The perfect weekend and some news

It was one of those perfect, oh so lovely, springy Spring time, weekends. T'was the kind of weekend that makes the prospect of Monday a little more dreadful. But all good things...so they say. But I am all smiles today because we are well-rested, the sun is shining, and the munchkin has only made twelve messes today (including a bucket of milk on the floor, but c'est la vie).

If you follow me on my most favorite platform, there may be a few repeats, but the weekend was just too good not to give ya'll some deja vu.

Saturday morning was for relaxing with open windows and messy hair. I rearranged Emma's toy/book area yet again and I am liking the new layout. I think she likes it too. But I have caught her climbing onto the window sill so we might have to work on another "safety first" lesson.

We walked to the park and Emma had oodles of fun on the swings and her favorite twisty slide. Paul and I usually take the little lady on solo trips to the park so I was happy that we were able to go together for once. And I was able to take up my permanent residence on the bench and snap photos like a mom armed with a camera phone while the fun parent chased the tot around.

We decided that we did not want to cook lunch so we walked to a local burger place and I ate every bite of my burger plus all the haystack onions I could get my hands on. We then split a butterfinger shake and Emma said "ice cream" ten million times. But it sounded more like "ow crim". Potato/potahto. 

After naps (for all of us) we enjoyed more playing, even more sunshine, and all kinds of smiles from a happy and well-rested momma. We had dinner with our neighbors at a local Italian/pizza place and we watched the girls run back and forth from the arcade area and I had the best pesto ravioli of my liiiife. 

Emma reached her limit towards the end of dinner and I think we have all seen Paul's resigned face on ourselves many a time.

Oh parenthood.

Sunday morning I woke up early (on purpose, with an alarm and everything) to get in some quiet alone time and to make chocolate croissants for my clan. I ate two hehehe. We played a little before church and I cracked myself up by piling stuffed animals on her. Oh what I find amusing these days... 

After church, Emma and I watched Paul play a tennis match with his new league. He has really missed playing competitively and I did not realize how much I missed watching him Play. During a change-over, I half-whispered some advice to him and gave him a smile. A jolly old man sitting near us said, "you sure really know his game". 

That I do old man, that I do. 

Emma enjoyed cheering on her dada which was the sweetest. She also enjoyed walking around with her tennis racket in front of her face which was a big question mark but all in a toddler day.

After naps, we played some more (!!! so much playing) and then enjoyed a family dinner at a local Mexican restaurant because I simply HAD TO HAVE CHIPS AND SALSA OR ELSE (#pregnancy). Emma ate half the basket and was smiles for miles. I would have had an even bigger smile on my face if I could have had a dang margarita. (I'll see you in August old friend.)

These two make me so happy. I couldn't help but stare at them during dinner while I felt our newest member squirm in my belly (maybe the salsa woke him up). I went to bed with such a smile on my face thinking about our three- almost four-some. God has truly blessed our family. I am grateful for them each day.

And onto the news... lest you think I always ramble about weekend recaps and gush about my family.

I got a job! Weeeee!

I was offered a part-time position at a dental clinic in Oakland serving low-income children and adults. I will be working Saturdays and Mondays. While I am INCREDIBLY excited to be doing dentistry again and having some time away from home, my heart is aching at the closing of one chapter in my life. I don't know what will come of this opportunity long-term, but I am so grateful that I will still get to spend most days with Emma while also serving my patients. I start officially working with patients in a weekish so I will keep you updated.

God is so good.

On life lately, weekend edition

Oh it's weekend recap? How original, Samantha. No one ever does those.

Blogger's gotta blog, yo.

As you know if you read any of my weekly ramblings, we are in the process of moving from San Francisco to Alameda this month. We decided we needed to do a little furniture upgrade on a few things. In our current place, Paul and I have somewhat of an amalgamation of furniture - hand-me-downs, the sturdiest particle board "wood" furniture (sarcasm), some new pieces we bought when we were expecting Emma, and some things we even had back in our dorm days.

I do not like packing. Let me rephrase that, I HATE PACKING. I get really overwhelmed and have twenty panic attacks on the daily. Sorting, organizing, unpacking - I'm great. Packing, boxing, moving - death.

However, the moving box obstacle course is Emma's heaven on earth.

We kicked off our Friday evening with some cold ones.

(Hers is unopened, obvi.)

Come weekend, we are all ready to put our feet up if ya know whuuut I meeeean. We watched Insurgent (SO GOOD) and had 3.4 minutes of down time before the madness of Emma's bedtime regimen began (more like her bedtime regime, am I right).

Tell me this is a normal part of toddlerhood, but Emma has been especially vocal about her various frustrations. 

Can't open the lid - wail. 
Can't close the lid - whine.
I open the lid for her - scream.
She asks me to open the lid and I say no - yell.

Le sigh. So there's that.

But there is nothing like her beloved bath to keep her calm and keep the little bit of evening sanity that I may have left. 

For the two of you who are still reading this...

On Saturday, I went to a Blessed Brunch in Berkeley. It was such an amazing experience to meet some incredible women. We shared our stories, shared a meal, and prayed together. What a day!

I am still reeling from it all and I cannot wait to continue to get to know them even better.

Sunday was our big shopping day. We took a load of stuff to the new apartment then hopped down to a newly opened Living Spaces. They were having a grand opening special (spend this much get this much off, you know the kind) and we found exactly what we were looking for. PLUS, they deliver and install. Can I get an Amen!? The last thing I want to do is carry a couch up two flights of stairs.

Costco runs are for gigantor sized bags of toilet paper, paper towels, and diapers. And for driving momma crazy with her Costco disappearing acts. 

We also popped over to Target and bought some much-needed curtains and floor rugs. Seriously, I am in love with those curtains. But who would have thought Paul would have such strong opinions on curtain types. 

"We need the silky ones, they are prettier." - unpredictable Paul 

Of course, in the chaos of trying to try out different couches, desks, beds, etc. I did not even think to take any pictures of what we decided on. Oh well, I don't think I will want to take any pictures of the chaos in the new place right now but I'll do an apartment tour as soon as we are all moved in. 

I will tell you though that furniture stores might as well be toddler Disneyland. She was ecstatic to crawl around, attempt to move ottomans, and throw couch pillows. 

I should make a new clichéd expression like, "happier than an Emma in a furniture store". 

If any of you managed to get through this long-winded diatribe then congratulations. I applaud you. 

How were your weekends? I'm all eyes. 

A tale of the weekend

An alternative title to this post would be - someone get me some new sinuses - but I thought that would be a little self-serving. And you know, selfless Samantha is at your service. 

Paul, Emma, and I are all sick. It started a fewish days (feels like forever) ago with Emma. I'm convinced she picked something up from the viral incubator, otherwise known as daycare. I had to pick her up early on Friday afternoon following a call (desperate plea) from her teachers telling tales of woe due to Emma's inconsolable screaming. Super Samantha swooped in to have an afternoon with the walking snot fountain at home. 

Well doesn't she just look like a ball of sunshine?

We had planned a quiet weekend at home but our shopping list was getting longer than Dumbledore's beard so I definitely needed to do a Target and Trader Joe's run at some point.

Saturday morning Paul was feeling all kinds of awful so he needed some serious alone/recovery time sans screeching tiny human so off to errand-running we went. Deep breaths everyone.

How do you moms with multiple kittens do it? I was struggling with just the one. But any who... When parents are sick, all rules are out the window. It's a madhouse, MADHOUSE.

Between Target and TJ's, Emma and I stopped at In N Out where I am sure we got some horrified looks as she scarfed down one half of a cheeseburger without blinking. 

My glutinous alter ego was so proud. I think my devil horns should be coming in any day now... 

...Yup definitely growing in. 

I'll save you the train wreck that is Emma's chocolate and sprinkle covered face post this doughnut. Remember the whole no rules thing. I enjoyed a glazed and my elevated blood sugar made my pancreas heave a sigh of despair.

Thanks to the generosity of our friends and family, Emma's toy corner has grown to Everest proportions. I clean, she tornadoes, I clean, she pounces. Typhoon Emma does not care.

Out trip to Target was in search of sippy cups. Yes, Emma must transition to sippy cups and she's having none of that. 

What's the baby sign language for L O L? 

She will literally throw the sippy cup across the room and the mother sucker that I am pours the milk back into her beloved bottle. MOMS, tell me your secrets for sippy cup transitions!!

Paul and I have also been trying our darnedest to get her to eat more solids (doc's orders) and while most of it makes its way on to our immaculate floor (J to the K), she has managed to try some more foods this weekend. 

She enjoyed a gourmet meal of eggs, avocado, and extra butter on Sunday morning. And God smiled. I wish we had a doggie shaped vacuum for the mess. But she did manage to feed herself with her spoon for the first time. Color me proud. Now if only she could change her own diapers and get herself dressed then we're talking.

Speaking of her toy corner, miss Emma is equally (if not more) happy to play with non-toy items in her new favorite play room, our kitchen. Because what doesn't scream fun like the knife block and finger-slamming cabinets? 

Typhoon Emma.

As the dreaded cabin fever began to set in, I desperately pleaded with Paul to take Emma outside for a walk while I did our laundry. Our apartment's laundry room looks out on our courtyard so thankfully, I had a lovely view of the tornado as she tormented the pigeons. From safely behind the wall of glass. 

Mwahahaha. 

Well clearly our weekend adventures are the stuff of great novels. Or you know, mediocre blogs. Carry on tiny dancer. 

She's so adorable when she's horizontal. 

How were your weekends warriors? Happy Mondayyyyy. 

Oh hello there weekend

My scrumptious iced coffee from Blue Bottle Coffee.

Why hello there, it’s nice to see you again. How’s the family?

That is my not-so-subtle way of saying that my blog has been as desolate as the arctic desert. First, thank you for not leaving me. Second, it actually has been refreshing taking a little bit of a break here and there. My externship keeps me busy and I don’t have as much time to mindlessly scroll through social media. Not like I’d do that otherwise. *awkwardly side glances*

Raise your hand if you cannot believe how fast September has flown by! I’m already looking for a Halloween costume for Emma and Paul and I have already planned a New Year’s Eve trip. JEEEEZ father time, can you cool your jets?

Currently, I am in bed writing this post because I got a wonderful surprise this morning when nausea overtook me and I threw up my stomach contents (hashtag, TMI). Let me tell you, screaming, “grab the baby” while I was breastfeeding and getting the urge to throw up then running to the bathroom was an interesting way to start the weekend. Any who that’s enough vomit talk. Ew, I’m gross today.

This was another great week over at Asian Health Services. I have seen more patients in the past two weeks than during the first year of dental school and I lurrrve it. Working in the community clinic has reminded me of why I love dentistry - helping people (queue the sappy violin). But really, it has been an incredibly fulfilling experience and I cannot wait to go back in January.

I think Emma has seasonal allergies. She has a runny nose but doesn’t exhibit any other symptoms to make me think she’s sick. Poor girl. But she is making strides in the nearly-crawling department. We have all the pieces of crawling there, she just needs to put it together. Although now I may have to put a homing device on her. GREAT. 

Paul and I plan on having another relaxing weekend. We both need to recharge those batteries. Seeing 8-9 patients per day is completely gratifying but also exhausting, especially after trying to extract 3rd molars that have decided to play hide-and-seek. Paul is busy at work with the annual audit (don’t worry, I don’t completely know what that means either). He also had a review with his boss and got the highest rating! I’m so proud of his hard work.

I went to a new community group on Thursday. It’s a combination of Bible study and fellowship. We talked about 1 Peter, ate some Chili, and played taboo. I loved it! Even though the city is geographically small, it’s hard to get to know people. I am really looking forward to making this a part of my week. 

My daddy had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee yesterday. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers. But you want to know how he did it? Dancing. Yup. My mom said he was twisting when he should have been shouting. 

I have a special Life 365 post coming to you on Monday so stay tuned. ALSO, my first devotion on Blessed Is She goes up tomorrow. I hope you like it. It has been wonderful to be part of this amazing community. I will leave you with my post on the Blessed Is She Instagram from this past Tuesday.

Have a wonderful weekend!