Last Flight

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I’m on the plane in SFO and ready to take my last flight as a non-parent. (We’re driving back up with the dog on Sunday.) Kumquat must be excited to fly cuz she won’t stop squirming. Yesterday at my doctor’s appt I got a letter to clear me to fly. I had it ready but didn’t need it.

The one thing that I’ve changed in my flying habits is that I now choose to sit in the aisle seat instead of the window. With my squished bladder, it’s a “just in case” kind of thing. I can’t imagine finding a graceful way of climbing over two people to get to the lavatory in my current state.

–gotta turn my electronic device off now–

Ok. I’m in the air now. So I’m off to LA for the weekend. There’s a Kumquat Party at Patty’s house tomorrow and I’m excited to see everyone. Then there’s a “Valentine’s Dance” in Downtown LA in the evening as a fundraiser for Dayantha’s dad’s charity. I even had to buy a preggo “little black dress” for the occasion. Should be interesting walking in heels again.

75% cooked

I’m in Week 30, which means I’m 3/4 of the way done with this pregnancy.  Only 10 more weeks to go!!!  Here is a side-by-side comparison of me at 23 weeks and 30 weeks.  I was shopping for something to wear this weekend and managed to get an almost-identical shot in the dressing room. It also helped that i happened to be wearing the same top.

Kumquat has been really active this week and actually kept me up last night as I tried to fall back asleep after my 3 am potty break.  Last week, as I was sitting at my desk at work, I felt this rhythmic tapping inside for a good minute.  Kumquat had hiccups!!  That’s pretty darn cool.  Now it seems like she gets them almost everyday.

So far I’ve been feeling just fine.  Haven’t gained a ton of weight in the past couple weeks.  My ankles or feet haven’t swollen up yet and don’t have any stretch marks yet.  I’m crossing my fingers that it stays this way.  I’m just extra-congested this week to the point where I think I may have a cold when I really don’t.  Otherwise, I have no complaints.  I sure do miss my wine glass though.

The whole preggo brain thing might actually be true too.  Last Thursday, I rushed to get out of work by 3 pm to catch BART and get to my doctor’s office for a 4:10 appointment.  As I walked up the stairs, I was so proud to have arrived with 5 minutes to spare.  It’s too bad that when I checked in, my appointment wasn’t until the next day.  Doh!  So, I had to reschedule for this Thursday.  I’m such a dummy.

Chinatown Adventure

We’ve been without a car for the past week and it hasn’t been too bad so far. Our first dilemma was this weekend when Jes wanted to make some Chinese food this coming week and wanted to go to 99 Ranch. That’s pretty much impossible without a car so we decided to take the bus to Chinatown and ended up having a successful and also adventurous shopping trip yesterday.

As we browsed all the food markets, we got hungry and found a hole-in-the-wall with a bunch of old Chinese people in a line out the door. We stood in that line and picked up two tasty pork buns for only $1.10.

They were HUGE and Jes said that it tasted just like his grandma’s. He even got super nostalgic and sent a photo of it to his brother. Aw shucks.

We found a bunch of different shops filled with fresh produce and lots of raw stuff that was both fascinating and gave me the creeps at the same time. You know…stuff like buckets of chicken feet, a whole shark on ice, and a bucket o’ bullfrogs. Yum. We went home with bags of veggies, three different types of pork, spices, and fresh noodles.

Tonight, I used the noodles and made a big bowl of Bamee Hang, which is a dry noodle dish that I LOVED as a kid. It has egg noodles that get blanched in hot water, then mixed with garlic oil, crushed peanuts, cilantro, bean sprouts, green onion, and sliced BBQ pork. Oh and don’t forget the fish sauce!

Zippy Fun

This afternoon we attended a BBQ in Moraga where one of Jes’ co-workers lives.  It’s a nice spacious house with a large backyard big enough for a little zip line.  The kids had a lot of fun on it and Jimmy wanted to give it a try too.  It was the end of the afternoon so it was like a little grand finale for everyone to see.  (Click on the four arrows on the bottom right for full screen view).

Unfortunately, the rope gave way and he was on the floor in no time.

Jes managed to repair it with his skillful sailor knot tying skillz.

He even gave it a test ride and luckily it worked.  (Click on the four arrows on the bottom right for full screen view).

We’re Stokke’d.

Over the weekend, Jes went to Vegas to visit Kevin and his girls.  The last time I saw them, they had just turned two.  Now they’re four and rambunctious as ever.  Jesse spent Chinese New Year with them and got to eat some tasty traditional Chinese food that is made every year by Kevin and his family.  While he was there, he also had a taste of babysitting twin girls.

At one point, they were at the Venetian where Jes was stuck watching the two girls while Kevin and Karrie took care of some business.  Sounded like he had his hands full.

When Jes got back on Tuesday, he handed me a box from the store Janie and Jack.  Inside was the cutest little sailor outfit complete with a matching hat.  It’s so appropriate for Daddy’s little girl.  I’m sure Jes was thinking, “Now if only I had a boat.”

On Wednesday, I came home to find a huge box at my door.  It contained the Stokke Xplory stroller that Kevin and Karrie so generously handed down to us.  It’s a tank of a stroller that can be changed from back-facing to front-facing.  Unfortunately, when we opened it up, it had been damaged during the shipping process.  It’s a good thing Jes bought insurance when he took it to UPS.  Hopefully, it’ll all get resolved before Kumquat arrives.

Happy Lunar New Year!

This is an exciting year for us and we’re excited that Kumquat will be a Dragon!  She must be just as excited because it seemed like she was kicking more frequently and harder today.

When I got home today, I was also surprised to find a package in the mailbox and then a big box at my door.  The package was from The UCLA Store with no message.  Turns out it was from Dayantha and Krissy.  Isn’t it a cute little set?!  Thanks guys!  I almost drove myself to UCLA yesterday in hopes of finding something just as cute!

The big box was from Brother and Joy.  They bought Kumquat a carrier and a pacifier that has a giraffe connected to it so that it lays on her tummy once it falls out of her mouth.  I have mixed feelings about pacifiers but if she’s going to use one, it might as well be this one.  Thanks guys!

Happy New Year!