About a week before official self-isolation began, I went on a rant in my Instagram story. My daughter Abigail was six months old and the doctor told us that we could now introduce solids to her. My aunt, who watches Abigail during the week as I work, gave our daughter her first spoon of rice cereal. It tore me up inside that I was missing this monumental first swallowing moment in my baby girl’s life. Then I started to think about all of the little moments like that one that I was going to miss because I would be at work and she would spend the majority of her day in the care of someone else. I know that’s the life of a working mama—even a first time one—but it was still tearing me up inside to know that after the spoons of rice cereal, the fruits and vegetables were going to follow and I’d likely miss those firsts too.
But three days later those feelings went away. The country went into “self-isolation” and I, like so many of us, began to look at everything differently. I have found a silver lining inside this sometimes ominous self-isolation cloud. My wish to not miss the little things had unexpectedly come true. I do get to witness and be a part of the peak development moments in my baby girl’s first year of life. Just like that, I get to be there. That’s right, mommy gave Abigail her very first spoonful of Mango—and she loved it. In fact, she’s now tried mango, banana, pear, butternut squash and peas. In fact, Baby Abigail has yet to meet a fruit or vegetable that she does not like. In the last few weeks of isolation, I’ve watched my baby learn to sit up on her own with her back straight and her head held high. (The pride!) I’ve watched her learn to crawl. I was also here for her first scary tumble off of the bed, but don’t worry, no infants were harmed in the writing of this story.
As hard as things are in the world right now, I’m extremely grateful for this extended time in isolation with my family. I am grateful to watch my daughter learn and bond with me and her dad. I don’t know how long we are going to be keeping our distance from the world, but I do know that Abigail is coming out of all of this with a full, healthy appetite and ready for the crawl race challenge she accepts.