Browse Month: April 2013

Feeding Therapist Mommy Fail

chicken liverAt Kumquat’s last check-up, we learned that she’s anemic and needs more iron-rich foods.  So, being the dutiful mommy, I went to Whole Foods and bought chicken livers.  I’ve had chicken liver prepared in a fancy restaurant and I’m a fan of foie gras so I was excited to make a fancy pate for the little one.

Tonight after the kid went to sleep, I took out my recipe and cut up the onion as it had instructed.  Then it was time to unwrap the package of livers and I was a little grossed out.  But I powered through and cleaned them and trimmed off the connective tissue and veins with a stink-face that made my forehead tired.  Then I fired up the stove and began the saute portion of the recipe.   As I stirred and shuffled the ingredients around, I thought, “it’s not so bad” with a fake look of contentment on my face.

Then it was time to put it all in the food processor with the lemon juice and salt.  Sounded pretty good so far in my head.  The lid went on and I pureed it to a smooth consistency.  Seems easy enough.

THEN…I uncovered the bowl and a huge cloud of nastiness wafted over me and I thought I was going to hurl.  My eyes watered and I had to do everything to hold it together.  I had to scrape the gray mush off the sides of the bowl and I was utterly grossed out.  I hate to say this but it looked and smelled like something I should be giving to Koa.  By the way, he was sitting right there at my feet waiting for something to drop.

Once I got it all out of the food processor and into a container for storage, it was time to taste it.  I had Jes take a taste first and he said, “It just tastes like liver.”  So I gave it a try and had to do everything I could to not throw up.  Luckily for me there was a can of ice cold limonata in the fridge to save me.

How am I going to keep it together long enough to feed this to my 12-month-old?!  As a mom and therapist, I told myself I’d try everything I fed her and I did.  Can I fake it well enough to convince her it’s tasty?  Don’t think so.  I’m just crossing my fingers that she’ll just gobble it down like everything else I’ve given her.  If she doesn’t go for it, Koa’s going to have a feast later this week.

UPDATE: She ate it and finished a full helping of it.  Good baby.  I didn’t make any faces and it actually tasted better cold from the fridge the next day.  Good job, me. ;P

5 years

IMG_2191 On Friday evening, I took BART to Oakland for this year’s Employee Recognition Dinner.  Everyone who has worked for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, or 30 years at Children’s was invited to attend and I was one of them!  IMG_2099Teresa was my +1 since Jes stayed home with Kumquat and we had a fun time.  It was at the Oakland Marriott and set up similar to a wedding reception.  There was a live band, dinner, a very expensive cash bar, and a little dancing at the end.  A glass of wine was a whoppin’ $12 but we discovered that a bottle was only $26.  So we went all out and bought a bottle to share.  After the boys heard what kind of deal it was, we ended up with 2 more bottles.  Heh heh.  Afterward, we went down the street to District for one more glass of wine before heading home.

shoesIt was a long journey back to SF and I was so glad I packed a pair of flats.  Good times…

One Year Later

mommy and babyOne year ago I met my baby girl for the first time.  She was wet, warm, squirmy, and loud.  She seemed larger than I had imagined she would be and her face was all squished.  Although wrinkled, her fingers were long and slender like her dad’s.  It was such a rush and mix of emotions.  I experienced surprise when then pulled her out and quickly placed her on my chest.  Then I had a rush of fear with the thought of “Oh crap.  I have a baby now.”  Then I felt absolute joy holding her and nursing her for the first time.  As I watched her eat, I was so proud and amazed.  She came out already knowing what to do!  Then I uncovered the blanket they wrapped her in and laughed out loud because her legs were covered in poop.  What a crazy first hour.

1st bdayIt’s now a year later and and now I’m feeling a similar mix of emotions.  I’m feeling nostalgic for the first day I met her and all that has happened this past year.  I’m so proud of all that she can do already.  How did we get from this:

to this?

When she figures something out for the first time, I always think “GENIUS” but in reality it’s just normal.

How can one little person elicit so many conflicting emotions at once?  While I’m in the middle of a frustrated fury holding a crying baby throwing her head back, she’ll suddenly stop and place her head and cheek on my chest to give me a hug.  The frustration immediately disappears and my heart just melts.  What a stinker.  This is going to be how she’ll get a pony from her dad one day.

I’m excited to see what she’ll accomplish this coming year and I’m also nervous about all the things I will need to learn and do as a parent.  I think this is when it gets harder.  She’s going to be running soon and I won’t be able to catch up.

I’m so happy to be celebrating her first year of life and there are lots of moments I’d love to relive.  Luckily I kept up with littlejanie.org and managed to take a photo of her every day this past year.

cakeHappy Birthday, Baby Girl.  It’s been a fun ride so far and looking forward to what you have in store for us this next year.  Love you.

Dinner with the Big Kids

Kumquat and I had dinner with Michelle, Reese, and Jack tonight.  We met up at Brickhouse Cafe and had a nice time catching up.  It’s amazing how much the kids have grown and changed since we last saw them back in February.  I miss the days when they lived just a few steps away but I’m glad that they still have to come into SF from Orinda each day for work and school.

jackJack was such a big boy coloring quietly while we waited for our food.

reeseReese joined in too and she’s doing great at just 2 years of age!!

kumquatKumquat sat and ate her orange dinner today.  It was a funny coincidence that the stuff I had in the fridge for her were carrots, sweet potatoes, and salmon.  Even her fork is orange!  Weird.

Anyway, it was fun to hang out with you guys this evening!  Can’t wait to see your new house!

Sick Day

Yesterday I felt like crap but I managed to power through the day.  Once I got home I was feeling a little better but then 6 pm rolled around and I started getting the chills and my entire body was aching.  I’m not sure this is because I have a sore throat, headache, fever, and no nasal congestion or coughing.  Could I just have some kind of infection that I can’t see or feel?

I went to bed around 8 and shivered, tossed, and turned under the covers wearing three layers and socks.  At about 10, I woke from a short nap and took my temp.  It was 100.6!!  It had been a very long time since the last time I had a fever and it is NO FUN.  I woke up at 6 am with my alarm and I was in no condition to go to work.  So, I called in sick for the day.  When I took my temp in the morning it was still 99.6 and I had the chills again.

lunchAfter a morning nap, I felt good enough to take a walk.  So I went to lunch by myself at 12 when Mirian came back to put Kaylee down for her nap.  I got a spicy tuna roll and a tempura roll, which really hit the spot.

pedicureAfter lunch I went next door for a pedicure.  Their massage chair was AWESOME and it was just what I needed for my body aches.  The lady also gave me an extra-long foot/leg massage that helped too.  Aaah…

Thank goodness for Tylenol because it really helped reduce the symptoms.  The only catch was that I had to take it every 8 hours or else the chills and fever would kick in again.  Too bad it doesn’t make the sore throat go away.  So, I think I’m gonna be ok for work tomorrow but I’ll have to make sure I drink my fluids tonight and bring a bottle of Tylenol with me.  Wish me luck!

Taiko!!!

doorApril is OT Month and every year we spend an afternoon in a team building activity and then finish the day with a dinner.

taikoThis year, we went KM’s taiko studio on Thursday for an afternoon of drumming. The group actually made these drums by hand!  Amazing.

drummingI had always wanted to try taiko and it was so much fun!  We made lots of noise and everyone caught on rather quickly.  My T-Rex arms got quite a workout too!


Here’s a quick video of us in action.  Not bad for our first time, huh?!  Of course I’m not in the video since I was behind the camera but I was on the drum on the high stand, which was my favorite.  Click here if you can’t see the video above.

groupHappy Occupational Therapy Month!!

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