Now that I feel like the hustle and bustle of the holidays are behind, I finally have a few minutes to update the blog. Near the beginning of November, I tested positive for Covid-19. I felt fine initially, except for a persistent headache. I got tested because lasting headaches are unusual for me, though I was still fairly surprised when my test came back positive. We are fortunate to have access to rapid testing through Sean's employer, so the testing was actually a pretty easy process. As soon as I got the positive result, I knew I needed to quarantine myself and entire family. It was a sobering thought, but I knew it was important for the safety of others.
Though my symptoms did increase over time, thankfully, my case was fairly mild. I felt the chest heaviness I had heard described, and did feel a bit tired, but overall, it really wasn't too bad for me. I did lose my sense of taste and smell a few days after I tested positive, and for me, that was the worst symptom. Eating was almost nauseating. It was frustrating. It definitely made me appreciate more those senses that are so easily taken for granted.
I followed CDC guidelines and quarantined for 10 days and the kids and Sean quarantined also. The kids stayed home from school for one day shy of two weeks. Online school was a bit challenging, and definitely not my favorite part of the ordeal, but I am grateful my kids had the option.
I have to say, despite the challenges having Covid presented, overall, it ended up being such a positive experience for our family. I never heard complaining from any of our kids. No one complained about being bored or missing school or friends (though I know they did). Somehow our kids just get along better when they know they only have each other. Toys were played with that rarely get touched, lots of games were played together, and movies watched, closets cleaned out, and new recipes tried (though my lack of taste and smell made it so I couldn't taste them). Though not perfect, and I don't want to portray it as such, our home became a haven for us and it was nice to be out of the noise again for awhile and feel peace. The world at that particular time was VERY noisy (screaming) with politics and social/societal issues and was starting to wear me very thin. I cherished being set apart from all of it for that time and just having uninterrupted time together with our family.
I'm grateful for the many friends and family who checked on us, letting us know we weren't forgotten, and serving us in various ways. I'm grateful my kids were able to witness these examples of kindness. I'm also grateful for our healthy bodies. I was the only one who got sick somehow. As I am typing this, Jackson came up to me and read what I was writing about and said something along the lines of how he thought it was a good thing I got Covid because of the time it gave us to slow down.
A few pictures from our quarantine:
Building a huge GeoTrax course!
Extra time to sew a pair of Christmas pj bottoms for each of the kids
Nightly sleepovers with siblings
Trying out a new homemade donut recipe
A trip to Little Sahara to get out of the house and playing on the giant sand dunes.
There are now two approved Covid-19 vaccines in the United States that are starting to be administered. I pray this pandemic will end soon and am grateful our family has fared so well throughout, because I know there are so many who cannot say the same. I'll feel relief when my parents and in-laws get the vaccine and I can rest easier knowing they aren't at risk from this any longer. I'm grateful for the growth I have experienced with the challenges that have come with the pandemic so far, but I will also be grateful when we can move forward. Hopefully some of these lessons I've learned over the past year or so will stick with me.
