A COVID Blessing

It's been more than a year of COVID-19, which has created a bit of reflection for me. I've shared here about the challenges of COVID, which are exacerbated by our concern for Teddy's well being and very real fear of seizures. But today I want to focus on what has been the biggest blessing for us.

We've been fortunate to having amazing childcare providers through the years, and our newest is no exception. She's great with both the boys, and they look forward to spending time with her. But there's something different in our relationship with Bri and Sigrid, who were our primary caregivers through the pandemic. I truly cannot imagine them remaining a part of our lives, even once their careers take them outside of our home.

Perhaps we need a photo of all our kids together, where you can see all 4 of them!

This past year, we have jokingly referred to them as our other children. The truth is they have become part of our family. We've hashed through life's challenges with them at our dinner table. We've celebrated birthdays and holidays together. (My to-do list includes baking Bri's birthday cake, and I just invited Sigrid to the "party" for her. It's an added bonus that they both enjoy each other's company and commiserate about the challenges and fun they have with the boys.) We've taken both Bri and Sigrid to our land. It's a change of pace for them, the boys adore the extra time with them and it's another set of hands.

Both have spent the night at our house, with Bri spending several nights a week here because she stays with us Monday through Wednesday. I love that she refers to the bed in the LEGO room as "her bed" because it is for all practical purposes. It's convenient for her to stay with us, and she certainly has the freedom to do her own thing in the evening. But the reality is that it gives us some adult conversation, and there's an extra set of hands to chase Teddy during dinner. (His game is to see what he can touch before we catch him to make him wash his hands.) I've also found someone else to share my sourdough baking secrets with and the art of canning that I learned from my mom. Plus, AJ is way more engaged in learning to sew when Bri is sewing alongside him!

I know our other amazing babysitters were great while they were here and then moved on to become incredible nurses, I'm sure. They stayed in touch for a bit, but both are out of the area, so there's not much beyond us sending a Christmas card. I can't imagine that happening with Bri and Sigrid because they are so much a part of our life. The fact that they were in our inner circle through COVID, when we weren't even seeing our families in any way shape or form, meant that we relied on each other and spent more time together. And we still like each other after that ... we like each other more probably because of that. The time together built relationships that go beyond paid employee/employer relationships to truly being an extension of our family.

I mean, we're not quite taking on their student debt, but they're always welcome at our dinner table or to crash at our house. That seems about right for young adults you informally adopt in their 20s, right?

And, I know at least one of them reads the blog regularly. I don't worry that she thinks I'm weird for writing this. She already knows I'm weird.