Browse Category: life

3 months with Kumquat

Today Kumquat turned 3 months old and I’m still amazed by this little human that we have living in our home.  I’m at a point now where it’s hard to imagine life without her.  Yes, life without a baby was a lot easier and more carefree but it’s been fun having her around.  She has really put more meaning to even the little things in my daily life too.  I have a new appreciation for the extra time I have to take a shower or eat a meal and it’s such a treat nowadays when I have a spare moment to go for a run. I also function in small increments of time and sometimes it takes me a whole day to finish one load of laundry since I get distracted every 10-15 minutes.

Navigating SF with a stroller has been an adventure that I’ve turned into somewhat of a video game in my head and it’s fun to catalog all the places that are accessible (i.e. ramps and elevators) and have a decent place to change a baby.  For example, it’s easier to enter Macy’s from Geary since there are no steps and the elevator is right at the entrance and Nordstrom has a pretty nice women’s lounge that also has a separate “mother’s room” with changing tables and a chair for nursing.  Taking her to dinner and Happy Hour has been manageable and most places have been nice about finding us a table that can accommodate a stroller.  I’ve also changed her in the bathroom of several nice restaurants using a chair, the floor, and even a window ledge.

Walking the dog is also a different experience now.  I usually take the baby in the front carrier so that the dog has more freedom to sniff and pee where he pleases.  However, when I do take the stroller, I’ve found that I can clip his leash to the stroller sometimes so I can steer a little easier and if we’re in an ideal situation (like on Embarcadero), he helps me pull the stroller too.  Heh heh.

Driving has also changed.  Luckily, Kumquat likes riding in the car and she’s learning to self-soothe when it’s just the two of us and she’s tired/hungry in traffic.  Loading and unloading the car takes a bit longer now but since our stroller collapses with just the press of a button, it’s been easier than I expected.  Looking for a parking spot is also a little trickier.  When I go to Target, I park farther out so that I can have extra space to open the back door all the way.  When I go to Oakland for lunch with the girls, I prefer to park at a curb instead of the lot for that same reason.

Overall, I gotta say that this experience has been fun so far.  We’ve survived life in the city and a road trip to LA with a baby so it’ll be interesting to see how our first plane trip goes.  Hawaii is only 5 days away!

One Year Later

It’s been almost a year since we found out I was pregnant and I had to change what I ate and drank.  One of the things I missed was going to Hog Island Oyster Co. and having raw oysters paired with a nice glass of white wine.

So, today we walked to the Ferry Plaza and took Kumquat to one of my favorite places to eat.  She sat quietly in the corner while we had quite a feast.  Since Kumquat is taking a bottle this week, I was in the clear to have my glass of Riesling with my meal.

The meal started with a half-dozen raw Kumamoto oysters (yum) and four baked oysters (my first time!)  The raw ones were as tasty as I had remembered and the baked ones were actually pretty good.  Then again, they were prepared with bacon so how could it be bad?!

We also shared a frisee salad that was topped with the prettiest beets I’ve ever seen.  The color was a unique pink color that made me think it was raw hamachi at first!

Next was the ooey-gooey/crunchy grilled cheese sammich with the tastiest pickled radish on the side. And of course, we had my favorite clam chowder (pictured at the top of this post).  Aaaah…delicious!  By the way, there was a couple seated in front of us who each got a bowl, ate all the clams, and then left most of the broth (the best part) in the bowl!!!!  I died a little inside when I saw that.

Afterward we stopped at the Humphry Slocombe stand at the Farmers’ Market outside for a HUGE scoop of Secret Breakfast.  If you don’t know what it is, it’s bourbon ice cream with cornflakes hidden inside.  Man, it’s been WAY too long since I’ve had it.

Typical Day

My days with Kumquat sort of blend together now but I’m still having a great time.   Here are a few things that usually happen on a daily basis for us.

We usually get a FaceTime call from my parents and it’s been more fun for them now that Kumquat can see them on the screen and will often smile or talk to them.

We also take lots of walks with and without Koa.  Now that Kumquat is a whoppin’ 15 pounds, I’ve switched from the Infantino to the Ergobaby carrier, which is a lot more comfortable for my lower back and shoulders.  It’s a funny coincidence that both our brothers purchased them for us (Jason/Infantino and Johnny/Ergobaby).  Thanks, Brothers!

Less than a month

*sigh*  I have less than a month of maternity leave left!  This month has been feeling like a really long Sunday night.  I’ve always hated that feeling of dread every Sunday night whether I was in school or even now as a working adult.  I’ve been off since March 21st and I’m supposed to go back to work on August 6th.  This has been such a wonderful time in my life.  Does is really have to end?

I’ve been having lunch with my buddies at work every Thursday and I get the scoop on what’s been going on at the hospital.

I miss seeing them everyday but I admit I don’t miss the work.  What will make it worse is having to leave my sweet baby every morning.  Can’t I just bring her to work?!  I have lots of people who would love to keep her company!

Moving up!

Last Friday, it was announced that Jes got a promotion at work!  He’s worked especially hard this past year and all the around-the-clock meetings paid off!  So, last night we celebrated by going out to dinner and took a really nice bottle of wine to Hillstone where they don’t charge a corkage fee.  Yay!  We used to get wine shipments from Far Niente and Nickel & Nickel but stopped last year when I got pregnant.  Now we have a bunch of nice bottles stored up and finally opened this bottle from 2007.  It was so yummy and was a perfect compliment to my prime rib!

Also, congratulations to Jimmy, who also got promoted!!  Yay!

Things I’ve Learned

Right around this time last year, we were seriously considering starting a family.  One year later, Kumquat is 9 weeks and 3 days old and I’ve been off work for just under 14 weeks.  Over the past year, I’ve learned a few things:

  • People in SF aren’t very nice to pregnant ladies.  In the 4-5 months of actually looking preggo, I can only count about 7 different times that someone has given up a seat for me on a crowded bus or muni train.
  • Going to Happy Hour completely sober made me realize that some of my friends aren’t THAT funny and some really are.  I actually had some fun times being the DD.
  • Groupon and Livingsocial deals aren’t that relevant to me anymore.
  • Giving birth really is a rite of passage.  I’ve never felt so much pain and joy in my life.  And I still think that giving birth is way harder than running a marathon.
  • When I’m walking the dog with the baby, people compliment me on my cute dog WAY MORE than my cute baby.
  • I don’t actually need 8 straight hours of sleep to function and naps are awesome.
  • I’m glad that we lived as DINKs (double income, no kids) for almost 10 years before having a baby.  By the time Kumquat arrived, I was ready for the next chapter.
  • I really enjoyed running and miss it.
  • My iPhone has become my best friend this past year.  Not sure how I would have survived the sleepless nights on the couch.  Loved Twitter, Bejeweled Blitz, and BabyCenter while I was pregnant. Now it helps me keep track of everything Kumquat does.  Baby Connect records every poop, every nap, and every feeding and the camera helps me remember every smile.
  • I love being a mommy.  Maybe I was made to have a baby after all.