 5-mile race route. 
So we watched the runners go by and our witches stopped to take a photo with us. Once they finished, they joined us for some more drinks and food and lots of laughs.
The World Series has returned to my backyard and it’s quite a party out there. For the past two days, we’ve had lots of people dressed in orange and black. Fortunately, the Giants have won both games so everyone is in a good mood in the ‘hood. On Thursday, I took Kumquat and Koa for a walk around the stadium to check out all the activity. It was a gorgeous evening and it was fun to watch the people partying in McCovey Cove and there was a blue grass band performing, which made it feel like we were in New Orleans or something. The Giants are away for the next 3 games and they only need to win 2 more. We’ll see how it goes!
I’m making baby food again! This time I used my stick blender!! Yeeeaaahh, Baby! I only bought one pear (organic, of course) at the supermarket this time so I could experiment but I think I should have bought more. Here’s what I did:
4) And then bzzzzzzz went the stick blender!
Here is the finished product. I got a smooth puree in just seconds. However, I didn’t buy enough pears so I ended up with a few lumps since the stick blender requires a little more volume to get it all pureed.
Regardless, Kumquat loved it and I was able to join her by eating the chunks for her. Yum.
Today Kumquat had her half birthday and I had a long Saturday to really reflect on everything that has happened so far. Sounds silly since she’s not even a year old yet but I can’t help feel nostalgic. I already have thousands of photos and videos of my little girl and yet I feel like I haven’t done enough to really capture the experience thus far.
After attending my lactation class this past week, I was impressed that my hospital did such a great job in teaching me and Jes all the things we needed to know regarding feeding and caring for a newborn because it was all repeated in the class. They also provided us with every opportunity to bond with her (by delaying the weigh-in and bath) from the moment she was born, which I think helped her grow into an adaptable and secure baby. Of course we’re also first and foremost lucky to have a baby that is so healthy and so eager to eat and learn from the start.
Six months later, I now have a chubby baby girl who sits up on her own, has two little teef, eats solids, and gives me a big smile when I come home from work. She’s been a pretty easy baby so far and I’ve learned a lot from her already.
Today I took her on a walk to the new Target down the street and on the way home we picked up a cupcake to celebrate out accomplishments as mommy and baby. We’ve both endured together the nighttime feedings, stuffy noses, and afternoons of being just plain old grouchy. We’ve also shared lots of conversations, giggles, naps on the couch, and new experiences.
So, after her serving of sweet potato, I lit a candle and wished her a happy half birthday in hopes of a smooth second half to the first year of our life together as a family. I hope that we’re doing everything right so far and even if we’re not, I hope she grows up knowing how much we love her.
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