It Caught Us

The audience information that was emailed to us with our Broadway tickets said that masks were optional but encouraged. I chose to wear one. I'm really thankful I did. Remember I said that Shari, Bryan's mom, stayed home from the show on Wednesday because she wasn't feeling well? On Thursday morning her throat hurt so much she thought she had strep throat. Ron, Bryan's dad, took her to urgent care to check and within a short time we had an answer: COVID.

As soon as Bryan shared that news with me I walked upstairs and took a test since I had started coughing the evening before. Guess who else got a positive result?

Bryan and Topher both took tests as well since we'd all been sleeping in the same room. They were both negative. Bryan's dad also had a negative result, but he had symptoms so he decided to isolate anyway. Both Ron and Shari kept to Topher's room, which we had converted to a guest room. I stayed in my room. That left Bryan sleeping on the couch and running the house.

Looking at the timeline, there's no way that Shari got me sick, it was just a crazy coincidence that she and I got it at the same time from different places. We were glad that they were staying with us while they recuperated instead of being stuck in a hotel.

I was congested, but not horribly so. I probably wouldn't have thought to take a test if Shari hadn't tested positive, mostly because I've tested negative so many times with worse symptoms. I did have that cough though. I kept telling myself it wasn't that bad until I realized all the muscles on the left side of my core hurt whenever I moved. It was from coughing so hard. My other two main symptoms were exhaustion and dizziness. I would lie in bed while it felt like the room was spinning around me. And I was so tired that just sitting up in bed took more energy than I had. I kept thinking, "Has my head always been this heavy?"

I called my doctor the day I took the test, but I didn't hear anything back until Friday. She called back and we had a phone visit. She said that because I have asthma I qualified for a prescription of Paxlovid. Both Bryan's parents had gotten it from urgent care and said that it was helping. I said yes and Bryan picked up the medicine that evening. I had to take all three of these pills twice a day for five days. I do think they helped, though they gave me a really horrible taste in my mouth the whole time I was taking them. That's actually how I remembered to take them, the awful taste would go away and I would know it was time for another dose.

On Saturday morning I woke up to Bryan coming out of our bathroom, a new test in his hand. He had just tested positive as well. That meant that all of the adults were now in isolation and the kids were in charge. We did have to make quick trips downstairs for food and my one request was that they not "go all Lord of the Flies." Topher went a little nuts from too much TV and not enough grownup intervention, but they all survived. The bright side? Bryan and I got to ring in the New Year together.

Ron and Shari came out of isolation on Sunday, which meant they were able to watch church with the kids while Bryan and I watched upstairs in our room. They also did a lot to help restore order to the chaos that was creeping in downstairs. My last day of isolation was Sunday. I still need to wear a mask if I'm around other people (so anytime I'm outside my room) until Friday. Bryan's parents were well enough that they flew home on Monday afternoon, a necessary change from their original itinerary that would have had them leave last Friday morning. Today will be Bryan's first day out of isolation.

I tried to get right back into the business of my regular responsibilities on Monday, but my body was not on board. I drove Ron and Shari to the airport, a thirty-five minute roundtrip and had to take a nap when I got home because I was so worn out. I wanted to put away the Christmas decorations (they're usually all put back in the basement in time for us  to ring in the new year), but it took me three days to pack it up. The tree is up, now only dressed in lights. I'm still really tired, but I do feel like I'm improving. Bryan has had a worse case than I had. I don't think I ran a fever at all, Bryan has been running them on and off for days. Yesterday he finally started to perk up, though he's also completely exhausted. His doctor gave him a note that said he couldn't work until today. I don't think Bryan would have had the energy to sit up at his computer long enough to do his job.

All the kids have taken tests throughout the week. So far, they've all been negative.

Ready for Sunday

This is my only Sunday view picture from yesterday. I took it after we got home from attending church in person! We spent lots of time on Saturday making sure we all had clothes and shoes that fit and were clean and ready. At least, I thought we had. It wasn't until we were putting those shoes on just before walking out the door on Sunday morning that we discovered neither Phoebe nor Sophie had shoes that fit and were appropriate for the chilly day. I fixed the problem by handing Phoebe's shoes to Sophie and giving Phoebe a new pair I had just gotten for myself. They were a little snug, but they were tolerable. Thankfully, I had a backup pair.

As we walked into the church building the missionaries assigned to our ward were eager to learn our names since they thought we were new. We got a few hugs from members of the ward and at least one person squealed when she saw us. I was trying not to draw attention, so it was both sweet and awkward. The fellow conducting the meeting announced that they were welcoming some old friends that they hadn't seen in person in a while. And then we worked on being reverent and not drawing attention. The most exciting thing that happened during the meeting was when Topher casually tossed his hymnbook into the empty pew in front of us. He also discovered the bathroom and the drinking fountain. Apparently he needed a drink four separate times during the twenty minute singing time. I'll make sure to let his teacher know that he's not really that dehydrated for future Sundays.

It was good to hear and see the talks and lessons in person instead of from our computer screens.

Hug It Out

A good friend brought us a gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free chocolate cake to us today to celebrate Topher being fully vaccinated.

I thanked her with a hug.

It was great.

'Twas the Night Before People

Today a friend sent me a text that said, in part, "Day of Freedom Eve is here!" The day we've been counting down to for two and a half years is tomorrow. Topher will finally be fully vaccinated and we will rejoin society.

And I'm not sure how I feel.

We've all missed:

• people
• especially family
• in-person church that doesn't lag or skip
• visiting the Temple
• participating in extracurricular activities
• handshakes and hugs with people that don't live in our house
• staying at parks, even when other people show up
• libraries
• museums
• adventures
• traveling
• going inside other people's homes
• inviting other people into our home
• fully serving in our church callings
• many other things that have happened over the last two and a half years that we've had to skip

All of that was hard. But now that it's time to go back, I'm anxious. Will we remember how to interact with other people? Will we remember how to carry on conversations with people that don't know our particular shorthand? How long will it take for someone to bring COVID home? Are we prepared for that? Am I ready to be crazy busy again? Am I ready for the influence of the kids' friends to suddenly be much louder and stronger? Have we done enough to prepare Topher for how to behave in church? Will I suddenly be called to serve in the Primary as his shadow to help him be calm and reverent?

There are so many more concerns floating through my brain. At the same time, I'm giddy to be back in person. Our reentry celebration tomorrow consists of Peter and Cooper attending seminary in person, me taking Topher and anyone else who is caught up on school to a park that is never totally empty so we haven't been since the pandemic hit, and taking the three older kids to YW/YM tomorrow night inside the church building. On Thursday I might even take the kids to the library.

That would be wild.

Fourth Verse Same as the First, a Little Bit Louder and a Little Bit Worse

The three older kids and I all got the Omicron booster today, the fourth shot for each of us. Unlike most of the previous COVID shot experiences, I didn't take pictures this time. My arm is pretty sore and I'm really tired. The tiredness might have more to do with waking up at six o'clock the last two mornings than the vaccine, though. The plan is to have Peter and Cooper attend seminary in person starting next Wednesday, so we're trying to reset our internal clocks by waking up when we'll need to in order to get them to the church on time. (Song cue!)

My internal clock was very happy where it was, thank you.

We'll see if the booster symptoms get any worse or if I can sleep them off tonight. Peter talked about a sore arm as well. Cooper and Phoebe haven't complained yet about how they're feeling, so hopefully that's a good sign.

Third Time's the Charm

This boy got his third COVID shot this morning.

And there was much rejoicing.

School Daze

Tonight as I was tucking her in, Sophie sighed and said, "I can't wait for school to start. Most kids want summer to keep going, but I'm like yay learning!"

School starts in three weeks. Sophie may be ready, but I'm not. I don't think I'm ever really ready to start a new school year, even though I do love new school supplies and the excitement of new classes. I just love the freedom of summer. And I love the extra time we have to spend as a family. The last two years have been easier in that regard for me since the kids were doing school from home. They had so much more flexibility in how they spent their time and we definitely had more opportunities to do things all together. There were aspects of it that were significantly harder on me as the school facilitator having them all home, but the time together has been worth the exhaustion. (If you had asked me about this in the middle of the schoolyear I probably would have felt differently, but I'm viewing it through the rose colored glasses of summer break.)

Even though we have three weeks until the first day of school, we still don't have a proper plan. Topher's vaccine will be fully effective about three weeks into the school year. A major topic of discussion at our house this summer has been about what we'll do for school. Do we stay virtual? Do we send the kids back at the beginning of the year with masks firmly in place? They don't want to take those masks off for lunch, so do they just skip that meal for those first three weeks? Or do we start virtual and then switch to in-person a few weeks into the year?

Yes, I realize that at three weeks out we should have a plan, I really wish we did. But we're still figuring it out. Well, Phoebe's not, she has a plan. She applied to and was accepted into the advanced program at the virtual school, so she'll be hanging out with me and Topher for another year. The other three want to be in-person at some point this school year, we just don't know when.

I asked Sophie about it during bedtime. She wants to start virtually, then move to in-person because she's always thought it would be cool to be the new kid who comes into school part way through the year. 

Well, I think we can arrange that.

Better

Today was a very good day.

Topher got his first dose of the COVID vaccine today. My eyes got all watery and my voice caught when he got it. When we got back to the van I asked Topher how he felt. He let out a big sigh and said, "Better."

Once I was strapped into my own seat in the van my tears flowed a little more freely. We've been waiting for this day for more than two years. I'm so thankful it's finally here.

From a Distance

My sister Paige and her daughter Emma drove out from Ohio to spend Thanksgiving with our brother Jordan and his family in Maryland. Because we're still isolating, we weren't able to go down to visit. Paige knew we'd been saving some clothes for Emma, so she made the drive up from our brother's house on Sunday to get the bag, knowing full well that we would need to stay outside and keep our distance.

I still managed to get some pictures of us together.

One of the Blessings of Science

Both girls got their first COVID vaccine shots on Monday! Phoebe was excited, Sophie was nervous, they were both thankful that it happened. They feel like they've been waiting a long time for this.

A Breath of Fresh Air

This is what it looks like when you want to do your PE class outside, but it's windy and 53 degrees. Thankfully, the class wasn't too long.

I'm thankful that the kids can attend cyber school again this year and for the flexibility that provides.

Public Service Announcement: The Blog Is Safe

So here's something weird. I opened my blog tonight to respond to a comment and discovered it was blocked by the following message:

Maybe you saw this message as well. Baffled, I started doing some research. I've checked the security information on Google/Blogger and there are no security issues with my blog. The above warning can appear for two reasons: 1. if a Google scan detects it has been hacked, that it contains malware, or social engineering techniques; or 2. if someone reports the site for any of the above. 

I reported that my blog had been falsely flagged and finally found the tiny link that let me access my family record. Phoebe and Bryan also reported the false claim. It appears to have been returned to normal accessibility, except that as I started writing this it still had a small notice warning readers that my blog could be dangerous. These types of incidents can shut down a site permanently, which would erase a family record that I've kept since Cooper was two-months-old. That would be a devastating loss.

This has never happened in thirteen years of keeping this family history. It seems oddly coincidental that this appeared the day after I posted about Peter and Cooper getting vaccinated.

I hope this was an anomaly, that an automated Google scan flagged my blog for some reason. I really hope that my blog wasn't reported for being deceptive. There is a shocking amount of misinformation in the world about vaccines. I truly hope that I don't have to battle that misinformation here on my blog.

Just in case the blog was reported by a reader, let me give some insight into our choice to have them vaccinated (and our other children vaccinated when it becomes available to them). I shared this with a friend yesterday in a text and it seems an appropriate way to explain, so I'm quoting myself here:

They both got their first dose today. As soon as I saw appointments available for them, I signed them up. I'm in that part of the population that can't be immunized for something because of a reaction I had as a small child, so I understand your wariness. But I also know that I depend on herd immunity and every time I hear about a whooping cough outbreak, my anxiety increases because I know that I'm not protected against it. Since I know that stress, I decided it was important to get us all vaccinated to help those that can't be. And I read through the data from the advisory board's meeting yesterday. The vaccine was 100% effective in the trial group for this age range. That's amazing! Anyway, I'm not trying to sway you, just explain some of my thought process when deciding to get them vaccinated right away. Also, they haven't seen any friends in person in a very long time, and I'd like to give them that opportunity.

We understand that the youngest member of our family is at risk. There is a false belief that children can't get serious cases or die of COVID. I chatted with an old friend recently and learned that her mom, who is a nurse, watched a six-year-old die of COVID. That reinforced in my mind that we've made the right choice. We have done everything in our power to keep our family safe, and we will continue to do so. But, my goodness, it has been mind-bendingly hard. The vaccine is truly miraculous, an absolute gift from God, and we will count it as one of our blessings.

This blog has been a blessing to our family as well. We hope that we can continue to have access to it and use it to record our family history.

Vaccination Day, Teenager Edition!

After I got home from my vaccine appointment yesterday, I saw that the CDC was on the verge of approving the vaccine for 12-15 year-olds. In fact, one of our local hospitals had received extra doses in anticipation of the announcement. A friend shared a link to that hospital's vaccine appointment page, so I decided to see if I could get appointments for the two people at our house in this new age bracket. I figured if the approval didn't come, I could cancel the appointments.

Well, it came, and Peter and Cooper both got their first dose of the vaccine today.

Their arms are sore, and Cooper said he felt tired soon after, but that passed quickly. Cooper was so pleased with the sticker he got that he announced he was going to laminate it and make it into a pin that he could wear all the time.

Phoebe wished she was eligible for her first dose as well. She's still got to wait for a bit, but her chance is coming soon.

Vaccination Day, Part 2!

I received my second dose of the Pfizer vaccine today. I went to the same location where I got the first dose, at the same time of day. For the first shot there was no wait and there were only a few people there. This time there was a massive crowd of people and a thirty-minute wait. There was a traffic jam just to get into the parking lot and then a very long line once we were inside the building.

But I got through the line and got the shot, and that's the most important thing.

A wise friend counseled that I should drink lots of water and keep moving my arm to help prevent soreness. I've been doing both of those things and I feel okay so far. My arm is a little sore, but it's barely noticeable. We'll see how I feel tomorrow.

My Own Barbershop

I cut my hair for the third time since the pandemic started. These continue to be the best haircuts I've had. That's not meant to be a boastful statement, simply an illustration of my surprise that it's working so well.

Vaccination Day!

My left arm is pretty sore. It's not painful, but I am trying to avoid lifting my arm unless necessary. I'm sleepy, but not really any more tired than my usual fatigue. My brain feels a little fuzzy, but I've still been functional. Why am I feeling a little off?

Today I received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

I made the appointment a week and a half ago. It was the first opportunity I had to sign-up for a slot. As the day came closer and closer I felt a mixture of excited anticipation and nervous anxiety. 

My vaccine location was at an event center connected to a mall. That means I was inside a mall today. I haven't been inside a mall in over a year. I haven't been inside any store in over a year. One of the oddest things about today was that there were other people there. I haven't been around people other than my family for so long it felt bizarre.

I feel extremely thankful that I got the first dose today. 

In Hot Water

Yesterday's big adventure began when Phoebe turned from her desk in the basement to the adjacent exercise area to attend her PE class. That's when she saw water on the basement floor. The water happened to be surrounding the water heater. She alerted Bryan and he reached out to the landlord. 

I learned about it when I finished putting Topher down for a nap. The repair technician would arrive between 3 and 5, except that they finished a previous call early and we had about fifteen minutes notice to grab lunches and laptops and school supplies and head to the top floor, away from people not inside our bubble.

Guess who got a new water heater today?

I was surprised that they took care of it right away. A second technician was called to help and, all things considered, the job was done relatively quickly. The kids and I hung out upstairs for about five hours while Bryan continued to work in the basement and supervise. And good news, unlike the AC repairman in the summer, these guys kept their masks on the whole time. When they left, busted water heater in tow, Bryan sanitized and we emerged from our seclusion.

Hot water is a luxury I'm quite thankful for.

Like a Bear

I've joked for years that I would love to hibernate through January because the cold is so painful. I would definitely not call what I'm doing right now hibernating since that generally involves sleeping. However, I do get to spend January inside my house, only going outside if I choose to and not because I have to.

Today marks ten months since we started our at-home-all-the-time adventure, and it doesn't appear to be ending any time soon. But that's okay, because staying inside gets me through this cold month a little easier than usual.

And that, my friends, is a silver lining.

Goal Check

To close out 2020 I decided to look back at the goals I had set for this year to see how I did. 

My goals for 2020:

• Publish a blog post every weekday
• I met this goal. Many of those posts were picture heavy, but with so many cute subjects, that can't really be helped.
• Read at least 52 books
• I intentionally read fewer books than last year, but at the end of November I realized I had read 89 books. And being so close to 100 books was too hard to ignore, so I pushed and read 100 books. I'm actually only 25 minutes away from the end of book 101, but with 26 minutes left in the year, I'm going to prioritize writing this post over finishing my book. I guess it'll be my first book done in 2021.
• Deepen my scripture study and preparation to teach the Come, Follow Me lessons at home and at church
• I really did deepen my study, but it's because in March I became the head teacher for church at home. I'm not sure what this goal would have looked like if I was preparing to teach people other than my children.
• Exercise at least three times per week
• This did not happen. I wish it had, but given the nature of this year, some things had to go. I did exercise a decent amount during the summer, but once school started the workout time dried up.
• Sleep more than I did in 2019 (In theory this one should be easy since I didn't sleep much last year, but sleep is never easy at our house.)
• Hahahahahaha! Nope. 
• Practice the piano at least three times per week
• I aced this one all the way up until quarantine started, then it flipped and became a total fail. But, as with exercise, some things had to go this year. I want to find a way to add this back in, I haven't figured out how yet though.

My big goal for 2021? Keep everyone at my house alive and basically sane. 

So Many Things

"Gee Margot, I notice most of your posts recently are pictures with only a few words, everything okay over there?"

Well, funny you should ask. It's 9:17 at night and three children are talking to me at once about three different topics and my mind is overwhelmed. It is definitely past bedtime for two of them, yet they're still up doing schoolwork because they got distracted by fun things like YouTube and Google Hangouts. I am partly to blame since we all went outside for thirty minutes today, but I don't think I get full credit for people not being done with their stuff. And I've discovered I need the recovery time that the quiet after bedtime provides.

Not all days are like this one, but several recently have been. And my brain is pretty much fried by this point, so even if I could have a few minutes of quiet to write, I'm pretty sure I'd just stare at the screen anyway.

I realize that you love the pictures, so it's not a big deal, but there are SO MANY THINGS I'm not writing about, and that makes both the writer and the historian in me sad.

Well, that's about all the words my brain can eke out tonight.