We returned to Boston/Winchester as the Omicron variant was surging. We had planned to quarantine at Katie & James’ house where we were needed to catsit Hobie their cat while the two of them traveled to San Francisco to be with James’ family for Xmas. This gave Harry and and Sarah space to relax, play with the cat, bake Xmas cookies and a few meals for Sally and Luis, and go for walks outside with our new grand daughter Isabel (Ellie) until we could obtain negative covid test results.Thankfully, we had some relatively warm and dry days to see Isabel outside who was so precious at 4 weeks of age, all bundled up in her snowsuit. Once we got the all clear for Covid, we spent more time with Sally, Luis, and Ellie and we got to hold our new grand daughter who loved to sleep on our chests after her feedings. These were quiet, peaceful, moments we all cherished.
We had a low key Christmas Day with Sally, Luis and Ellie, enjoying a walk and dinner together as we had decided to hold off on our gift exchange until New Year’s Eve when Katie and James would be back from San Francisco and cleared from their covid quarantine. When they returned Dec. 26th, we moved back into 3 Sachem Rd with Sally, Luis, and Ellie and that’s when we got to see the new mom and dad in action. Sally of course had all the feedings to cover, and Ellie was a good eater, but Luis excelled in diaper changing and the occasional bottle. The new mom and dad educated us on swaddling techniques as well as proper sleep and post meal positioning among other things. Suffice to say, they were doing a great job as we were never awoken in the middle of the night even though our bedroom was close by.
When New Year's Eve rolled around and Katie and James were confirmed Covid-free, we gathered together with our growing family for our Christmas celebration. We had a brunch of eggs and Katie’s famous cinnamon buns, opening of gifts, a walk in the neighborhood, and a lovely dinner of salmon, oysters, and tiramisu for dessert. The evening ended with the Michigan vs. Georgia football game until we couldn’t stand to watch our team lose any longer.
The weather the last week of December was gloomy and wet, precluding us from meeting up with several friends outdoors but on New Year’s Day, we got a lucky break and enjoyed catching up with a few neighbors around a fire pit. We also got put to the test as babysitters while Sally slipped out to a doctor’s appointment. Grandma and Papa were doing just fine until 15 minutes before mom returned. That’s when we experienced the power of Ellie's little lungs and vocal cords. Thankfully, she was soothed with a bottle just as her mother returned. Sarah also accompanied Sally on Ellie’s well-child check up at which her doctor confirmed that all 10 pounds of her were doing just fine. Tuesday, Jan 4th marked time for us to say goodbye which wasn’t easy as it would likely be 6 months before we’d get a chance to hold Isabel again.
We just hoped we’d be connecting with Isabel frequently via photos and video chats and looked forward to the opportunity to do so soon.
Heading home for the Holidays
Sir Hobie
Grandma with Ellie
Papa and Ellie
Aunt Katie and (soon-to-be) Uncle James
Grandparents, Parents, and "Ellie"
The warmth of friendship on a chilly night
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