Running on Empty

This past week has just been non-stop. The drive back from LA was pretty pleasant since Lukas slept most of the way. We met up with Edwin's mom for dinner in SF for her birthday and then picked up my mom from Oakland airport since she and her luggage couldn't fit in the car with us, Lukas, and all his baby gear on the drive back from LA. Lukas enjoyed his time with his grandmothers.

Lukas surprised me this week. He has never really liked getting ready for bed. The books say that you should have a bedtime routine for kids because it's supposed to make it easier for them to know what to expect. However, in Lukas's case, he recognizes his bedtime routine and doesn't like it. He wants to stay awake like everyone else. I can't say I blame him. Anyway, this week while I was getting his PJ's on, his PoPo decided to try and console him by carrying him to the back door to look outside. I usually just let him cry for a bit until I'm done changing him. Anyway, I reach for him to feed him and he looks at me and then deliberately turns away from me back to to PoPo. I couldn't believe it. I birthed this child and at 5 months he is already rejecting me? After recoiling in shock, I reached out for him again and this time he came to me as if to say, "OK- I was only joking." I am amazed at how he even knew he had a choice!

PoPo left on Thursday and she cooked up a storm as usual. I worked from home on Monday while she took care of Lukas. After work, I took them both to Chinatown to shop for groceries for the week. This was a feat for my mom. She very rarely is able to just go to shopping for food once on a trip. It usually takes multiple trips for my mom to get everything she needs. However, I simply didn't have the time to drive her, so I told her that if she didn't get it on this trip, we would have to make do with what we had.

I also had an interviews with several childcare providers after work this week. There was one stay-at-home mom in Alameda that was not a fit. Then, I had an interview with a nanny/stay-at-home mom in SF that lives right around the corner from my office. I really liked her and I hope that things work out with her. This weekend, I also met another nanny share in Alameda that might work. Searching for childcare is time-consuming and frustrating, so I can't wait until it is over. At least I'm starting to feel like I have some options. Both options have pros and cons, but I am hoping that the one in SF works out. I just had great chemistry with that mom/nanny and felt very comfortable leaving Lukas with her.

I also had a job interview myself on Friday. I haven't really been looking, but I have been sending out my resume when requested. Things have been very different since returning to work after my maternity leave. I think that it might be time to look into other options. Friday was very busy even though I didn't work that day. Lukas and I started the day with a stroller walk and then I had to drop him off at daycare so that I could get ready for my interview. I drove into SF and then picked up Lukas. Then, I had to get gas since my fuel light came on. It made me realize that I am running on empty in a lot of areas of my life. Running out of napkins, handsoap, time to find childcare, time to decide what I want to do with my career, time to spend on me.

This weekend was pretty relaxing. Friday night, we went to my old coworker's new apartment in Oakland. We had a good time getting to know her and her boyfriend better. On Saturday, we met up with Steve for lunch at Bakesale Betty's and then I went out with the girls for Girls Night Out. It was a good time with the ladies and we have another scheduled for next month. Having these Girls Nights help me to refuel because there are very few nights I can leave Lukas and have a night of fun. This week, I got 2 opportunities. Since my mom was in town, Edwin and I got the chance to go see a movie in the theatre. We ended up going to see GI Joe. It was entertaining, but nothing special. Being able to hang out with friends and go out with Edwin every once in a while feels good so I don't always have to feel like I'm running on empty.

Good Times

Last weekend, we had a great time with Lukas. We started with a summer Friday for me which meant that I got to spend the day with Lukas. We went to the opening of a place called Play Cafe which was located in Oakland about 15 minutes away from our house. They had a performer named Asheba who is like a Caribbean musician for children. He was very entertaining and Lukas watched him with wide-eyed amazement. It was very cute. Lukas seemed to enjoy it very much. The cafe I thought was just OK. It seemed that since it was just opened, it was very clean, but I have a feeling that it won't stay that way for long. It's a place that is aimed at families with children up to age 5. They had pretend stores, houses, a ball area, and eating area for families. The food was just so-so. I would go back for the entertainer, but the business was not something I would go to unless someone else suggested going there. I ended up purchasing Asheba's CD since it was so fun and I thought that Jon, Jeannette, and Freebles might enjoy it as well.

Last Saturday, we went for a BBQ at my cousin Billy's house. It was a lot of fun because we got to take Lukas out for a swim in their housing development's pool. It was very secluded and we were the only ones there. This was Lukas's second time in a pool and I think it went a lot better than the first time. The first time he was a little younger and the pool was much more crowded, so it was probably more intimidating for him. Also, we bought Lukas an inflatable donut that he could stick his feet into and could float on top of the water whereas the first time, it was just me holding him. Lukas really seemed to enjoy it and Edwin got to see it first hand since he wasn't able to go to the pool with us the first time. Billy had an underwater camera and was able to take photos and videos of Lukas in the water.

On Sunday, we hang out with Tom and Debbie in the afternoon and then had dinner with the Schneiders for some fine dining in Castro Valley. It was very tasty and it makes me eager to try out more cuisines in the area.

This weekend, we drove down to LA. Edwin had his annual surfing safari while Lukas and I visited relatives. He got to meet his great-grandmother for the first time and my mom came out to visit for a few days as well. I'll write more about it later. In the meantime, here are some photos since I haven't posted those in a while.

Happy Belated Bday to me!

So it was my birthday yesterday. It came up very suddenly. We went out to dinner with friends on Saturday at a Chinese restaurant on Sat. It was a good time, but it's definitely different with kids. You start your evenings a lot earlier and everyone was gone by 10PM. I didn't even get to eat my birthday cake until after everyone had left. Edwin baked me a cake from scratch. He's been perfecting his recipe for a yellow cake with chocolate frosting and it was pretty yummy.

Birthdays have changed after having Lukas too. I used to look forward to my birthday with anticipation, but now, I barely realize that it's my birthday even on my birthday. I feel kind of distracted because I feel like I am just trying to get through the day each day. I try to plan some things, but days pass by so quickly that sometimes things just sneak up on me even when I have planned them in advance. I know that I have to do something on a certain date, but then I don't know what day it is.

Work has continued to be stressful and now we also have the added stress of finding another daycare. Even though we love our daycare provider, it's just too stressful for her to care for 3 babies under 1 year. (I can only imagine how difficult it is to take care of so many infants when it's hard for us to take care of just Lukas!) Since Lukas was the newest baby and we were going to have trouble with the new hours which would be closing at 5PM, we got the boot. Also, her assistant decided that childcare was not for her and so she would be doing it all alone. We are disappointed because we really liked her and we felt like she took great care of Lukas, but we also understand the situation. I'm actually glad that she said that it was too much for her to handle instead of letting something slip under her care. I respect people more when they tell me that there is a problem versus just letting the problem compound and hoping it will go away. At least then you know that there is a problem and can begin to resolve it instead of letting it get worse. Still, it really sucks that I have to go through the whole finding a daycare process again when I hated it the first time.