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!