Hello Babies!

What in the heck is COVID-19? It’s also known as the novel corona virus. This particular strain was discovered in December of 2019 and it infected and claimed many lives in Wuhan, China. It then began spreading around the globe.

Why is this important? Well, first of all, I think it is important for you to know the big global events that have happened since you were born. Number two, you guys are already sick with RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus). Number three, mommy has started to worry a bit.

So let’s talk about virus outbreaks mommy and daddy have lived through in the last decade or so: SARS, Ebola, Mad Cow Disease, Bird Flu, H1N1, and many more. People and (or perhaps propagated by) the media were very worried about the spread of these diseases. They caused people to panic. I remember the Anthrax scare, where everyone thought they were going to accidentally be the recipient of the deadly powder in the mail. We lived through these scares, and for the most part these things hardly (if at all) had any presence in our local communities.

Now, I don’t know if it’s because you guys are here now, or what, but this one feels different guys. Some people are pointing back to all the things my generation has already “survived” and saying “No big deal, stop freaking out”. The CDC (Center for Disease Control) is saying it’s time to get serious. The CDC wants us to limit our time outside the home, is not advising travel, and is warning against going into settings with large numbers of people. People have bought all the toilet paper and hand sanitizer in the stores. They are stocking up for a 2-6 week potential national quarantine. And you guys, I really don’t know what to do. For the first time in my life, I’m consciously going to “buy into the hysteria”.

What do I mean by that? Well I mean that we are fortunate enough to be able to afford to stock up for 6 weeks. I mean that I feel reasonably confident that we will make it through this (currently self imposed) quarantine, with no issues. I mean that if we have to use scratchy toilet paper for a few weeks because that’s all that is left in stores and we actually need toilet paper, then that is what we will do. I mean that we might not have fresh vegetables for a while, but we will have frozen and canned. I mean that we will probably keep on with the formula longer than planned (even though we were supposed to transition to Whole Milk on Friday). What I mean is: WE. ARE. LUCKY.

Something I want you guys to know in your future is that in the face of global crisis, not everyone is as lucky as we are. There are people who can’t afford to quarantine for 6 weeks. Getting stocked up on 6 weeks (or even 2 weeks at a time) of supplies is next to impossible. Some people are not able to limit their exposure because their services are vital in this time: doctors, nurses, all medical folks, firefighters, police officers, and so on. So my babies, we are very very lucky.

I expect that I will write more about this, as I strongly suspect that this is not going away any time soon. And we are praying for the world, even if it’s “just in case”.

Love you so much, Mom