Half Birthday
Today Kumquat had her half birthday and I had a long Saturday to really reflect on everything that has happened so far. Sounds silly since she’s not even a year old yet but I can’t help feel nostalgic. I already have thousands of photos and videos of my little girl and yet I feel like I haven’t done enough to really capture the experience thus far.
After attending my lactation class this past week, I was impressed that my hospital did such a great job in teaching me and Jes all the things we needed to know regarding feeding and caring for a newborn because it was all repeated in the class. They also provided us with every opportunity to bond with her (by delaying the weigh-in and bath) from the moment she was born, which I think helped her grow into an adaptable and secure baby. Of course we’re also first and foremost lucky to have a baby that is so healthy and so eager to eat and learn from the start.
Six months later, I now have a chubby baby girl who sits up on her own, has two little teef, eats solids, and gives me a big smile when I come home from work. She’s been a pretty easy baby so far and I’ve learned a lot from her already.
Here are some of my favorite moments from the past 3 months:
1. Watching her play with her pal Sophie.
2. Seeing her face light up at the aquarium.
3. Seeing Jes walking back from the lavatory in the airplane with a naked baby.
4. Hearing her cracking up at Koa’s every move.
5. Feeling her first tooth.
Here are my least favorite moments:
1. Leaving her on my first day back at work.
2. Seeing how miserable she was when she got her first cold.
3. Searching for a nanny.
4. Putting away her 0-3 month clothes.
Today I took her on a walk to the new Target down the street and on the way home we picked up a cupcake to celebrate out accomplishments as mommy and baby. We’ve both endured together the nighttime feedings, stuffy noses, and afternoons of being just plain old grouchy. We’ve also shared lots of conversations, giggles, naps on the couch, and new experiences.
So, after her serving of sweet potato, I lit a candle and wished her a happy half birthday in hopes of a smooth second half to the first year of our life together as a family. I hope that we’re doing everything right so far and even if we’re not, I hope she grows up knowing how much we love her.
Happy Half Birthday, Kumquat! We love you!
On Sunday, we walked about a mile to Rainbow Drive-in for brunch. It was 10:00 am so it was hard to decide what to eat. In the end, Jes got spam and eggs while I got teri beef with mac salad. It rained off ad on but not enough to actually impact our morning.
We then headed over to Waikiki Aquarium. on our way there, we passed a fire station that had a sign offering free blood pressure testing as long as firefighters were in the quarters and not having a meal. I’m glad they have their priorities straight.
At the aquarium, we saw lots of fish and it was actually worth taking Kumquat. She could see the fish and tracked the big fish back and forth. At one point she seemed delighted by all the activity and it was so much fun to watch her smile and 
Jes and I have always enjoyed visiting aquariums and this one is one of my favorites. It was wonderful to see our little girl enjoying it too.
Afterward, we headed back to the hotel and spent some time at the pool bar before heading to Yoon’s condo. She picked us up and we BBQ’d on her 9th floor patio and I also took Kumquat into the pool for some floating time.
It must have taken all her energy because she slept for quite a while afterward. Unfortunately, she woke up suddenly and cried and cried for a good 20 minutes from being either overtired or super hungry or both.
When nothing was working to calm her down at the pool, I decided to take her up to Yoon’s condo to figure it out and as soon as I got up there and placed her in the car seat, she passed out.
I stayed up there with her and ended up falling asleep to the beautiful sunset and Women’s Field Hockey on tv.
On Monday morning, we were up relatively early so I dressed Kumquat in some beach clothes and we took her down to the beach one last time. I love Waikiki Beach in the morning because it’s shady, super empty, and quiet. We spent some time playing in the sand, watching and listening to the waves, and just enjoyed our last morning in Hawaii together as a family.
After a quick bath for Kumquat and some last-minute packing, we were off to the airport by 11:30 am. Getting through security was pretty easy and the flight was an amazingly short 4.5 hours! Luckily, Kumquat was on her best behavior and she slept for most of the flight and downed two bottles of milk. Good baby.
Overall, our first trip to Hawaii with Kumquat was a success. It was so neat to see our favorite place through a little baby’s eyes and I feel so lucky to have had such good flights with her. This was truly a bittersweet trip for me since it was something that I had looked forward to for a few months now but it was also the mark of the end of my maternity leave. Oh boo. Can’t wait for next year’s trip. Who’s coming with us?!
On Friday afternoon (7/27), we went to Jes’ favorite ramen place of all time. Jes also made sure to run across the street for a couple tall boys for the meal. I had the cold ramen and shared kimchi fried rice with Yoon. 
Kumquat also enjoyed watching the ceiling fan above us.
In the evening, we took Kumquat to the pool for her first dip. She looked a bit confused but didn’t cry. That was all I was hoping for so I consider it a success.
On Saturday (7/28), we went to McDonald’s for the spam and eggs platter.
Then we hung out at a coffee shop until it was time for Jes to go sailing.
Yoon picked him up and they sailed all afternoon in a local race. They came in 2nd place and Jes had a good time but the water was much choppier than Yoon had anticipated.
Meanwhile, I went shopping with Kumquat and went to Yogurtland for my Tuxedo Sam spoon. Looked like Kumquat wanted a taste of the frozen yogurt that day.
For lunch, I picked up Yoon’s favorite kimchi fried rice and there was a special that included spicy pork and mac salad. Yes! I took it back to the hotel bar, ordered a mai tai, and enjoyed the live music under the banyan tree with a napping baby in the stroller. Perfect.
Back at the hotel room, I needed to tidy up and Kumquat started to fuss. I set her down on the bed and turned on the Olympics and she stopped right away! So much for the No TV Rule.
Later that day, I took Kumquat to the pool by myself. We hung out in the pool together for a while until it rained suddenly. It got kind of cold so we got out and I wrapped Kumquat up and took her out to the beach. It was still sunny and warm out there so it was a good place to warm up. As the rain stopped, Jes arrived and a rainbow appeared! So cool!
On our way to dinner, we saw the sunset. We went to our favorite Japanese place that’s hidden in an obscure hotel near the zoo. Kumquat was in a pretty good mood at first but then needed to be soothed to sleep. Luckily they placed us in the the tatami room so she slept on the cushion next to me.
She slept through most of the flight and I even got to enjoy a Mai Tai. She just had a bit of fussing 20 mins before landing but no one really gave us a hard time about it.
When we arrived, Yoon picked us up and took us to lunch at Nico’s. I had a yummy furikake pan-seared ahi with mac salad.
When we checked in, we got upgraded to an Ocean View Room! Woohoo!
I unpacked and washed Kumquat’s clothes while the two of them took a nap. She had a blowout in the plane and Jes just threw all her clothes in a bag.
It was quite a sight seeing Jes return from the lavatory with a naked baby (diaper only).
By the way, the new plane had a changing table over the toilet and a USB charging station on the seat!
We’re leaving for Hawaii tomorrow morning and it’s going to be Kumquat’s first plane trip. We’re staying at the Moana again (pictured above) for 4 nights and we get to see our favorite Yoon!
Check out this ensemble! The spf 50 watermelon bodysuit came from Jes’ cousins in Vancouver and it was perfect for this trip. The bathing suit on the right is from H&M. It was on the sale rack for $7, which I was pretty happy about but then when the lady rung it up, she said it was $1!!! Sweet. I bought the terry cloth cover-up from Old Navy. They were having a big summer sale and I snagged this one from the sale rack. I bought the hat from Target and it also has spf 50 protection. The pediatrician recommended that we have Kumquat wear sunglasses so I pick up this nifty pair that will make her look really silly. Lastly, I ordered sunblock through Amazon and hope that Kumquat will cooperate with the application process. I hate sunscreen but hope she’s going to be ok with it. I also got Kumquat a floaty thing for her to sit in while in the pool and got a pack of swimming diapers on sale at Amazon. So I guess we’re set! She might cry on the plane but once we get to our destination, she’ll be fully prepared for some fun in the sun! Wish us luck!!
Our last full day in Hawaii (3/14) was a very relaxing one. We got up, had breakfast at Lulu’s with a nice view from our seats. We snagged an umbrella spot at the hotel and enjoyed a couple naps, had some tasty fruity drinks, and read our books until the sun went down. We were literally the last ones to leave. 
The pool girl even asked to put away our chairs and we just kept the towels and laid out under the umbrella until the sun was too low.
After a little rest break in the hotel room, Yoon picked us up for some grub at Home Bar. It’s a Sports Bar but has a very Korean Bar vibe. We shared tater tot nachos, kimchee fried rice, wasabi poke, and spicy fried wings. Awesome. What a great way to end a long weekend in paradise.
The next morning (3/15) we had our usual Spam, Rice, and Eggs Platter with a side of pinapple at McDonald’s and then headed out to the airport. The flight home was smooth and Jason and Jia were in town so they picked us up. Woohoo!
Recent Comments