Yesterday, I stole a few minutes to write in Isai’s baby book. The difference, this month, is that we’re under Coronavirus quarantine on the farm. “Safe in place” orders are keeping people in their homes while the world scrambles to react to the Coronavirus pandemic.
I can’t describe how strange it feels to try to document this time in our lives. Every paragraph reads like something out of a Sci-fi novel.
I do, though, feel an obligation to make sure I can emphasize the tremendous impact of this weird phase in the scope of my son’s life. I want to be able to tell him this story. I want to remember this clearly so we can talk about it later. His education, career path, healthcare, travel – every single thing will look dramatically different from what we’ve known. He won’t remember this – but he will be affect by it forever. That concept is truly incredible to consider.
For the past 20 days, we’ve been on the farm – mostly. We have stretched the rules for a few things:
- Isai’s daycare. I’m working from home and Aaron is attempting to work on farm projects. With our very divided focus, some help keeping tabs on the baby has been very appreciated. He has continued to stay with Aaron’s mom, my mom and my cousin Kristin through the week. There have, though, been a few days where he has stayed home with us to ensure we’re not exposing him to anything questionable if someone has a cough or cold.
- Isai’s 6-month doctor’s appointment. We drove into the city for the little guy’s 6-month checkup and vaccinations. The experience was surreal. We were greeted at the front door to have our temperatures taken, put on masks and use anti-bacterial gel. Then, we were sent to a private room to wait for the doctor. The appointment was quick but cumbersome. It was so strange to have a conversation with everyone in masks. Without the ability to see facial expressions, everything felt so odd. We repeated the process on exit – wiping down with a handful of gel and keeping the masks until we were safe in our car. With the mask shortage – I actually saved my mask in a pocket of Isai’s diaper bag just in case. What an odd thing to think of doing, right? But I’m glad I have it there as an option if needed.
- Groceries. We’re not quite at a point where we can eat the food we are attempting to grow – so groceries from a store have still been a necessity. Early in the quarantine – before local and federal requirements became official – we stocked up fairly well. Aaron has made a couple of quick trips since to pick up minor items. We will, however, likely need to make a larger trip to restock the fridge and pantry sometime within the next week.
- Home improvement and farm stores. With Aaron’s focus on farm projects, we’ve needed some materials. He’s been able to move through local home improvement and farm stores without much risk. Most are fairly empty – allowing us to acquire chicken feed, lumber and more for all the new critters.
- Chinese take-out. I like to think we’re helping to keep one of our favorite restaurants in business during a time that is super tough for them. We order online and pick up outside. All rules obeyed!
- Pop-ins. We inadvertently broke every rule last weekend when our family popped by Saturday and Sunday to help with farm projects. To be honest, we appreciated the assistance and would never have finished as much as we did without them. Everyone was loving the sun and stopped in while joy riding on the dirt roads. We loved seeing them. It was nice to have human interaction. Risky? Probably. But man, it was impossible to say “no.”
Many people would be extremely frustrated by our exposure to other humans in these places. Even I am frustrated by the idea of us being out and about and at risk of contracting the virus. However, I do think we’re respectful of nearly all precautions and even in questionable scenarios, we’re taking care to ensure we’re as compliant as possible.
Everything is at home now. Meals, work, workouts. Aaron and I are cooking more than ever – which actually makes the idea of the garden even more exciting. I think I’ve even managed to lose a few pounds – whether due stress or better eating habits remains to be seen.
Isai and I have even been video calling my mom, grandma and grandpa. It’s amazing to see him start to react to other faces on the screen and I adore that he’s learning the practical application of technology for communication at a young age. We watch our cousin Holly read books to her first graders on YouTube – he loves those! Plus, I’ve ordered a couple of extra toys for sitting and playing. Our make-shift home in the basement is slowly being overrun by a handful of play options that we can cycle through to help keep our dude entertained.
My daily work is finally finding a rhythm. I still haven’t figured out how to incorporate more intentional cleaning, laundry, dishes and house projects through the workday. The juggle – especially when Isai is home – is tough. I continue to be grateful that we have so much opportunity for activity, though. We’re extremely fortunate to be able to burn some stir crazy energy when needed.
We’re slowly finding a groove but I expect it will continue to be stressful, scary and quite a learning experience for a bit longer.