Sunday Supper is back!

Ryan invited us over for dinner last night and it was just like old times…except we had a new family member to bring along.  The last time we had dinner with them was in January and we hadn’t seen Ryan and Michelle at all since Kumquat turned 1 month old.   She slept through all of dinner and didn’t wake until after dessert.  Boy, she was certainly having a bad hair day.  That’s what happens when I give her a bath and then put a hoodie over her head afterward.

Reese was off the hook last night and it was fun to see her running, playing, and talking.  She was also pretty interested in Kumquat that night.  She would sit next to me and Kumquat and say “baby” over and over again.  It was also pretty funny to see her get a bit jealous when Michelle or Ryan were holding or even near her.

Jack was his usual rowdy self but it’s so amazing how much a boy he is now.  He helped set the dinner table and by the end of the night he was sitting quietly in the corner drawing.

Well, it was nice to catch up and hang out like we used to.  This may be the start of Sunday Suppers again.  Thanks for dinner, guys!

Hula Practice

Kumquat and I visited hula practice today and it was great to see everyone again.  I also had a great time watching their routines for the Aloha Festival that’s coming up in August.  Makes me want to perform again but all the dances look really hard this time around.  Kumquat enjoyed it so much that she was drooling.  😉

Kumquat LOVED watching the uli uli routine and seemed mesmerized.  I wonder if the rhythms sound familiar to her since I was pregnant with her at the time I was dancing with them.  This is a photo of me at Ho’ike last October when I was 15 weeks pregnant.

I still remember watching the little girls perform last year and was so excited to have my own little girl that may one day be able to join them.  Judging from how she responded today, it looks like hula may suits her just fine. 😛

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!

Things I’ve Learned

Right around this time last year, we were seriously considering starting a family.  One year later, Kumquat is 9 weeks and 3 days old and I’ve been off work for just under 14 weeks.  Over the past year, I’ve learned a few things:

  • People in SF aren’t very nice to pregnant ladies.  In the 4-5 months of actually looking preggo, I can only count about 7 different times that someone has given up a seat for me on a crowded bus or muni train.
  • Going to Happy Hour completely sober made me realize that some of my friends aren’t THAT funny and some really are.  I actually had some fun times being the DD.
  • Groupon and Livingsocial deals aren’t that relevant to me anymore.
  • Giving birth really is a rite of passage.  I’ve never felt so much pain and joy in my life.  And I still think that giving birth is way harder than running a marathon.
  • When I’m walking the dog with the baby, people compliment me on my cute dog WAY MORE than my cute baby.
  • I don’t actually need 8 straight hours of sleep to function and naps are awesome.
  • I’m glad that we lived as DINKs (double income, no kids) for almost 10 years before having a baby.  By the time Kumquat arrived, I was ready for the next chapter.
  • I really enjoyed running and miss it.
  • My iPhone has become my best friend this past year.  Not sure how I would have survived the sleepless nights on the couch.  Loved Twitter, Bejeweled Blitz, and BabyCenter while I was pregnant. Now it helps me keep track of everything Kumquat does.  Baby Connect records every poop, every nap, and every feeding and the camera helps me remember every smile.
  • I love being a mommy.  Maybe I was made to have a baby after all.

Lunch with Friends

One of the best things about being on maternity leave is having time to catch up with friends on the weekdays. 

On Thursday afternoon, my two old friends, Elaine and Elaine, rode Caltrain up from the South Bay to have coffee with me and Kumquat.  I hadn’t seen one of them since 2006!

Then on Friday, Stephanie had the day off so she took BART in from her home in Livermore to hang out with us.  We went out for brunch (and mimosas) and Stephanie also fed Kumquat her noon bottle.  Looked like they both had a nice time together.

Do I REALLY have to go back to work in August?!

Burning Fuel

A couple weeks ago Jes took me to the Nike Store and bought me a Nike FuelBand.  It’s basically a fancy pedometer that syncs with the Nike+ site or an app on your iPhone and shows you visually when you were most active.  Jes and Jason have had one for a month now and it seems to do what it’s supposed to: motivate you to move.  They can actually compare points and see how each other is doing.

My daily goal is 3000 Fuel Points per day and so far I’ve met that goal about 3 times per week.  To give you an idea of what the points mean, here are a few samples:

Run 3 miles: ~1500
Walk 1 mile: ~ 500
Walk the dog: 300-500 points

This is a picture of what a typical day for me looks like.  I manage to meet my goal just by doing everyday things.  It starts at midnight and you can see little peaks in the early morning, which is when I get up to feed and change the baby.  At about 9:30 am, I walked the dog and then I walked to brunch with a friend around 10:30 am.  At 1:00 pm, I pushed the stroller to the Ferry Plaza and back (about 2.5 mi).  In the afternoon, I walked the dog again and then at 8:00 pm I fell sleep until 11:00 pm.  Neato, huh?  On my stay-at-home days (only leaving the house to walk the dog x2), I still earn about 2100, which tells me that being home with the baby still counts for something.

By they way, I’m now running up to 3 miles.  It’s a slow 3 miles and I’m pretty beat afterward but I’m making progress.