The C Word

COVID, the word everyone sees or hears and instantly shudders. We all have a story, we all dealt with it differently, but I think one thing we all can agree on is it was an incredibly trying time for most of the world. My husband is sort of immune compromised and I was pregnant and incredibly unsure of what to believe at the time since there was so much fear mongering of what was the right thing to do. But honestly the hardest part of this whole thing was having an incredibly energetic almost 2 year old, in an apartment, all indoor places were closed and it was starting to get hot outside (not that we could really go outside anyway since even the parks were roped off and closed). In hindsight we created some really beautiful family traditions during this time. We started what we lovingly call breakfast picnics - I would bake something different each Saturday morning and we would go to a different park, or green space before parks were reopened, and we would let Mr. Blue run around, kick a ball around, watch for planes, play catch or whatever we brought with us that morning. We have since continued that tradition and it is one we all look forward to on Saturday mornings, although we go on a bit of a hiatus during the colder months now. 

A big bummer for us was that my in-laws were supposed to come visit us for the first time since our move but it was the week after the world shut down so their flights were cancelled for the foreseeable future. We also had some friends that had made plans to visit and those weren’t able to happen either. Not being able to get out, meet people, SEE people, felt incredibly isolating. COVID was an isolating time for all people, but it just felt worse to us because we were so new to the area, knew a limited amount of people, and once it began to get hot out going outside wasn’t much of an option. Luckily the moms group that I was a part of continued to meet over zoom so we could still discuss, pray over one another, and just have adult interaction. Nic working from home was also proving to be a bit of a struggle with an extremely loud and energetic child constantly in the background, but it also was really nice that we were both home to be able to watch the milestones in real time that Mr Blue was constantly achieving. Mr. Blue was always asking to learn, he wanted to know all and do all. He knew so much at such a young age and we were so impressed by him (still are). We were starting to pick up on some unique quirks of his, but were assured it was developmentally normal. We continued to keep a mental note of things that concerned us and just went on with our lives. We were able to get out of the city for a weekend to my aunt and uncle’s place and that was a really nice reprieve after a couple months of isolation. In May it really started to heat up and we were able to be a part of a couple drive-by birthday parades, such a covid unique thing, but fun nonetheless. Another exciting change was Nic found a different job, much closer, not that he ever actually went into the office - (HA). The other job just was not a good fit and he was very excited about this change. 

In June we celebrated Mr Blue’s 2nd birthday and did all of his favorite things. We had Culver’s, went to the aquarium, and Build-A-Bear for him to make a bear. We also had a small party with our cousins that are in town and video chatted with our parents so they could be a part of it as well. As it really got into the heat of summer, I’ll be honest, I was really struggling in multiple ways. Being largely pregnant our first summer in Arizona, being stuck inside a small apartment that did not cool well, having limited places to go with a stir crazy now 2 year old, and having very minimal face to face interactions with others. The aquarium was our saving grace, we had a family membership and went weekly, we absolutely loved it there. It was indoors, air conditioned, we could spend as much time as we wanted there, and because of COVID it was never busy. As summer wore on the heat was really getting to both Nic and I, it was more than either of us anticipated. But come to find out, it was the hottest summer on record for at least a decade. Broke multiple records of most consecutive days over 100 and how early it started to get hot and how long it stayed above 90s. Not really our brightest idea having me be pregnant our very first summer there, but Mr. Blue and I went to the pool every morning to get outside for a bit before the highest heat of the day and to burn some energy for him and take some weight off my back for me. We didn’t really go to cool off, because by this point the pool temperature was glorified bath water - but it still felt good all the same. I also had to get creative and put a baby pool on our balcony and filled it using a tote and carried it from the bathroom. It kept Mr. Blue entertained, cool and I had a cool place to put my feet in, plus it kept us out of the apartment for a bit so Nic could actually get some focused work done. A win on all accounts really.  

As most people experienced, I was going to all OB appointments alone and it just made me sad for what we had hoped to be able to experience with this pregnancy. But, I was still at least enjoying this pregnancy and not letting fear take over - I was just taking it all in and basking in it as much as possible. God truly healed a part of my heart in this aspect so I could just enjoy being pregnant and find joy in all the little things again.  However, I was very anxious about when it came time for labor and delivery. The hospitals were changing policies constantly that I had no idea what it was going to be like when the time came. I know it’s a largely debated topic, but I hated the masks and despised wearing them. Being hot and largely pregnant with minimal lung space as it was, it just felt like I was suffocating. But how could I complain about it when it was literally life and death for others, just such a weird time. As it came to be I did have to wear the mask while pushing but no other time while there, which I will share more on later when I give Mr. Orange’s birth story. Even through all the uncertainty and unprecedented (I had to throw this word in here at least once, since it was at the top of pretty much everyone’s vocabulary at the time - HA) events, there were a lot of beautiful moments we experienced as a family. We were forced to slow down and just be, take stock of the things that were truly important to us and make those priorities, and find joy in something each and every day. 

As summer was coming to an end, unfortunately the heat wasn’t, our due date was coming up quick and we were more than ready! God’s timing can seem so funny and so odd, but we will never see the full picture, only God can. For now all we can do is trust in his path for us. This path felt more like a roller coaster, in such a different way than our previous years paths, and I’ll be honest and say at times it was hard to trust because we just felt there was so much more bad than good. While I will still shudder when I think back to COVID times, there is also a lot I can look back on and smile about - and I know for a fact there are a lot of things we probably wouldn’t have done/experienced/figured out, had we not had this amount of forced togetherness. And for the masses, we will probably always have a PC life (pre-COVID) and an AC, because it changed a lot of things - some good, some not good at all. But as things continued to open up more and life started going forward to the new normal, we finally got to meet our newest blessing. To be continued..

XOXO, mischief managing momma

Oldest (1)- Mr. Blue

Middle (2) - Mr. Orange

Youngest (3) - Mr. Green