Trip to the ED
Last night, Kumquat went to sleep around 8:30 and woke up at 11:00 with a weird cough, a hard time catching her breath, and wheezing. She also coughed so hard it made her throw up. Her breathing wasn’t normal after a while so I decided to take her to the ED at my work. It’s weird to think that we had to drive across the bridge to get to a hospital but we are actually at the midpoint between my work and UCSF (where she was born). When we arrived, it was eerie being there so late but there was something comforting about being about to go to a place that was so familiar. I also also never stepped foot in our ED and was getting a first-hand experience from the other side as a parent.
At check-in, we saw the triage nurse first and KK was so pissed. She was still wheezing, coughing, and now crying because all she wanted to do was go back to bed. 
Instead her parents put her in the car and took her to a place where people put stickers on her toes and squeeze your leg for a blood pressure reading.
Once we were placed in a room, she continued to cry with the first nurse. Vitals were taken again and we were given cool mist to blow in her face. After a few more minutes, the Resident came in to check her and she calmed down and let her examine her without any fuss.
Then for the next two hours, we sat in the room with the cool mist and an occasional video on Jes’ phone. She perked up quite a bit and played with the tubing and gave GG a little treatment too.
Finally by the end of the visit, she was diagnosed with croup, which is a viral infection of the vocal cords. That’s what caused the barking cough that she had. She was also given some apple juice and a low-dose steroid. By 3:00, we were sent home. She’s sleeping quietly now and at 3:50 am, both Jes and I are still awake. I guess I’m not going to work in the morning. I’m just glad she’s ok and that she responded to the treatment so quickly. Overall, I’d say we had a good experience and we’ll probably go there again if we ever have another emergency.
We were woken by a long rolling earthquake the morning around 3am. The epicenter was around Napa, which is actually pretty close to us. The magnitude was a whopping 6.1 and buildings and an off-ramp in Napa cracked and broke so I feel thankful that it was just a fun ride for us. Nothing fell down off of shelves and we’re all just fine. Our tiny dinosaurs on the wine rack didn’t even fall over. I guess it’s good that we live in a new building.
James and Sylvia invited us to join them on their week in their Tahoe timeshare. We stayed with them last year and the condo was the same configuration but we had a much better view this year. We went for a long weekend (August 9-12) and had some good family time outside.
During the drive, it was clear and sunny outsdie. When we arrived, it got increasingly gloomy and as soon as we parked and walked out to the lobby, it started to rain and it was followed by lightning and thunder. What a fun experience! I didn’t realize how much I had missed rain. This drought is getting ridiculous.
At the lobby, we had a couple drinks while we waited for our key to be ready. 
Once we checked in and unpacked, we spent the rest of the evening indoors watching the clouds and rain roll by and cooked dinner. The girls got reacquainted and the grown-ups got to stay up late drinking and playing Sequence.
The next morning, we made breakfast and then we took the girls out to play for a bit.
Then it was time to pack up and head out to the beach.
We went to Camp Richardson where the sand was mixed in with rocks and pine needles but the water was calm and we had a nice BBQ and picnic table for lunch. Can you see our little one siting all by herself in front of the big set of blankets? She was THAT well-behaved at one point in the day.
Kumquat needed a little time to warm-up to the water but by the end of the day she was bold enough to just walk out to the water on her own – NOT cool, kid. That’s when we had to stick to her like glue.
Toward the late afternoon, I noticed a big gray cloud in the distance that was moving toward us as if Eeyore was headed in our direction. The others also noticed so we quickly packed up and headed back to the condo. We made it just in time as the rain came down pouring and everyone was scurrying for shelter.
For dinner, we ordered pizza and once the girls went to bed, we did some more drinking and played some more Sequence. It was the second night in a row that I didn’t go to bed until past 1 am.
On Monday morning, I was packing up to go home when Jes got on a work call and came out saying that he made arrangements so that we could stay another day. Yippee!! Good thing I didn’t give that day back to work.
I’m so glad we stayed because we spent the day at Zephyr Cover (same beach as last year) and it was epic. It was raining off and on that day so the beach was pretty empty.
We also had James’ big canopy set-up and any time it started to pour, we sat under the canopy and enjoyed the sound of the thunder and rain. The sand was really nice and the water was super calm that day.
Kumquat had the time of her life and because we had the beach to ourselves, it was easy to supervise her from farther than an arm’s length away.
We left in such good spirits because there’s something so fun and exciting about being out on the beach in the middle of a thunderstorm one minute and then the sun shining bright the next. 
When the sun came out each time, we could see steam coming up from the sand as it dried. Jes even went out to swim in the water during one of the downpours.
For dinner that evening, Jesse made steaks and we enjoyed one last night of drinking and games.
I have to say that it was a pretty relaxing weekend. Kumquat somehow figured out how to keep herself entertained enough that I actually got some rest and time to myself for bits at a time. It was like my brain got a recharge after a weekend of less incessant “Mama mama mama mamas”. It was fun to see my little girl having so much fun and it was nice to be able to stay up late hanging out with friends for a change. What a fun weekend!
Maybe I’m not as good with change as I thought I was after all. This past week was Kumquat’s first week of daycare and I think it was hard on me just as much as it was for her. Wednesday was better than Friday since she was basically clueless on the first day but caught on very quickly on Friday that I would be leaving her. I know that this is good for her and I know that it will get easier but I couldn’t hold back tears on either day. On Wednesday, I cried on my way to work after I left the daycare. On Friday, I had tears in my eyes when Kumquat was clinging onto me for dear life during the drop-off. I made sure she didn’t see my face but boy was it hard to put her down and just leave.
Now I look forward to picking her up in the afternoon and our drive home is so much fun. She’s in the best mood and sings to me the whole ride home. I guess I just love having a little sidekick.
Last Friday, the red warning light went off in the car on my way home. It was overheating and I was still on the bridge. Luckily, I was able to drive it home but it was in need dire need of repair. So, this past week I took public transit to work and it actually wasn’t bad. I liked having about 30 minutes of peace and quiet to read and catch up on emails. I’d get up early, leave a little before 7 (before the kid woke up most mornings) and get to work around 7:38. The reverse commute is pretty cool because it’s never crowded on the trains to and from work. Getting home on time was a little tricky because there was a home game every day this week but work was light enough that I was able to leave just in time to catch the shuttle that usually arrived around 4:20. Here are some photos I took this past week.
*sigh* It’s our last full day in Hawaii. For breakfast, we went to eggs n things and didn’t have to wait so long this time around. Again, I had my coconut waffle and a side of bacon that Kumquat demolished. 
After breakfast, we walked down to Waikiki Aquarium where we met up with the Lams.
Jes and I have been coming here for years and it’s fun to see it again through a toddler’s eyes.
For lunch, Jes and Kevin picked up plate lunches at Rainbow and we ate at the park overlooking the ocean. Jen had brought a dozen malasadas with her so there was dessert for us too!
Back at the hotel, we all jumped into the pool one last time. I also took Kumquat out to the beach for the last time and it was so nice to be able to finally wade in the water with her without a total meltdown. 
I’d have to say that it took a lot of work to help her overcome her fear of Mr. Ocean but so worth the persistence and energy to have this one vacation goal achieved. I hope this lasts until the next time we’re at a beach.
Back at the pool, we just ordered some drinks and lounged on the lawn.
A bunch of people had dinner plans but the three of us stuck around for the sunset.
By the time we were ready to go out for dinner, Holly and Andrew had made their way back from Kaneohe so we joined them for an Italian/Japanese dinner at Arancino. I was a bit skeptical having Italian food in Hawaii but it did not disappoint. I ordered the Spaghetti Ricci di Marre (aka uni pasta) and it was SO yummy. You don’t even have to really eat the uni that was on top to appreciate the sauce. The photo I took in the dark doesn’t do it justice but it will just have to do.
While Kumquat went to sleep in the stroller, Holly was in a bit of a pickle with where to put Andrew. She decided the bench just outside of our table was the only doable spot. Poor guy was so tired, he didn’t care where he laid down. We put out some table napkins for him and then piled all our jackets on top. He had his doggy and sucked on his thumb until he passed out. It was hilarious watching people walk by with a confused look on their faces.
On our way back to the hotel, we walked Holly home and Jes carried Andrew over his shoulder. That was certainly a very memorable way to end our vacation.
Back at the hotel, we went to the outdoor lounge for a couple drinks with the Fernandos and I went out to the infinity pool to hang out on one of the over-the-water lounge chairs. I actually snoozed for a bit out there and it was so nice.
Here is a collage of the tasty food I ate today. It was definitely a delicious day.
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