Friday! The 26th?

Dear Friends and Family,

I cannot tell you how glad I am that it's Friday. And, how confused I am that it is the end of February. How did that happen?

Time to go get ready for work. Then, the weekend!


Cheers!
mouse

Birthday Party Planning

Dear Friends and Family,

Would you believe it if I said I was beginning to think through birthday party ideas for P? She's nine and a half months old - which means we have about 10 weeks. I know 10 weeks sounds like a long time, but once you factor in a couple of weekends for travel, a weekend for taxes, a weekend or two for mouse pad work. And, the fact that some people may want to travel in (e.g. the grandparents)... Then you realize that we're probably behind, not ahead.

Last night, when Mr. mouse was holding her, I was reminded of how much she has grown. When she was a newborn she was this little ball with her head on his shoulder and her body tucked neatly into his arm. Now, she sprawls with her head over his shoulder and her legs dangling below his arm, across his torso. Our little P (still not quite 5 percentile) is not so little anymore.


Cheers!
mouse

Climbing Baby

Dear Friends and Family,

Last night, P decided she would climb up on top of her toy box to reach the top of the coffee table. Um. time to:

1. clear off the coffee table
2. move the toy box

It's going to be a roller coaster ride to the one year point.


Cheers!
mouse

Cycle of Motivation

Dear Friends and Family,

A concept I learned a long time ago just popped in my head and I need to ponder it today. Motivation:

1. I understand what is expected of me
2. I can achieve what is expected of me
3. My achievement can be measured
4. My achievement will be measured
5. My achievement will be rewarded
6. The reward is something I want
7. There aren't negative network externalities to getting my reward

Now, how to apply it to work? I think it's a matter of explaining the concept to the people I work with and then putting it into practice. Okay. That'll work.


Cheers!
mouse

02.22.10: Skipped Trip

Dear Friends and Family,

We thought about going to the Motor City to see our friends off. They're moving to Virginia with a new job. But, with P out two days last week from school on the Carousel of Stomach Viruses, we decided to stay home for the weekend and focus on getting her better and on putting some meat on her bones.

Oh, and because we made reservations early in the process, Friday night, we went out for Restaurant Week - Naha. Saturday lunch, we went out for Restaurant Week - Mercat a la Planxa. And, Sunday, we went out for Restaurant Week - Takashi.

In between all of the eating, we got a lot of errands and some work done. P seems to be doing fine. Let's hope she can make it through the whole week at school.

Speaking of P, we'd been feeding her bits and pieces of table food. Sometimes she'd chew her way through it, sometimes, she'd gag and grimace and swallow. But, this week, she finally figured it out. She's become a table food pro - chomping her way through cereal and bits and pieces of whatever we're eating. Yeah for P!

Now, onto art project with the markers and finger paint we bought for her.


Cheers!
mouse

When P Tries Her Best

Dear Friends and Family,

Sometimes I let P try to do things on her own to see how she manages. And, it's so cute it makes me laugh until I almost cry.

One time I put some food on her tray, but it was before she really figured out how to get it to her mouth using her fingers. So, she opened wide, leaned forward and tried to get at it whole body, except the safety belts on her seat didn't let her lean forward that far. She was watching me as I was watching her to see if her actions were meeting my expectations. My little P.

Last night, I was curious if she could get into nursing position on her own. First, she just looked at me and cried. Then, on the second side, when she was less famished, she leaned forward until she fell on her stomach, perched up mini cobra style and tried to latch on. Mouth open the whole time, watching me watching her. I laughed as I curled her on her side and tucked her in close to me. My little P.

She's growing so quickly (or let me rephrase, learning so many things so quickly, she's still a tiny baby) it's heartening to have those cute baby moments to realize we still have baby time left to enjoy.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: For dinner, we had pasta with tomato sauce and tuna - all three of us.

How Does This All Work?

Dear Friends and Family,

Sometimes you read a book and you finish and you move on to the next book. And, sometimes you read a book and you finish and you realize you've learned something new and the book has changed you, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse.

I recently finished Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America. I have to say it opened my eyes to a world I always knew existed but hadn't thought too hard about, at least not recently.

I grew up in a working class family. Through the middle of fourth grade we lived on the "wrong side of the tracks" and used a friend of the family's address to enroll in the "better" elementary school instead of the one I was zoned for. But, my parents worked hard and my siblings and I studied hard and today we're all better off than we were then. It's the classic immigrants' tale.

But, today, I think it'd be different. I'm not sure, if we had to do it all again, in today's world, that we could. It seems so much harder with more forces moving against you. Without class mobility (aka hope) how does this all work?

Also, when other countries offer universal health coverage and a more structured retirement funding mechanism and we don't, does it become a comparative disadvantage in the competitiveness of US companies and our business models? Especially in an age of the service economy? (not to switch gears on you here, but I think I just did) Again, how does this all work?

And, while I'm on my soap box I might as well rant like a crazy lady. Mr. mouse and I were having a conversation the other night and I asked... do you think the average American realizes that when they buy something that says Made in China on the box they may have saved a few bucks, but in the process, by aggravating an already problematic trade gap and enabling the Chinese to buy more US debt, we're essentially mortgaging our future and giving up some level of control of our destiny and some level of power over our future options? And, Mr. mouse said, mouse, no, the average American doesn't, in fact, most "above average" Americans don't.

And, I sighed. And, I wondered, how does this all work?

Now that I've got all that off my chest, I feel better. Don't you?


Cheers!
mouse

Wednesday, Better than Tuesday

Dear Friends and Family,

If misery loves company, I had enough yesterday to have a whole party unto myself.

Woke up late because P slept in. Had a plugged duct. Mr. mouse left before I could get my ONE email off. Struggled with a sick baby all morning while dueling off the multiple foes of hunger, dizziness, weakness, and cold. Plugged up the toilet. Got into fight #2 or 3 or 4 with Mr. mouse. Got the chills. Ran a fever. And, fell asleep exhausted on the floor.

Yes. That was my day yesterday. Today looks like an average day. I'll take average over yesterday any day.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: Giving up for Lent - anything I wouldn't have eaten regularly while on Weight Watchers.

02.15.10: Inglorious Trifecta

Dear Friends and Family,

President's Day, Valentine's Day, Lunar New Year -

vomiting, dehydration, diarrhea -

Not sure if it was the cafeteria sushi from Friday lunch, or leftovers from Friday dinner, or something making its way around daycare, but I woke up Saturday morning and threw up and threw up and threw up... my dinner, the water I drank, the juice Mr. mouse offered... everything. Wow, it doesn't get much better than this.

Except, feeling mostly better Sunday night, and craving Chinese food after a day and a half of bland carbs, I cornered Mr. mouse into going out to celebrate P's first lunar new year. And, I got sick again. Only, this time, it was diarrhea. What an excellent start and end to what was supposed to be a weekend chock a block full of chores.

Well, if nothing else, I'm caught up on rest.


Cheers!
mouse

Beginning Another Wind Down Session

Dear Friends and Family,

For those of you not actively breastfeeding (i.e. all of you), you must get inanely bored by my writing about my schedules. But, it's on my mind, so I write about it.

I want to make it to the one year mark. After P's first birthday, I plan on transitioning her to whole milk for the daytime and continuing to nurse for her morning and evening feedings. I'll transition those more slowly once both P and I are ready.

With three months left to go, I'm in a constant state of 'oh no I may run out' and simultaneously 'oh no the stockpile in the freezer is out of control'. Yes, that's my life. Add to that the 'how do I slowly decrease the pumping times so it's manageable' and it's enough to drive any manufacturing engineer slightly up the wall.

All that being said, I've decided to take the brave step of taking six minutes out of my 2pm pumping session. Yes, folks, that's what this is all about. Six minutes. Six minutes that I can always add back in at the end of the week if I am not happy with the results.

We'll see how the week goes. Twelve more weeks to go which is going to fly.


Cheers!
mouse

9 Month Old

Dear Friends and Family,

It's a sure sign the days and months are flowing together when you don't realize it's your daughter's "birthday" today. I have a feeling I'm going to get the call from school today. She's been fussy. And, last night she was warm - not feverish, but warm. Perhaps it's more teeth coming in.

I wish babyhood could last another year, but, sadly, P's racing to toddlerhood. She's not baby shaped anymore. She's toddler shaped with that long, stretched out body and sturdy limbs and flat hands and purposeful legs and feet. I remember thinking when P was born that she didn't look finished - like she had spent a lot of time getting her head right and as you moved on down the body she looked less and less complete - like her bottom half was a rush job, complete enough to be born, but nothing to brag about - a low pass, so to speak. Now, she looks complete and finished and her bottom half doesn't look as half baked like it was an after thought. Also, needless to say, the cutest, if not the tiniest, baby butt cheeks. Butt cheeks only a mother could love.

So, sometime over the next three months, we'll begin the transitions to sippy cup/regular cup, table food and weaning off of the pacifier.

Wish us luck.


Cheers!
mouse

Managing and Measuring

Dear Friends and Family,

Sorry. I spent the morning staring at a spreadsheet again. You must wonder what this spreadsheet must have on it to keep me so endlessly amused.

I started last June when P had a "bad" weigh-in at the doctor's office. (Note: I'm convinced it was the scale and not the baby that was the issue.) Nonetheless, at the time, I started a sheet to track her growth. And, when I got ready to go back to work I added a sheet to track the milk inventory. And, with P growing older, and the weeks ahead of me becoming more clearly defined, I've begun actively managing the process to her first birthday and the "official" end of my duties as the milkerator.

I'm still not 100% convinced I can make it to the one year point. And, that's why I track and measure and play out the scenarios. Fingers crossed.


Cheers!
mouse

Top 3 Update

Dear Friends and Family,

Time to reassess the priorities.

One and two are easy - P and work.

Three. Hmmm... There's mouse pad renovations. There's finding a new financial planner. There's buying a new car.

So many choices, so little time. I think I should pick mouse pad renovations. When spring showers bring out our buckets, I'm going to be glad I picked this one. From a planning perspective - I'm thinking March 13th for the deck door and March 20th or 27th for the bay window which means we have this weekend and next to go shopping for a new door.

Okay. I'm motivated.


Cheers!
mouse

02.08.10: City by the Bay

Dear Friends and Family,

On a whim, we decided to head out to San Francisco for the weekend. The original idea was to go somewhere since P just got her passport. Then, looking at flights and schedules and everything, we ended up taking her to the West Coast for the first time.

Between the airport (aka the plane station), the flights, the car, and the general movement, P had a lot of car seat time. But, we got to see M + M and their new baby. And, we got to see my friends from school and their two girls. And, we had dinner with B and Chef M and B's parents and all of their friends.

It whirlwind. It was fun.

This upcoming weekend is going to be packed with errands and clean up and capturing the nine month milestones.


Cheers!
mouse

Mouse Pad Updates

Dear Friends and Family,

Mr. mouse and I were talking about what we want/need to do on the house this year. And, since we'll have incremental free cash flow in a couple of months from paying off some debt, we figured now was as good a time as any to start planning.

On the docket:

1. new door to the deck - stop the leaks
2. seal the bay window - stop the leaks
3. remove deck, reseal roof, new deck - stop the leaks
4. new front door
5. new garage door

I'm pretty sure we won't make it all the way down the list from both a money and a time perspective, but we'll start from the top and go from there.

It feels good to begin thinking about home improvements. There's nothing more relaxing than a house that's put together and maintained and organized. It makes me feel calm and alive at the same time.


Cheers!
mouse

Fiddle Faddle

Dear Friends and Family,

Sorry, spent the whole morning fiddling with some formulas on a spreadsheet, leaving me no time for my blog entry. Less than 100 days until P's birthday (WOW) and with the low production I wanted to see if I would make it to the one year mark. Looks like I'll be able to, if I continue at my current run rate.


Cheers!
mouse

Working Women

Dear Friends and Family,

This is a hard post to write because you can dance around a bunch of issues, but I'm going to attempt to write it anyway.

My first job out of school was a technical job. And, as an Asian female, I was quickly in the minority. It was an amusing and a sad commentary on the state of affairs, but reality nonetheless - 4% of the overall population, split evenly between the sexes leaves me at 2% of the population, although, oddly, the Asian males felt overrepresented at more than 2% of my work world. It didn't phase me, I was just another cog in the great machine doing my piece to keep it all going.

Coming out of grad school, I was still an Asian female in a world where the Asian female population was still 2%. And, today, I am still an Asian female in a world where the Asian female population is still 2%.

So, what's changed?

My most recent job change last fall has put me in a world dominated by older, Caucasian men. A world in which I am their peer and colleague. I don't feel any discrimination. I don't feel any hostility. I don't feel any old boy's network working against me. But, it's still weird.

I feel like some of the younger, more junior women I work with look to me as a role model - as a possibility. If mouse can do it, so can I - which puts some pressure on me to be a role model which raises my bar on my expectations of myself.

Then, there's the stupid stuff. We have a weekly departmental meeting where all of the leads sit together at the head of the table and everyone else sits wherever they want. I'm not a big fan of that and I've always sat wherever I felt like. But, I recall a series of lectures I went to where they discussed how women give away power without realizing it. And, I realized by not taking my spot at the head of the table, I was subtly diminishing my role and me. So, yesterday, at the departmental meeting, I sat at the head of the table with my colleagues.

It felt weird. But, I don't think anyone thought anything of it, besides me. See, it's stuff - big stuff and stupid stuff, but stuff nonetheless. I'm glad I had the chance to attend the lecture series. Otherwise, I may have been blissfully unaware that actions and inactions can be interpreted so many different ways by others.


Cheers!
mouse

Google vs. User Generated Content

Dear Friends and Family,

My folks are headed to Korea for a couple of weeks and needed a recommendation on a place to stay. Since we had gone with our neighbors, we knew of a hotel, we just needed the details on name and number. The race was on.

Mr. mouse started with Google and then email archives. I started with flickr (our set and our neighbors' set) and then Blogger and I was getting ready to IM our neighbor on FB when Mr. mouse found it. Turns out it was in our neighbors' photo set, I just missed it in the thumbnails view.

But, my faith in user generated content is renewed. It'll trump Google anytime specific, personal information is needed. My faith in myself, well, it just confirms I'm better at high level strategy and Mr. mouse is better at detailed, focused execution.


Cheers!
mouse

02.01.10: Experimental Days

Dear Friends and Family,

Where do the days go? Well, if you have a soon to be nine month old at home it turns to food. We've been playing with new foods all weekend. Friday night, P had fried rice with a little bit of assist from Mr. mouse. Saturday, we tried more bagel. And, on Sunday, we tried Stage 3 oatmeal (which I am tempted to bake into a cookie), pan fried turbot, more bagel (which she collected in her mouth into a giant wad and spit out), and puffed rice.

Other than that, I napped a lot this weekend to try an increase milk production. And, we got our eyes examined (I don't know why I bother with glasses). And, we took a useless trip to the mall to exchange some stuff - absolute bust. And, we stocked up on food for P. And, I did some work. And, we watched the Grammy Awards. And, there went the weekend.

Oh, Saturday, we took P into the big tub. We've done it a couple times before, but she was never a big fan. This time, she got through it and actually did okay. We may be onto something here. Purple fish and starfish may be our new best friends.

And, in the interest of maintaining my sanity, I'm trying a new bottle size for P - five ounces. Ideally, she'd stay on 5.5 ounces through this week. Why do I drive myself crazy with this stuff? I guess I just want to make it to the one year point.

Time to go wake P. Happy Monday.


Cheers!
mouse