Social Distancing...

I copied this from a post on Facebook, just so I'd have it in the blog somewhere.  Crazy times! 

Today is Tuesday, April 28, 2020.

- In Virginia, we are on day 42 of social isolation/quarantine. In the US alone, there are just under 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases with 55,000+ deaths as of this morning.

- Schools have been closed here since March 17th and we are teaching remotely, “Distance Learning.” Schools will not reopen for the 2019-2020 school year.

- Only “essential” retail stores are open such as grocery stores, hardware stores, and pharmacies. Amazon delivery windows average 3 - 4 weeks on certain items, when they used to be max, 2 days. No gyms are open, and it’s almost impossible to find weights, exercise equipment, bikes, etc.

- All extra curricular/volunteer/business meeting and other gatherings are now on virtual meeting platforms i.e.(Google Meet, Zoom, House Party, Go to Meeting, Whatsap, Webex, Google Duo) the list goes on. Hang in there, life will continue and eventually, all together, we will get to a new normal!

- There are lines / tape inside the stores on the floors to keep people 6 feet apart.

- Bars and restaurants are open only for takeout, home delivery & drive through.

- Playgrounds and sports fields are closed. Most beaches, parks and cemeteries are closed to the public. No visitors are allowed in hospitals.

- All major and minor league sports competitions have been canceled as well as kids' sports. The NFL draft was done virtually this week. It was special.

- American Idol was done virtually this week.

- All festivals and entertainment events have been banned.

- Weddings, family celebrations, and graduations have been canceled. Funerals limited to 10 people graveside.

- People are doing drive-by parades to celebrate birthdays.

- Young kids can’t understand why they can only see grandparents & other extended family and friends on a screen or thru a window if someone visits in person or on Facetime online.

- Visitors are prohibited at nursing homes and assisted living residences. But Hot Spots are popping up all over in these places.

- Hugs and kisses are not exchanged.

- Places of worship are closed or online.

- We have to stay away from each other more than six feet.

- Shortage of disposable masks and gloves in hospitals.

- People are wearing masks, some places REQUIRE that you wear them to enter! People are even sewing their own cloth masks for sale or donation to medical facilities. Illinois announced that as of May 1st, face coverings are required in public over the age of 2 where social distancing cannot be maintained.

- Toilet paper, hand sanitizer, bleach, antibacterial wipes, and anything Lysol or Clorox is in short supply and limited per person.... IF you can even find them! (This goes the same for flour and yeast).

- Stores are closing early to disinfect everything. (24 hour stores are even closing by 8 or 9pm)

- Store check outs, pharmacies, and even fast food drive thru windows have added plexiglass between the employee and the customer. Have to reach around or under to pay!

- You can't find isopropyl alcohol easily. .. the supply per person is limited.

- Australia, USA, Canada, and Europe have closed their borders.

- Western Australia has been divided into 9 territories & an instant $1,500 fine issued for crossing the border without a valid reason. (Transport workers, Essential services etc)

- No one is traveling for leisure. Airports empty. Tourism has the worst crisis in history.

- Wi-Fi and cell phone providers have extended their limits to provide connection to the Internet for people to continue to work from home and for students to learn from their teachers.

- Many public pool access, concerts, and summer activities will not be allowed/take place.

- We don't know if baseball seasons will start, hockey season will continue/end, or any summer camps, etc. will run. Lots of teen/college summer jobs are up in the air.

- Colleges have not made definite decisions about whether to take their classes online, in person, or open at all for the fall.

- K-12 has ended their in-person school year and plans to open for the fall have so many unknowns, social distancing, new guidelines for keeping everyone safe. How will it be scheduled? Can sports and activities continue as they have?

- Society appears to be divided about whether or not we should continue to isolate or open back up and get the economy going. It's an election year and politics are messy and complicating this issue.

Why do I post this?

Next year & then every year after, this status will appear in my Facebook memories feed. And it will be an annual reminder that life is precious & that nothing should be taken for granted. We are where we are with what we have. Let's be grateful.

Brushing My Hair

We've spent a lot of time outside on the new rug on the deck.  Marley LOVES it since his favorite thing to do is sunbathe.  I'm enjoying how warm the rug gets in the sun on the chilly days.  If you lay down on it you're out of the wind and it warms you right up. I've gotten to read some of my book during Finley's naps which is a nice and much need break during the day.  I'm going to try to do better about making sure that I get some time to myself each day that does not include checking things off the to do list.

Taking a shower while Jeff is at work takes a lot of work.  I have to bring Finley into the bathroom, make sure everything is closed up and give her plenty of toys to play with.  She likes to bang on the glass door and then scream at me when she has had enough.  Some days it goes smoothly and others I am ready to pull my hair out after two minutes in the shower.  

I find myself giving Finn things to play with that are new to keep her occupied. The other day I gave her my brush while I was drying my hair and she immediately picked it up and started brushing her own hair.  It is amazing how fast she picks up on things! 

Where are the birds???  Up there!

The dinosaur plate for meals worked for two meals before she figured out how to pull it up and throw all of the food on the floor. Sooooo, we are back to just putting pieces of everything on her tray for now! 

Finn's last birthday present FINALLY arrived.  As much as she loves to bounce and climb on the mattress, I thought this would be perfect for her.  She wasted no time figuring out how to climb up and down.  We still have to pull her little feet to get her to slide down, but she loves that too!

I've been trying to bake things from a baby cookbook that I got in hopes that Finley would find something else that she likes to eat.  I made some blueberry almond flour mini muffins which were quite yummy.  She of course only a couple little pieces.  I froze some to try again in a couple of weeks!

 Why is Finley only in a diaper you ask?  Because she hates having her diaper changed or clothes changed.  If she isn't fussing and thrashing about, she is flipping over on her belly and "playing dead" so that I can not get her changed.  She has turned this flip into a game and thinks that it is hilarious. I have to admit that it is quite funny expect when I am in a hurry.

 Step two of baby proofing means clearing off all the end tables as well.... We had a incident this week when Finn pulled off a glass jar of seashells onto the floor.  Luckily we grabbed her quickly before she could step in the glass.  Even if you think she can't reach something, the joke is on you. :)

We've been practicing putting our sandwich together and pulling the pieces apart again.

Still not a fan of cottage cheese or eggs...

12 Month Doctor's Appt

This is what a typical morning looks like in our house!  Books and toys errrrrywhere!

Finley's musical toy finally came in the mail.  It was one of the first things that I ordered for her birthday and one of the last to arrive.  She loves banging on the xylophone and tapping the balls through the holes on top!

Even with all of the virus stuff going around, Finley was able to keep her 12 month check up.  We had to wait in the car until they called us and then we were escorted straight to a room.  Everyone had on a mask and everything was completely wiped down after each patient.  This also made the appointment last two hours!  We were thankful for the precautions but a baby that can't get down and crawl is hard to contain for that length of time!  

We measured Finley for the birthday poster I made her and got 28 inches which was exactly what her length measured in January.  I thought maybe we were doing something wrong, but that was the same measure we got at the doctor's office.  Dr. Hostetter was not concerned though.  She guessed that someone was off in the January measurement.  She has also lost weight (19 lbs), she hasn't quite recovered the weight she lost when she was sick, but this was not concerning either.   Dr. H said she looked great and healthy!

Our only real issue is constipation at this point.  She can go up to a week without going, so Dr. H suggested starting miralax and staying on that for 3 months to make sure she gets regulated.  Of course we can not get her to take it at all because all she wants is to nurse.  We offer her water at every meal but she only drinks an ounce or less.  We tried the Miralax with water, juice, breastmilk and it was all a no go.  Soooo, now we are on to milk of magnesia every day (1/2 tsp).  So far it has been working well for her.  We are going to continue offering 3 meals and 3 snacks a day even though she isn't a big eater yet! 

Finley didn't have much a reaction to the shots and was a happy baby the rest of the day.  She LOVES reading Grandma Wishes each night before bed.  A.million.times. 

Playtime and Cooking

We could really use a gate to keep Finn out of the kitchen when it is time to feed the dogs!  She loves trying to feed them food or take their bowls and dump them while they are eating.  It is a good thing that they are patient for the most part. 

We fixed a yummy breakfast of eggs and deer sausage plus my homemade buttermilk pancakes....soooo delicious!

Finley's favorite foods still include yogurt.  You'd think that the pancakes would be a hit, but she wasn't very interested.

Going outside is still on the agenda many times a day! 

We tried to get some pictures of Finley with one of her birthday balloons since we couldn't get one done on her actual birthday.  Of course the wind was terrible and it was a pain to try to get a good one.  Oh well, such is life!  I hope to add a balloon to the picture each year for her birthday.

The deck in the evenings has been sooooo nice! 

Suddenly, everything has to go up and behind her head while eating.  This time it was the cup, most of the time it is food all in the hair! haha