“We found out we were expecting a baby the day we first saw this house. As we toured with our realtor, we imagined our little one growing up in these rooms and playing in this yard. A few months later, the house was ours and we were excitedly planning for the future. In March, when Covid became a serious issue and we realized we’d be home (just for a couple of weeks!) we happily nested in, expecting the world to be back to normal soon.
Isa was due in a few months and in our wildest dreams, we never imagined having to navigate birth and newborn life amid a global pandemic. While the days grew longer and Isa’s due date grew closer, birth plans began to grow and change. No longer would we have the support from friends and family that we had anticipated.
Isa was born on May 20th and we brought them home a few days later. We struggled in the first few weeks to find our new normal, and while we did develop a routine that feels good, normal still feels so very far away. We can’t bring Isa to parent-baby music classes, to roam the grocery store aisles, on our planned (and canceled) vacations, or to see their grandparents.
Sometimes I wonder that if I knew we’d be in this situation, would I have wanted to plan it differently? And honestly, I wouldn’t. While outside these walls, the world seems smaller, inside, our world grows exponentially. When we watch Isa learn and change with open eyes and an open heart, we remind ourselves that the future looks so bright and in the meantime, we are so lucky to be together.”
Jenn, Wes and Isa, Oakland, August 2020