Browse Month: February 2012

Books for Kumquat

Yesterday, my co-workers threw me a shower in Walnut Creek.  Look at the cute diaper cakes they made!

We usually throw a pretty kickin’ potluck and this was no different.

They made a lot of my favorite dishes and we also had a chocolate fountain!  Yum.

I asked for no games so they had an activity instead.  Everyone decorated onesies for me.  This is the one that Teresa made for me.  She said that Kumquat will be Team Tiger Member #3.  🙂

Everyone gave some words of wisdom on the leftover cards that I had from our shower in Southern CA and they also gave me a scrapbook kit to keep and display them.

I received a bunch of gifts, including a really nice collection of books.  Everyone brought their favorite baby book and now Kumquat has a whole library to entertain and enrich her little brain.  Some of my favorites include: “Everyone Poops” and “Click Clack Moo”.  They also got Jes a copy of “Go the F* to Sleep”.

It was so nice to see everyone there all dressed in regular street clothes and it was certainly a girly gathering.

Elaine, my good friend from my PTN days, also came all the way up from San Jose to join us.  That was such a treat!

I was sent home with a trunk filled with gifts and diapers along with an entire fruit tart and a beautiful bouquet of tulips and daisies.

I had a wonderful time and this is one of those occasions that remind me how much my work buddies love me.  Thank you, Kumquat Committee!!!

Here are the rest of the photos from the shower.

32 weeks

We had a pretty eventful afternoon today.  At 2pm, I had my 32-week ultrasound to check her growth.  The technician checked all the pockets of amniotic fluid around Kumquat and I’ve got enough so far.  The head, stomach, humerus, femur, heart, kidneys, and abdomen were all measured and then calculated to give us an estimated weight and size.

Here are the stats:
Estimated weight: 4 lbs., 7 oz.
Size: 57th percentile (normal)
Position: Head Down (yay!)
Gender: Still a girl!!

As we were looking for a shot of her face, we got to witness Kumquat sucking in amniotic fluid and swallowing.  She had her hands to her face again, which made it a little tough to get a good print out image.  The tech was nice (and patient) enough to try again and again until we got a decent shot.  Can you see her chubby right cheek, nose, upper lip, right arm, and hands?  If not, here’s your answer key.

Afterward, we had our usual Panda Express meal.

I hadn’t eaten much all day so I went all-in with a 2-item combo.  Yum.  With another 2 hours to kill, we went to the nearby Stonestown Mall to take a walk.

At 5:30pm, we had a tour of UCSF Labor and Delivery.  I had to take some notes for Jes just in case he forgets on the big day.  The Center for Mothers and Newborns is on the 15th floor of the main hospital and we got to see one of the labor and delivery rooms.

It had a gorgeous view of the sun setting and you can see from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Bay Bridge.  This was the only photo I got on our tour, which doesn’t do it any justice.  There’s a pull-out couch for Jes to nap on and a really big flatscreen tv.  We also got to see the nursery and peeked into one of the postpartum rooms.  All looked pretty standard and the nurses seemed nice.  Only 8 more weeks to go!

The Name Game

We still haven’t picked out a name for Kumquat.  Hoping for some ideas.  But y’know… Kumquat Lao has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?  Heh heh.

Dog and Car are back.

We spent a quick 48 hours in Cerritos this past weekend.  Not only was it for the Kumquat Shower but our mission was also to pick up the dog and drive the car back up to SF.  When we arrived in Cerritos on Friday night, Dog was super excited to see us after 3 weeks at The Magical House.  On Saturday, I got up early enough to get some of my mommy’s waffles for breakfast.  I also got to see what Koa had been up to the last three weeks.

Apparently there’s a cat that lives behind my dad’s fountain in the backyard and Koa has been on the hunt for him.  He runs outside and goes snooping around the fountain and the rest of the backyard.  It’s pretty cute.  Unfortunately I didn’t see this phantom cat-cat.

Before the Kumquat Party, we went to the Cerritos Farmer’s Market where we picked up some cilantro roots and I got a big bag of Hula Pop.

I also found these kumquats.  Aw…cute.

On Saturday night, Jes and I attended the Clarendon Foundation’s Annual Valentine’s Dance at the Omni Hotel in Downtown LA.  It’s a fundraiser for a shelter/dormitory for girls in Sri Lanka.  It’s run by Dayantha’s dad and Ti was in charge of the event this year.  It was like a wedding with no couple to celebrate.  Instead there was a silent auction, raffle, and a presentation including a Skype call to the girls at the house.  Neato.  For the event, I bought a little black dress and actually wore heels for the first time in many months.  There was a cool water thingy outside of the hotel where Jes took my 31-week belly bump photo. Afterward, we met up with Brother and Joy for a midnight meal at Pacific Dining Car.  They didn’t have the stone crab that Jes was craving but Jes had his baseball steak.

On Sunday, we got up at a decent time and said our goodbyes.

We left The Magical House around 10:00 am and somehow we managed to get home by 4:30 with a few pee stops and lunch at In-N-Out.  So now life is back to normal with the car and dog at home where they should be.  Yay!

Shower for Kumquat

On Saturday, there was a big party for Kumquat.

Marie, Patti, and Patty planned it and it was held at Patty and Johnny’s house in Irvine.  The family from both sides attended along with some old friends.  All the decorations were so cute and of course Marie designed them all.

They also hired a taco truck that we happened to see on the freeway on the way to the house.  What fun!  They were called Dos Chinos and I really liked the pork belly taco and the Korean beef taco and their fries were tasty too.

Johnny also played bartender and had a menu and everything.  His cocktails must have been good because the non-alcoholic versions were pretty tasty.

There were a few games including one where everyone was asked to kiss a teddy bear earlier in the day and then later had to kiss me on the same place.  I got some smooches on the elbow and on the head and even on the tummy.  It was a little embarrassing for everyone but definitely memorable.

There was also a game where everyone had to memorize the 28 baby items on a tray and Katie played along too.  She managed to remember a lot more than I could have a I loved the way she spelled the word “suction”…it was spelled “sukshen”.  Cute.

It was great to have family and friends around to celebrate this occasion.  My two roomies from UCLA even came and Sandy and I got to compare baby bumps.  We’re due in the same week!

The kids all played together and it’s funny that they’ve all met at least once or twice at the pool.  It was like the 4-year-old swimming club.

We also brought Koa and he got to hang out with his brother Mochi.  They didn’t exactly play like they used to but they didn’t get into a brawl either.

It was a really fun afternoon and Kumquat is very lucky to have so many people who are excited about her arrival.  A big thank you goes to Marie, Patty, and Patti!  Here are the photos that I got from the party.  If anyone has any others, I’d love to see them!

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.

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