Browse Category: work

Birthday Outing

For the second year in a row, we celebrated Nicole and Stephanie’s birthdays at House of Curries on Thursday evening.

This time we had a few more people around the table including Kumquat, who was only a bundle of cells this time last year. As Patty was saying last night, we’ve come full-circle.

They all went out for a 4-mile run beforehand and Kumquat and I met up with them once they finished.  Oh, I hope I can be back to their running level soon.

The food was delicious and I got a taste of all my favorite dishes.  We also stopped for ice cream at Ici afterward.  The burnt caramel flavor was so yummy.

It was so much fun hanging out with the gang again and they couldn’t stop telling me how excited they were to have me back at work on Monday.  *sigh*  As much as I’m dreading the end of my maternity leave, I’m glad that I have such a great group of people to welcome me back.

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!

A Day in Oakland

Yesterday, Kumquat and I spent most of the day in Oakland.

For lunch, we met up with the girls at the usual spot and got to do some catching up. Then once they went back to work, we hung out at Peet’s Coffee. I got to sip my decaf iced coffee and read while Kumquat napped on my lap.

Once she woke up, we headed to Bakesale Betty to pick up a dozen cookies to bring to my co-workers.

At the hospital, everyone was very good about washing their hands or not touching Kumquat if they felt they weren’t clean enough. Kumquat got to play with Sue (my manager), who informally checked her upper body and oral motor skills. KM held her in the classic “Lois Bly” hold too.

I also made a splint for my left wrist to help prevent a strain from picking up a 13-pound (and growing) baby all day. It’s for wearing at night so that I’m not over stretching it while I sleep. I have a tendency sleep with my wrists curled under me, then wake up sore while having to tend to a baby without giving it a chance to warm up. I’ve gotta make sure I don’t end up on disability again from my last “disability”.

After everyone was ready to go, we headed out for Happy Hour to celebrate Teresa’s birthday. I was prepared and brought a bottle for Kumquat to drink for her 7 pm feeding so I was able to enjoy a glass of wine (or two). 😉

Having these girls with me is so nice. They love holding, feeding, and playing with her so I got some “time off” and enjoyed the evening with less to worry about.

To finish the evening, we walked down the street to Fenton’s and got some ice cream. My scoop looks so big next to Kumquat. One day I’ll take her back here for her very own sundae. Can’t wait!

Out and About

Last Friday, Kumquat turned 6 weeks old and on Tuesday I went to see my doctor for my postpartum visit.  She cleared me for all physical activity and I’m officially done with the Disability portion of my leave.  I counted the weeks and it’s weird to think that I’ve been off work for 11 weeks now.  I don’t think I’ve been off work for this long since finishing grad school.  I just turned in my Paid Family Leave form so I have another 6 weeks of pay coming my way and I’m supposed to go back to work on August 6th.  Boo.

The days go by so quickly lately since chores and other errands need to get done while Kumquat naps.  It seems like the list of things to do is never-ending and the thought of napping while she’s napping seems like a waste of precious productive time.  It’s a good thing that my recovery went smoothly and I’m starting to feel like myself again.

This week I’ve been going out more to take care of some errands and to do a little shopping in preparation for the wedding in Santa Cruz this coming weekend. Kumquat loves to go out for walks and seems to have a happy grin on her face if she’s not sleeping.  She looks around and seems to enjoy the sounds and movement.

Jason and Jia were also in town this past weekend so we were out and about with them too.  Kumquat has been a trooper out in the big world.  She rode in the carrier all afternoon on Sunday and we also took her on her first Muni ride.

Yesterday I took her in the stroller and walked to Union Square where we spent about 5 straight hours outside.  It was also a fun challenge trying to negotiate the city with a stroller.  Kumquat did great the whole time and despite her size and age, it was nice to have the company.  The only hiccup was on our way home.  It was as if she knew we were only 2 blocks from home and started screaming.  She didn’t stop crying until 20 minutes after we got home and after I changed her, fed her, and rocked her to sleep.  Poor baby had a long outing and was just pooped.

Here are some of the things we saw along the way.

UNIQLO is coming to SF.  It’s one of my favorite stores in NYC and it’s going to be here in the fall!!

Saw this T-Rex in the store front of the Museum of Craft and Folk Art Store.  That T-Rex was almost my height!

I picked up a “snoball” cupcake (chocolate cake with buttercream and coconut) and asked to take it “To-Go”.  The girl packed it so nicely in a plastic cupcake holder and cellophane bag like it was a museum piece.  Fancy.

Go Team Go

This year, our team from the hospital played in the annual wheelchair basketball tournament once again.  It’s our 4th year participating but I didn’t get to play this time around for obvious reasons.  I did, however, stop by to cheer for the team and to see my friends.

It was nice to be out and Kumquat did rather well on her extended outing today.  She slept in the stroller for a bit, got passed around to the girls, and even napped in my infant carrier without a lot of fuss.  She even sat through Bay Bridge traffic on the way home like a trooper.

By the end of the tournament, I heard that our team went to the semi-finals again and one of our guys received the Best Sportsmanship award.  Yay!

Staying Busy

It’s been a couple days since I last posted and no, I didn’t have the baby yet.  I’ve just been out and about more than I had expected these past few days.

On Thursday, I went to work to take care of some payroll stuff and drop off some donated clothes while Ranee met me there to show off Baby Sophie.  Everyone took turns holding her and she was NOT having it after a while.  Poor Steph ended up with a crying Sophie who needed a diaper change.  Afterward we went out to lunch and did some catching up.

We went to our usual lunch spots including Bakesale Betty and Peet’s afterward.  After dropping Steph back off at the hospital, I went over to Rockridge Kids with Ranee to take a look around at the stuff they sell since I have a $25 gift card that I received in a raffle basket last November.  They’re stuff is so cute yet so expensive!  So, I decided to hold off on getting anything for now since I have all that I need for a newborn at the moment.

At the end of our little stroll, Sophie woke up from her really long nap and was all smiles again.  It was weird going back to the hospital but good to see everyone again.  I know it’s only been a week since I’ve gone on maternity leave but I really miss my friends already.