“Cabin fever…”

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Shared by Breanne Smedley

It’s been about three weeks since the measles outbreak in Clark County has prompted a “state of emergency” in Washington.

When I first heard about the virus spreading in Vancouver, I honestly didn’t think much about it.

Everyone in our family is up to date on their shots and immune to measles.

Well, everyone except Charlee, I found out.

Apparently, children cannot get the vaccine until they are one, leaving Charlee pretty much defenseless against the disease if exposed to it.

Then the list of cases and exposure areas kept growing.

This weekend, the Trader Joe’s that I go to every week popped up on the list of exposure sites.

Where would it be next? Our school, gym, coffee shops, restaurants?

We don’t want to risk it, so we’ve decided to hunker down and keep Charlee out of the public.

Simple in theory, hard in practice.

Every plan has to be run through the “measles” filter.

Coffee runs, basketball games, working out, eating out, grocery shopping. They all have to be done alone, or not done at all.

Here’s the ironic thing.

When we’re super busy and going all over the place, all I want is to just be at home. Do nothing, hang out

Then, when we are literally forced to, for some reason it changes.

Maybe it’s the lack of scenery change. Or maybe it’s living in the same yoga pants and sweatshirt the whole weekend. Because, what’s the point of changing?

We are finding ourselves saying:

“Maybe your parents can watch Charlee for two hours so we can go out to dinner?!”

“Are there measles at the beach? How about Hood River?”

Any chance to get out of the house.

My friend, Sarah, wrote a post the other day coining the term “mole mom”-only emerging from the den occasionally. That’s exactly what we’ve become, “mole-parents!”

It’s been an unexpected change, but one that’s forced us to connect.

Forced us to stay in the living room and play on the ground together.

Forced us to eat meals as a family, without any distractions.

Allowed us to slow down a little, without rushing from one thing to the next.

I know there’s going to be a time in the future when the kid(s) are busy with sports and activities.

I know we will look back and want the simplicity of a weekend to do nothing again.

Don’t get me wrong.

This disease is 100% preventable, has caused major issues in the Clark County area. People should still vaccinate their kids.

But, when we are found in unexpected situations, we are also blessed with the opportunity to decide how we will respond.

So, we will continue to hunker down, and enjoy the time together.

Plus, only eight weeks until Charlee turns one! #moleparents

 

#DaringlyResilient

#FiercelyOptimistic

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