Can the tooth fairy come if we all have Covid? Koby's about to lose a tooth. Guess we will find out.
Do I really need a tea bag if I can't taste the tea - like why? (been doing about 4-5 cups per bag)
Do you even wear deodorant when you can't smell and sit in a room by yourself all day?
Parenting with Covid:
Parenting has been really different in the last week. Matt was on for the four days I was totally out of it (when mommy had no vote, Koby got a haircut - from Matt, obviously - I do not agree with. I was definitely not parenting at all). Then I had a few hours of trying to parent when Matt was sick and I felt better for a minute. Then we found out I had Covid, assumed Matt did too, and we went upstairs and left the kids to be on their own. Monday afternoon and Tuesday all day, they did it.
Samara made breakfast and lunch. My mom facetimed someone through getting himself some sort of food. I don't even know who. They set a time to clean up. They were on their own to play in the am, then after clean up and lunch, they could do a screeny thing if they wanted to. There was a lot of basement football. There was a lot of football on tv. There was also a lot of youtube kids. Some Encanto here and there. They showered before dinner. Matt set up dinner and walked away. They went up at 7 to brush teeth and put themselves to bed. One night my in-laws read them a book on the phone while they were in bed. We said goodnight through the walls. It was really sad.
Super useful item: walkie talkies. Friends brought over a few, and we could parent by walkie talkie. "mom can I have a gogurt. over" "yes. over." "Kids, can someone please get the bag of stuff someone left at the door (out of the rain), and then lock the door? over." "we got it! but we don't know how to lock the door. over" "Mom, koby won't leave me alone. over." "Koby, please leave Samara alone. over." Super effective.
Then Tuesday night Elie got pretty sick, and we rapid tested him just to be sure (I was still feeling terrible, so to try to parent a sick kid at 2 am with a mask and distance when you're sick...it's not easy), and I brought him in with me. Bad cough and fever. We listened to two hours of podcasts. He finally fell asleep but it woke me up because his breathing was so loud. Wow to lie next to my child that I made super sick while he struggles to breathe...that sucked.
Wednesday morning we swapped. Before the sick were isolated and the well were out. By Wednesday morning Elie was super sick, Koby sleeps in a room with Elie and spends every second with him and also had coughed a few times. Samara was still fine. So we locked Samara in her room and the four of us went out into the house without masks. We cleaned out the kids' bathroom for Samara only. Window open in there w the fan. Window cracked in her room. Only outside with a mask, and when we are near her room we are wearing masks. We thought it would be impossible that she doesn't have it already, because she was with Matt on Saturday and Sunday and the boys on Mon and Tues, but she had no symptoms, so even though we secretly hope she has it and we can hop on a plane to Disney, I didn't feel comfortable until we had a positive test. Wednesday morning she tested negative on a rapid (which clearly means she doesn't have it, right? Just kidding).
Our parents keep telling us they want to help (which we super appreciate). They want to send dinner. We can order dinner. We cannot order socializing with our children and entertaining them. My dad has played chess with Elie. All four grandparents have taken Koby's (VERY LONG AND VERY DETAILED) step by step drawing lessons. My mom has literally watched movies with my kids. My brother played hours of settlers with Elie (and Luis, our AI friend) today. I don't have energy to talk to them, and I would cough if I did, so boy do I appreciate that they have someone to talk to and do something with.
This is Bubbie's drawing lesson (don't mind our mess on the table - we were packed for a 13 hour drive to MI, so everything is everywhere).
Random very important note found on the floor in the family room when I finally came downstairs.
I hadn't seen Samara in days. So we met outside the other day. She went for a walk with Matt today.
We took all the kids to PCR tests yesterday. Since I got sick first, I figured I was less contagious (I don't know if that's true, because Matt is essentially better, and I am still super sick). A friend dropped off an N95, so I drove separately to Revere (half hour) with Samara with the windows down and absolutely no talking. Before we were out of Newton I realized I couldn't make it without coughing, so I pulled over, got out, put a cough drop in my mouth and put my mask back on. I made it last the whole ride there. After the test I got out and put in a new one for the ride home. Matt took the boys.
We never allow food in the family room. We have now had popsicles on the couch, lunch on the floor. Whatever. Koby did a great job sweeping up when he created a crumb train. Thank god we finished the basement so the boys - or just Koby alone when Elie wasn't feeling well - could play football. It's a bit of chaos, but hey - I'm mostly upstairs so who really cares. One day we will clean it up.
On the health update:
Koby was up last night for a bit with a sore throat and cough, but he's almost totally fine. His test yesterday was inconclusive, so Matt brought him back today. There is no way he doesn't have it. But very mild.
Elie had one really bad day of 102, lethargy, stomach pain (?) and really bad cough and also sore throat. He is down to a sore throat here and there and an awful cough. He tested positive yesterday.
Samara remains asymptomatic and tested negative on a pcr yesterday (wtf - how???). She has PCRs scheduled for Monday morning and Tuesday morning. She is literally alone all day in her room. She did 18 (negotiated from 20) laps around the back yard today just to move her body and get some fresh air.
Matt had about 36 hours total where he wasn't real well, and he has a tiny bit of congestion left, but he's mostly back to normal.
I was feeling better - I haven't had a fever since Sunday night, and I just had a cough and generally was tired, until some nausea came. Two nights ago I thought I had nausea from being carsick from scrolling for PCR appointments for my kids. But then it came back last night/late afternoon, and I really didn't feel well. Today the whole day I felt (and feel now) super nauseous. I also feel so incredibly tired. And my cough is really terrible. I am starting to get mad and am very ready to feel better soon. Like tomorrow would be great, thanks. (miriam bat sarah if you want to throw in a prayer for me - I'll take anything)
And finally on the how did I get it front:
Doc I spoke with on Monday said I likely got it last Monday. Last Monday evening I had a cardio tennis class. I know I previously said I was the craziest of the crazies - and I totally was. This was the one thing I did that I thought was a little risky, but I didn't think it was THAT risky, because everyone was vaccinated, there were six people max in the class (last Mon there were four), and it's in a huge tennis bubble of four courts in an area where EVERYONE like (95% or something similar) is vaccinated. I was going to four classes. Cardio tennis is so so fun, and my cheeks are usually sore from smiling, because it's so incredibly fun and happy for me. I took classes outside until November when it moved inside, and Matt and I discussed, and he was ok with me doing this one risky thing. Last week I definitely thought twice as we were going to Michigan and omicron was in Boston, but it's so few people (and LORD people were going to PARTIES and doing indoor dinners, playdates, concerts, plays, etc., and they were not getting covid, so probably I won't get it from this ONE fricken thing I'm doing. I wore a mask. One other person in the class did last week. The other two and the instructor didn't. I was never within six feet of anyone for more than a couple of seconds. I didn't even take off my mask for a second, BUT it was admittedly a crappy athleta mask and not a good KN95, which I was wearing for everything else (quick grocery shopping, library runs). I did understand that I was taking a risk, but genuinely it felt fairly small. My instructor originally said he and I both got it from an instructor on the next court over. But when I got more info, I learned my instructor started to feel off on Tuesday, so he likely gave it to me on Monday night. I didn't even have a one-on-one conversation with him, and I also left early before stretching (to make it to Family Games Night on Zoom!), so it is still really insane that it happened.
And I'm mad that I didn't do anything, had a bunch of tension with family and friends (and plenty with Matt) about risks and I'M THE ONE WHO GOT IT and gave it to my entire family. And, most people are getting such mild cases, and I am still so sick. I literally spent two years of my life avoiding this exact situation - our family being sick, not being able to parent, plus I really was (and am) scared of Covid. It's scary. I really really didn't want it.
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