2020 has come and gone. In all honesty, I'm physically in 2021 but mentally I'm still stuck in 2020. I can't believe how quickly the year flew by. We spent the majority of the year cooped up indoors due to the pandemic but we tried to make the most of every moment.
Routine
Most days I craved being outside of the house - going for a hike, a trip to the mall or just a simple play date. I missed being able to see family and friends. Truthfully, I loathed the fact that my baby girl wouldn't be able to interact with her friends, aunts, uncles and grandparents the way children should be able to. Since we barely went outside and didn't have activities planned most days, we easily developed consistency and Avery picked up a daily routine very early on. I'm careful to call it a routine rather than a schedule because inevitably some days didn't go as planned and other days we would have activities that would run into her usual meal or nap times. That was ok. Life happens. Having a routine meant we could shift activities as needed but still maintain some sort of consistency. Now at just over a year old, she's very aware of when she has meals, when she naps and when she needs to go to bed for the night. Having a routine has made it easy for us to plan doctor's appointments, trips to the grocery store and quick errands. Honestly, having a routine and sticking to it while making necessary adjustments has made parenting less stressful, more predictable and quite enjoyable. I feel we may not have been able to develop a routine so quickly if it wasn't for the pandemic.
QT
2020 taught Avery (and all of us) to get used to seeing our friends and family in a socially distanced manner: masked and from afar. Reality is, we seldom had any visitors and we didn't go out much. Although not ideal, we made the most of it by spending lots of quality time together. We've been blessed to be able to witness so many of her milestones during her first year of life. It's been amazing watching Avery change and grow on a daily basis. I loved being able to see her develop right in front of my eyes everyday. That has been and continues to be truly remarkable.
Rest
When I was pregnant, people often told me "once baby arrives try your best to rest while your baby is asleep". I would nod in agreement but truthfully didn't think it would be possible. I knew having a baby would mean I had to sacrifice sleep. Avery was born and the first few months were challenging to say the least. I fed around the clock and tried my best to nap while she was sleeping but it wasn't always possible. Our province went into lock down shortly after Avery turned two months old and from then on we began to develop her routine. Her days started to follow a pattern: feed, wake, sleep (on repeat) and I regained predictability again in my day. Before long I actually began resting while she was sleeping. I took advantage of quiet periods in the day and napped. Admittedly, I developed my own napping schedule and rested more than I ever thought would be possible as a new mom. The pandemic was a huge blessing in disguise because for once in very many years: life slowed down. Rest is so important and I'm glad being in quarantine allowed me to do to.
I took a 14 month maternity leave and I'm disappointed to say my "vacation" is coming to an end. I'm savouring this last month of one-on-one time with Avery knowing things will be very different once I return to work. This certainly wasn't the maternity leave I had envisioned but it was a refreshing one nonetheless.
Thanks for reading. I wanted to wish everyone a happy and healthy new year! Until next time,
E
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