!Lo Hicimos! 8/23/21

It’s the count-down until school starts. I’ve already started and am half-way through teaching; Boop starts soon. Not going to lie, it was tough for me to lecture in a mask. The microphone wasn’t picking up my voice for the recording; so I felt like I was shouting for 2 hours. It was also exhausting to be on my feet and to have to talk for that long--completely draining when I haven’t done it for nearly 2 years. Thankfully, I wasn’t too anxious and didn’t feel like I would faint.   

Boop will be having open house soon to start school. I really wish we didn’t have to be in person. We’re a few weeks away from the peak of Delta here, and all of the hospital beds are full of COVID patients in our region.  Although I’m fully vaxed, I know my immunity is in the down swing, as it’s been about 6 months from my last vax. I guess I will be eligible for a booster in October. Boop still hasn’t had a chance to have the vax, and I don’t feel good about school for her. I hate that she will have to eat indoors without a mask. The schools seem resigned to just have all of the kids get COVID. I mean, the administrators have all had ample opportunity to get their vax. There is so much anti-mask sentiment here; it is unbelievable. The anti-science, anti-intellectualism sentiment is tough to navigate.

Boop went to horse camp and really enjoyed it. She was so proud of her ribbon for best technique while riding. It’s an expensive and time-consuming hobby, as we have to travel a bit to get to the stables. Being able to ride bareback is great and all, but I’m sure that she will want all of the special tack and such. The next thing you know, she will need a horse. This child and animals. If she can get over her squeamishness, she’ll make a good veterinarian. I suspect she takes after my dad in this way. He had a horse growing up and would feed every creature that passed by our house. Squirrels would eat out of his hand.

It wasn’t all kumbaya moments at the horse camp, though. She came home a sneezy, watery-eyed mess the first day. I promptly gave her allergy meds, and she was on the mend. With the threat of COVID, the horse camp’s previous experience with COVID, and a friend who was recently exposed to COVID from someone who thought her symptoms were allergies, I was insistent that Boop get tested for COVID before going back to the camp. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth, but with a promise of a Robux card from my mom, I got her to Urgent Care. Fortunately, the nurse was careful, and Boop was thrilled at her success. !Lo Hicimos! We did it! Of course, it was negative, but I’m glad we’ve gotten one test out of the way. She was ready for her next screen.  

The Smaller Screen. 8/7/21

It’s hard doing public health these days. Not only do I have to be on my home computer for my work, I also have to read lots and lots of COVID updates. I know that in my classes, there will be anti-vax folks. In case I’m challenged, I have to try to stay on top of things the best that I can. Honestly, I’ve been cycling anxiety attacks for the past couple of weeks, trying to keep us safe, wondering about how the school year will go and the new variants on the scene: epsilon and lambda. I wake up at 1am with the feeling that I am not doing things right and that there is some vague threat looming over my head and that there is some sort of loss. It seems to be compounded by being on my computer. I’ve tried to be very intentional about my eating and exercise. My Wii Fit just asked how my dog was doing? Very strange. Not sure I ever told it I had a dog? I didn’t know it could do that. Aside from plugging along with therapy, I’m trying to get in to see a neurologist for a work-up.

Boop wants desperately to help, and it feels like I’m not being the best mom. I asked her what she would like to do. She’s decided that we should have a website where we sell aesthetic bedroom décor. We are probably more Soft Girl, but she wants to do all kinds. And she has decided that she wants us to live in Paris, which has a reputation for being unfriendly to Americans that can’t speak French; so maybe I’ll wait for her next phase. Late last year, she wanted to move to Utah; a few months ago, it was Los Angeles. It just depends on whichever youtuber is popular on any given day. I think the latest enthusiasm for Paris is driven by Miraculous Ladybug. I was explaining that they also speak French in Belgium, but she was a little lost by that suggestion. I explained to her that it really isn’t her job as a 9 year old to worry about what we will do, and I tell her that we have enough money to be okay whatever happens, that she will always have everything she needs.  

She’s HEALED! 8/5/21

It’s really quite miraculous (No Boop, I’m not talking about Miraculous Ladybug!). Boop’s motion sickness just did not appear at all along the hilly, windy roads on the way to the Adventure Park. Back in June, Boop had gotten sick on the way to my mother’s house, and Boop was sure it was car sickness. Later that night, she had a temperature of 100 degrees; so she had picked up something. My guess is that it was something that she got at the playground while scoffing about wearing a mask. One of the little girls who she didn’t know had hugged her, which amazed me. You have to wonder about the parenting happening there--both before and after it happened. So, it clearly wasn’t car sickness, but Boop continued to think it was and has been keeping me from traveling anywhere. Nope, motion sickness does not cause a fever. COVID and RSV do. Thankfully, she was better the next day, and our vaccinated family felt no ill effects. 
The Adventure Park made for a long and exhausting day, but the kids were thrilled. Although I’ve been trying to get in shape, I have not been giving my arms enough attention; so they are really feeling it! I’m so appreciative that a friend sent her husband and kids. The kids kept Boop busy, and he helped to get the kids up onto the inflatables. Toward the end of the day, Boop had gotten stuck, and I didn’t have the energy to help her. They knew that it was time to leave at that point, but they were already planning their next visit. I told them that we would have to wait until next year: partly because school will start soon; partly because I will need that long to recover! 
I had talked to a few other friends about going. Our neighbors just got back from a trip and hadn’t received their COVID results, yet. So, they decided not to come. My other friend is older and has an out-of-town friend visiting. When I called her last night, she had just found out that she had been exposed to COVID. Of course, my friend was vaccinated, but so was the person who got COVID. The person ‘had allergies’ and wore a mask at the meeting where my friend was exposed, but my friend was not wearing a mask. Later that evening, the person spiked a fever. I just hope that she didn’t get enough exposure to get it, as I’m not sure how well she will do. I’m relieved that I didn’t have any contact, but it’s spreading everywhere. We are trying to lobby our local school board and university to mandate masks, but it takes so much time and energy. Please stay safe!