Browse Category: *sniff*

Saying Goodbye

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This is one of my favorite photos of KK and Koa.

This evening, KK heard a dog barking outside and said “That’s not Koa, right?” I said “You’re right, that’s not Koa”.  Then she followed up with “It’s because Koa’s dead and I didn’t get to say goodbye before he died”.  It took me aback since today is the 3rd anniversary of his passing. After a long pause, I  told her “No, you actually did say goodbye at the hospital.” She looked confused so I found this old video that we took before we let him go.

https://youtu.be/Sovj0Ns60XI

She watched it, giggled a little, and said “Oh.” I’m not sure how well she remembers him but she always talks about him. KK turned 4 1/2 years old today and each half-birthday for KK will always leave a bittersweet feeling for me.

https://youtu.be/fh3BAmLXdlY

He left us on the day she turned 18 months old and I will never forget that day – especially when we came home without him that afternoon. I’m so glad that KK had some quality time with him but sad that he couldn’t stick around to meet Peanut. They would have had so much fun together.

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She’s FOUR already!

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Today is KK’s 4th birthday and it’s hard to believe that so much time has already passed. Our first-born is quickly becoming a little lady. Jes was having a hard time with this milestone since it was the age in which he had his first memories as a kid. It was a big deal to him. I’m sentimental about everything so I usually take her birthday off to spend time with her and also reflect on my life as a mom. This year was no different. I took the day off so that I could be at her school to celebrate her big day with her friends. Jes and I also parlayed that into a day in which we could spend some time together without the kids. It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to just hang out alone and we made it worth our while with a walking food and drink crawl along The Embarcadero.

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The morning started with Mirian coming to watch Peanut while Jes was on a work call and I took KK to school. The birthday girl had a little extra hop to her step this morning as we walked hand-in-hand. Then, on my way home, I stopped at Safeway to pick up her birthday cupcakes.

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Jes finished up his calls and then we headed out to drop off the cupcakes at school on our way to lunch.

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Our first stop was La Mar. My first drink was sweet and refreshing.

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Lunch consisted of cebiche, causa, and empanadas.

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We then made a stop at Hillstone for a quick drink at the bar. Jes had a martini and I have a nice cold glass of white wine.

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Coqueta is a restaurant that I’ve always wanted to try but was too expensive and not very kid-friendly so it was perfect for a day like today.

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We sat down by the open window for a cocktail and some pricey skewers.

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Before heading back to KK’s school for her cake party, we stopped at the Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant. It’s a 21-and-over kind of place so we just HAD to go there today.

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This was the meat platter that we ordered with the wine.

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By then, we were pretty relaxed and happy. Heh heh.

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After KK’s school party, she asked to leave school with us. So we took her across the street to Waterbar for their $1 oysters. We scored a table on the patio with a view of the Bay Bridge and she scored a dozen oysters.

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It was so nice to have a day to spend with my best friend and co-pilot on this crazy ride called parenthood. This relaxing day as just the two of us was long overdue and sorely needed.

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Happy 4th Birthday to our Kumquat. We hope you have a fun-filled year as a 4-year-old.  And please, don’t grow up too quickly.

First Day Back

IMG_6612Surprisingly, this morning went well.  Peanut was up at 6am.  I fed him and then he fell back to sleep.  He looked so peaceful and so adorable.

Since he was sleeping, it gave me lots of time to get ready for work and then get KK ready for school.  I was out of the house by 7:30am and I enjoyed the quiet drive to work all by myself with the radio turned off.  It’s been a while since I had last had some alone time to just think and prepare for the day.  Before going on leave, I was taking KK along with me across the bay everyday for at least a year.  Now it’s just me in the car and it was a nice change.  I parked and arrived in the office at 7:55 am (5 minutes early!)

IMG_6618 On my desk, were a bunch of special treats from my dear friends.  Thanks, ladies!!

IMG_6619At the end of lunch, I was treated to cookies and ice cream!! So sweet.  I was surrounded by good friends and had a pretty easy work day.  This definitely made the transition back to work as easy as it could have been.

KK-moon in Monterey

IMG_6577 On Friday night, we decided to go take KK to Monterey as our version of a Babymoon but more appropriately called a KK-moon.  We booked a room at our favorite hotel, Monterey Plaza Hotel, and stayed overnight on Saturday night.

IMG_6689With the start of my maternity leave this weekend, we thought it would be a good time to take this mini vacation with our first born.  DSC_6651It could very well be the last real trip that we take as a family of 3.

DSC_6664We lucked out with gorgeous weather there.  It was sunny and just the right temperature outside.

IMG_6583 DSC_6699 DSC_6693Of course, we visited the aquarium and saw some favorites and some new things too.

IMG_9960We took our little girl to the beach nearby and she had a wonderful time collecting rocks and playing in the water.IMG_6630KK was so excited to play at the beach, which she kept calling “Hawaii”.  And our “Monterey House” was the “Manta Ray House” to her.

IMG_6676Jia and Jason also decided to take an epic drive down to meet us for dinner.  It was their first big outing with the twins.  It’s definitely a new experience for all of us with so many kids now.  Here’s Jia squished in a booth between the two sleeping babies at dinner.

IMG_6670Toni (above) and Thomas (below) were very well-behaved and slept through most of dinner.IMG_6669During dessert, they both needed to eat so Jes kept Thomas company as he was waiting to be fed.

IMG_6681IMG_6682We’re so glad they came out and I think they were surprised that it wasn’t as scary/painful as it initially seemed when we invited them.

IMG_6714We had a really nice weekend together and look forward to meeting Peanut.  Vacations will never be the same with 2 kids in tow but we’re ready for that next adventure!!

Last Day of Work

IMG_6551I’ll be 35 weeks tomorrow and today was my last day of work before maternity leave starts.  In the morning, everyone threw me a baby breakfast in our usual awesome potluck style.  They also pooled their money together and gave me a $200 gift card for Amazon.  So sweet!IMG_6550It was also Teresa’s birthday today so it was nice to have something else to celebrate too.

I worked a full day and it was not too busy but not too slow either.  I managed to get all my paperwork done and tidied up my desk all in time to leave by 4:30 (the usual quitting time).

IMG_6552I took this picture with Teresa (picture above) because it was I took a similar one with her the first time I left for maternity leave in 2012 (picture below).

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I’ll miss everyone but so relieved that I don’t have to endure another work day of climbing stairs, lifting patients, and scurrying around the floors of the hospital working while trying to find time to rest, drink plenty of fluids, and pee.  I didn’t actually feel relieved until after I picked KK up from school (also her last day) and was driving home across the bridge one last official time for the year.  All other trips across the Bay Bridge this year will be for fun. 🙂  Hooray for Maternity Leave!!  I’ll be off through the end of the year – it’s surreal to think I won’t have to work for the next 6 months but it’ll probably fly by once Peanut arrives.

Here are some gifts that I received today:
IMG_6562This came in the mail from Cousin Ishya.  So thoughtful!IMG_6563I found a small gift in my mailbox at work and it contained this inside.  Unfortunately, it was not labeled so I don’t know who it’s from!

IMG_6564I received this book from Lisa, a co-worker.IMG_6565And this book came from Shelley, another co-worker of mine.

Tomorrow will start my 5-week waiting period for Peanut’s arrival.  I have lots of stuff to take care of before he arrives and hopefully he will cook all the way.  Hopefully, I’ll get some rest while spending some quality time with my first-born.  It’s hard to believe that we’ll be a family of 4 in just a few weeks.

I still miss him.

IMG_5091My Koa Bear would have turned 11 years old today.  I woke up this morning at 1 am and realized it was his birthday and had a hard time falling back asleep.  I guess I still miss this doggie as if he passed away just a week ago.

DSC_1874aOh, I miss his funny habits like sleeping in the laundry basket and eating his kibble late at night.  I still anticipate hearing him trot over each time I crack an egg too.  I don’t necessarily miss walking him in the rain but the early morning walks on Sundays were nice.

DSC_8108We would love to get another shiba but it might not be the best time right now since we’ll be adding another human to our family this summer.

DSC_5393Happy Birthday, Koa.  We miss you.