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!
On our way to the park, we stopped at Ike’s Place and picked up some tasty sandwiches. There was a line out the door but it was worth the wait.
Kumquat seemed to enjoy the outing and hanging out under the little tent we made with her blanket and my backpack.
The park has a brand-new 
Afterward, we walked across the street to Bi-Rite for some ice cream. Yum. It happened to be National Ice Cream Day too! 
I shared the Salted Caramel and Coffee Toffee with Jes while we sat in the corner of the shop with the kids.
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.
As you know by now, Kumquat was born with her Daddy’s scowl. She doesn’t do it as much nowadays but this morning I caught her 
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!
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