What a year 2020 was for everyone.
For our family, we had just welcomed our beautiful daughter in December 2019, so we had a busy start to the year. Then at some point in January 2020, Charlie's HD started to play up, but we just mustered on as we always do.
Then the news about Covid-19 in China, hit the news. It seemed surreal that a virus was affecting people so badly, but I wasn't too worried, we were a long way away from China. Or so I thought, days passed and the news updated about European countries being hit by Covid-19 and things started to feel a bit more real. Then the UK and NI were reporting cases of Covid-19 in hospitals.
Our nights became about trying to shush the kids so we could properly hear updates from the numbers in NI with Covid, and to hear the NI executive updates about lockdowns, restrictions and mask wearing. Our language changed to include pandemic, isolation, social distancing, masks, PPE, sanitiser. We even had to educate Charlie on the bug going around to help him understand why he had to wash his hands so often and why we started wearing masks.
When we entered our first lockdown, I prayed that it would be 3weeks of isolating, everyone staying home and we'd be through the worst. I don't even know where the 3week idea came from now, but obviously that didn't happen. I was anxious and probably a bit hysterical at times in the beginning, convinced that I would get Covid and die and wouldn't see my babies grow up.
Davy continued to work, as he works in Agriculture and farmers still had to go on, so I was now at home with a toddler and new-born, not able to leave except for our one walk a day. I am so thankful we got the nice weather we did in NI, it definitely wasn't a normal Spring/Summer, but being able to go into the garden and out for our walks kept me half sane while Davy was out at work.
I know that I cleaned the house a million times more and more thoroughly than ever before. Bleach was my new best friend along with Dettol disinfectant spray. My poor hands unfortunately paid the price as my skin reacted to the constant washing, sanitiser and cleaning products, I developed contact dermatitis or eczema on my fingers.
Alongside my own underlying health concerns about catching Covid, I was very worried about Hannah being a new-born and also Charlie with his HD. Generally speaking a cold is enough to impact on Charlie's bowels, so I was paranoid that he could be severely impacted if he caught Covid.
We had daily facetime calls with my parents, Nanny & Granda, which helped to bring back perspective and make me feel more positive. I had a safe loving home, two healthy kids, I was off on maternity so not having to worry about working with kids in the house and Davy still had a stable job. I even realised that for Charlie he was getting to spend everyday in the house with his new sister, whereas before he was going to nursery 3 days a week.
We played a lot of games, did craft activities, watched countless kids programmes and got through each day, one day at a time. We even got to see my mum and dad in April/May as I had to go to A&E around due to Charlie poking me in the eye resulting in me not being able to open it the following morning. As Davy was still at work, my parents had to come to the rescue with mum looking after Charlie and Hannah, while Dad drove me to hospital.
It was my first time properly wearing a mask and seeing others wear them too, albeit a minority. Everything felt dirty, I was timid to sit down, touch anything and scared heartless to cough or clear my throat in-case anyone thought I had Covid. It was our first time seeing my parents in weeks, it was great, but awkward and tinged with a little bit of sadness, we couldn't hug. I was also worried by them helping me, what if we somehow passed it to them. The following day we were back to just us in the house.
Finally after 9 or 10 weeks we were allowed to meet in gardens, still social distancing, but I was delighted. We were down to my parents first thing the following day, Charlie was almost overwhelmed to see his Nanny & Granda. We went out every Thursday night and clapped for our fantastic NHS, which Charlie loved as it was the only time he got to see other people and shout across the street/fence to them.
My maternity leave slipped away, Hannah didn't get to any baby classes and the only other child Hannah was seeing now was Charlie. We spent our days planning trips to National Trust properties for long walks and picnics. By Mid July, nurseries started to open up again and we had to make the decision on whether to let Charlie return. Where we risking him by sending him back? We were still relatively undecided when Charlie started asking to go back to nursery to his friends, so we decided to let him go back and play it by year about when we might pull him out if there were any infections.
So far, we've been lucky, the nursery hasn't had any cases and they are being careful. I returned to work remotely, with a short stint of going into the office one day a week and Hannah started to nursery too. We've also been able to have my parents look after the kids as our childcare bubble, with Davys mum helping one day a week too. I've even moved roles and joined a new team in work, again remotely and working 100% at home.
Hannah has thrived, and it has been the quickest year watching our darling girl grow up in front of our eyes. Charlie has loved the time at home, but also thrived getting back to nursery, a bit more of normality for him seeing his friends and the "girls" from nursery who look after him. Charlie's HD remains uncertain with daily washouts, and although using a potty is second nature now to Charlie, the pooing in the potty seemed to slow to a stop shortly after it began.
2020 is a year that many of us will want to forget, and I hope that in 2021, at some point we will sit down again with family and chat and hug and introduce Hannah to aunts, uncles and cousins she's never met! I am also hopeful that as Charlie grows, his HD will progress in the right direction and for now, we just have to keep taking one day at a time.
Xx
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