Browse Category: *sniff*

Sick Koa

IMG_6064For the past few months, Koa has been throwing up pretty frequently.  Sometimes it’s just a clear mucous and other times it’s his entire bowl of kibble.  When we took him to the vet last month, she said it was normal and that he might benefit from Pepcid once a day.  She also said that he could have an allergy to something in his food.  So, this past weekend, I started him on Pepcid every morning and also bought him a new kind of kibble.  As the days went on, he wasn’t throwing up anymore but he also became super lethargic.  I mean, he’s already a really lazy dog that sleeps all day but when I took him out to walk, he would pee all of it at once (abnormal for a guy that usually pees on every vertical surface down the street) and then sit down and pull back toward the house.  It’s been going on for about 4 days now and we’re getting increasingly worried.  I called the vet yesterday and she said to just stop the Pepcid and monitor him for any improvements.  So far we haven’t seen much change.  It’s a bummer to see that he no longer has a hop to his step and suddenly wants to just sleep all day.  He hardly eats but he drinks lots of water.  He’s still pooping but it’s kinda squishy.  I know this is a pretty gross blog post but I thought I’d just tell everyone that’s he’s not doing so well.  Hopefully it will all pass like a bad cold and he’ll be back to his old self in a few more days.  Here’s a video of him on our walk this morning.


We only got to the perimeter of our building before he wanted to head back home.  For anyone of you who have walked him, this is NOT normal for him.  Poor doggie.

Double Surprise

IMG_0013On Friday, I was really swamped at work.  While I was waiting for people to call me back in between patients, I got a random text message from Keni, the husband of my very good friend from OT school.  He and Dahlia were in town for the weekend and he was asking if I was free for lunch on Saturday.  We didn’t have any plans so we agreed to meet for lunch to surprise Dahlia.  At the end of the work day, I went downstairs to figure out my schedule for Monday.  Our front office assistant came by and told me that I had a package that was dropped off by someone special.  When I saw the bag it was labeled “TOTORO”.  What?!  I recognized that writing right away and was shocked that Dahlia had actually stopped by to surprise me but I wasn’t around to see her.  It was a bag filled with Totoro stuff that she had found in Chinatown the day before.  That was so sweet of her.  Her note said that they were in the area and wanted to surprise me but someone told her that I wasn’t at work that day.  She sounded so disappointed in the note. Hm, maybe I didn’t actually need to go to work after all!!

Anyway, on Saturday, we met up at M.Y. China at the mall.  We arrived first and got seated.  Keni and Dahlia arrived shortly afterward and the host who was walking them to our table was blocking Dahlia’s view all the way to the table.  IMG_8475So, when he moved away and she saw me, she was in so much shock that she gasped and then started to cry in her usual Dahlia way.  In fact, while this was all happening, Jes was in the restroom and could hear her from there.  Haha…we sure know how to make a scene.IMG_8476We had a big long hug and I was so happy to finally be reunited with my friend after not seeing her in over 8 years.  Oh how I wished Heather (Oregon Totoro) was there to enjoy the moment with us.

IMG_0009Over lunch, we got caught up, reminisced, and had a lot of laughs like old times.  Unfortunately, Kumquat was so overwhelmed by the crying and hoopla that she was afraid of Dahlia from the start.

IMG_5649As soon as she went over to say hello to Kumquat, I got a big boo-sad face and then she started to cry with her arms stretched out toward me.  Oh shucks.  Maybe next time.

IMG_0011The funny thing was that she liked Keni and flirted with him throughout lunch and even let him hold her.  Look at how she wouldn’t take eyes off of “Crazy Auntie” as they were posing for this photo.  Funny girl.

Anyway, it was a wonderful reunion and I’m so glad that we were able to pull this off on such short notice.  I’ve missed her so much and glad that see that she’s doing well down in San Diego.  Can’t wait for the day when all three of us can be in one place at the same time.

IMG_0722-2005Here’s a photo of us 8 years ago.

For those of you who don’t know what Totoro is, here’s a link to give you a better idea.  The reason why we call each other Totoro is because we used to watch the movie in grad school and thought they were so cute and funny.  Heather also started knocking on my door and calling out “Totoro!” every morning before class.  After a while it stuck and it was our little inside joke and nickname for each other.  Sounds really silly when I have to write it all out but I guess you just had to be there.  🙂

The Fort is gone.

DSC_3256This morning, Jose, one of the maintenance guys that works for our building, came by to pick up our beloved couch and chair.  We bought it from a sketchy knock-off furniture store in Torrance 10 years ago and was made after a set that I saw in a Pottery Barn catalog.  It has been one of the most comfortable places for me to sleep and when I was preggo I slept on it every night.  After a while, I called it The Fort since I spent so much time on it.  When Kumquat was born, my mom slept on it for 6 weeks.  I’ve also taken numerous photos of Kumquat and Koa on that couch.  It has lots of sentimental value to me but it was time to get rid of it.  It was starting to show its age and I was pretty embarrassed of its condition when people would come over to visit.  This morning, I took one last photo of them.

DSC_3276Here is what our livingroom looks like now.  It’s nice to have more space but it’s kinda sad too.  We ordered a smaller leather sofa from Costco today and it should be delivered in a few weeks.  Until then, we will enjoy the extra space and Koa and Kumquat will have a nice view from the window.

Too early…

I’ve had a really eerie couple days.  Two lives were taken away from us way too soon.

P1090022DSC_6703On Wednesday night, Smush passed away from a really unfortunate incident involving a neighbor’s dog in the hallway.  I’m still in shock about the whole thing and I can’t imagine what Susie’s going through right now.  Have a good time in Doggie Heaven, Smush.  Say “hi” to Pepsi, Doogie, and Cookie for me.

DSC_6782On Thursday night, my hula instructor and friend, Pua, lost his battle with cancer.  I knew that he was getting treatment but he was always in such good spirits.  It’s so surreal since I just bumped into him a couple weeks ago at Safeway.  Rest in peace, Pua.  You will be missed.

Days like these make me realize how every day is so precious.  Hug your loved ones a little tighter today.

My Other Family

For the past month, we’ve been at work without our manager who has been on extended sick leave due to her battle with breast cancer.  We all knew that she wasn’t feeling well but not exactly how badly.  She had treatments last year too and came back just as strong and we were expecting the same this time around.  Then on Monday morning, we were called in for an emergency meeting at lunch and were told that she had passed away on Sunday night.  It was such a shock to all of us since she was the type of person who didn’t want to worry us with details and kept a lot from us on purpose.  So the rest of the afternoon was spent grieving and coming to terms that our fearless leader wasn’t going to be returning to us after all.  We were all in tears and most of us took the rest of the day “off” with a minimal workload and time to process.  This is a photo of Sue having some “Janie Time” back in June when she was only 10 weeks old.  Sue was a great person, awesome therapist, and I learned so much from her.  *sigh* I’m going to miss her.

This evening, a bunch of us met up at our other manager’s house after work for a little “family time”.  She’s been out due to hip surgery too so it’s as if all the birdies at work haven’t had their mamas around for almost a month.  I took off work a little early in order to hurry home to pick up Kumquat and then headed back over the bridge to Alameda.  I had thought about not bringing Kumquat but I’m so glad that I did.  I think we all needed some “baby time” to lift our spirits.  It was like she was a “therapy baby” for all the girls and made everyone smile.  Steph brought her buffalo chicken dip and we ordered Indian food for dinner.  We all sat around the table talking and laughing as we usually while reflecting on all the funny times we had with Sue.  I think we’ll all heal in our own ways but this was a nice start.  We just need to remember that we really are a family at work and that we’ll get each other through it in the end.  I feel so lucky to be able to spend most of my waking days with such great people.  Kumquat had a pretty good time tonight too. 🙂

Dinner and a Movie

On Tuesday, Jes and I had our first date night.  We never really went to see the movies before Kumquat was born but my mom is home to watch Kumquat and watching a movie is one of those things that you can’t really do with a 3-month-old.  For dinner, we went to Urban Tavern.  We shared French Onion Soup, Arugula Salad, Pretzel and Sausage, and Meatloaf Sliders.  All were pretty good but the big glass of wine that I had with it was even better!

We then walked to Metreon and watch The Dark Knight Rises.  Since dinner was mostly small plates, we got an order of nachos that came with two containers of jalapeno peppers.  Yum.  Paired with an Icee it was perfect for such a fun movie.

I had a great time and it was nice to go out as just the two of us again but when we got out of the movie it was nearly 11 pm and I was missing my baby girl.  I even said it aloud to Jes, which confused him a bit.  It seemed that I had a mini moment of panic and actually insisted that we take a cab home instead of walking.  I don’t know what had come over me.  Was it the fatigue catching up to me?  Was it hormones?  Maybe I’m just not aware of all the different emotions that come with this rollercoaster called Motherhood.  I guess I’ll just chalk it up to the stress of my first week back at work.