Quarantine in Spain, Week 4
This update is coming a few days late so really we are about four and a half weeks into our quarantine and still no end in sight. This past week has been hard since it's starting to really sink in how long we have been inside and not knowing when this is going to end. I've been reflecting on how fortunate we are (still healthy, Jose still working, the girls are still behaving better than I would have ever expected) but also how a lot of things seem to have worked out before this crisis to put us in a better position right now.
For example, as many of you know I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer this past fall after having surgery to have my thyroid removed. I had to have a follow up radioactive iodine treatment when we got back from our visit to the US which required me to stay in the hospital isolated for a few days and then to self isolate at home for about a week. (Really I have been in quarantine more than not in 2020). I was able to get all of this done in February and have the girls and Jose back home before COVID-19 made its way to Spain. If not, I would still be waiting to have a treatment that hopefully killed all the remaining cancer.
We have also been house hunting (perpetually it seems sometimes) and we were just about to put an offer in on a house that although lovely would probably have been a bit of a stretch for us financially. We had all of our paperwork together and yet someone beat us to the punch and we didn't get the house. In the end, it has been a blessing in disguise as although I would LOVE to have an outdoor space to play in, with the uncertainty going on right with the economy I feel much better in our smaller space. Not to mention the idea of moving right now or adjusting to a new space with all that is going on.
Thirdly and this sometimes seems like divine intervention, I took this course off of work to take care of Carla. This was decided before I had been diagnosed with cancer (before surgery and recovery, before further treatment and recovery and now before this quarantine). I wanted to stay home until Carla was one and it is working out perfectly. I didn't have to take time off when I was sick, I was able to have a nice long visit to see my family before Christmas and now things are much easier since only Jose is working from home and I am able to take care of the girls. I feel so much for people who are juggling both right now. I'm not sure how they are doing it. So really in some ways I feel like we were being prepared for these trying times without knowing it. All those things that at the time were a disappointment I am now trying to look at in a positive light. And the what ifs no longer bother me. I feel so fortunate that we were able to spend six weeks visiting family this fall because we aren't really sure when international travel is going to start again or when it will be safe to go (I really doubt this summer).
This past week was Holy Week and it was definitely strange not to be out seeing any processions or enjoying the springtime. The Meester Bunny came and brought the big girls chocolate eggs, slime to keep their hands busy and as tradition, new flip flops to wear down to the pool and to the beach. (Fingers crossed that we get to use them). It was also my birthday and Jose and the girls made me a cake. We ordered some food to celebrate and I got a new Kindle to try to get some reading done when I have a spare minute.
Vera and Laura are still having weekly classes online with their teachers. They are keeping busy most of the time and we are still keeping up with our routine. Carla has gotten two teeth now and started crawling tentatively this morning. She refuses to nap in the morning anymore and instead complains and tries to stay awake until she crashes (the other day directly falling asleep with her head on the floor). It's like she has to be awake when her sisters are. This does not bode well for the future I think...
All in all, we are hanging in there. There has been talk of allowing kids to get some fresh air each day and even if this initiative is limited I am hoping that it gets pushed through. Jose and I get our ten minutes a day when we take out the dog but it is weighing heavily on me that the girls do not. At least for the past few days it has been rainy and overcast so we aren't missing out on the otherwise normally gorgeous spring in the south of Spain.
For example, as many of you know I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer this past fall after having surgery to have my thyroid removed. I had to have a follow up radioactive iodine treatment when we got back from our visit to the US which required me to stay in the hospital isolated for a few days and then to self isolate at home for about a week. (Really I have been in quarantine more than not in 2020). I was able to get all of this done in February and have the girls and Jose back home before COVID-19 made its way to Spain. If not, I would still be waiting to have a treatment that hopefully killed all the remaining cancer.
We have also been house hunting (perpetually it seems sometimes) and we were just about to put an offer in on a house that although lovely would probably have been a bit of a stretch for us financially. We had all of our paperwork together and yet someone beat us to the punch and we didn't get the house. In the end, it has been a blessing in disguise as although I would LOVE to have an outdoor space to play in, with the uncertainty going on right with the economy I feel much better in our smaller space. Not to mention the idea of moving right now or adjusting to a new space with all that is going on.
Thirdly and this sometimes seems like divine intervention, I took this course off of work to take care of Carla. This was decided before I had been diagnosed with cancer (before surgery and recovery, before further treatment and recovery and now before this quarantine). I wanted to stay home until Carla was one and it is working out perfectly. I didn't have to take time off when I was sick, I was able to have a nice long visit to see my family before Christmas and now things are much easier since only Jose is working from home and I am able to take care of the girls. I feel so much for people who are juggling both right now. I'm not sure how they are doing it. So really in some ways I feel like we were being prepared for these trying times without knowing it. All those things that at the time were a disappointment I am now trying to look at in a positive light. And the what ifs no longer bother me. I feel so fortunate that we were able to spend six weeks visiting family this fall because we aren't really sure when international travel is going to start again or when it will be safe to go (I really doubt this summer).
This past week was Holy Week and it was definitely strange not to be out seeing any processions or enjoying the springtime. The Meester Bunny came and brought the big girls chocolate eggs, slime to keep their hands busy and as tradition, new flip flops to wear down to the pool and to the beach. (Fingers crossed that we get to use them). It was also my birthday and Jose and the girls made me a cake. We ordered some food to celebrate and I got a new Kindle to try to get some reading done when I have a spare minute.
Vera and Laura are still having weekly classes online with their teachers. They are keeping busy most of the time and we are still keeping up with our routine. Carla has gotten two teeth now and started crawling tentatively this morning. She refuses to nap in the morning anymore and instead complains and tries to stay awake until she crashes (the other day directly falling asleep with her head on the floor). It's like she has to be awake when her sisters are. This does not bode well for the future I think...
All in all, we are hanging in there. There has been talk of allowing kids to get some fresh air each day and even if this initiative is limited I am hoping that it gets pushed through. Jose and I get our ten minutes a day when we take out the dog but it is weighing heavily on me that the girls do not. At least for the past few days it has been rainy and overcast so we aren't missing out on the otherwise normally gorgeous spring in the south of Spain.
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