covid update - day *5 million

*5 million is a reflection of how things feel, not real time

It's several months since my last covid update (https://aglie.blogspot.com/2022/01/omicron-update-and-two-years-of-new.html) so here's a snapshot of what life like these days.

Covid continues to be a menace, but we have plentiful rapid home tests now and Dd momentously got his first Moderna shot about two weeks ago.  Also this spring, D got a first booster shot.

Cases are way closer to home now.   At least four or five kids in Dd's class and a similar number of Jack's baseball teammates caught it in May or June.   My mom had a mild case in two weeks ago, presumably thanks to the combination of a flight from virus-riddled Hawaii and a relatively recent booster shot.   Only older people are eligible for a second booster.   Cases among my once-boosted peers are sometimes pretty mild but also pretty gnarly (though so far not requiring hospitalization of anyone I know who was vaccinated).

Seattle Public Schools remained more or less open for all of D's second grade year.   Public health, and thus our daycare, have reduced the duration of isolation and quarantines, so a case in Dd' classroom translates to 2-3 days of missed school for the affected class rather than over a week of shutdown for the whole school, as happened with the first case in November 2021.

The constant string of variants keeps changing the science subtly.   Recently I came across this blog, which is super helpful and informative.  https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/  . I credit it with helping me choose Moderna over Pfizer for Dd.

We've all (ok, maybe not everyone) become statisticians too now.   I'm still regularly watching the case counts in King County, but like in the early part of 2020, we all know that the official counts are massive undercounts of the real case load.   Therefore, anecdotal impressions of how many people around us are catching us are not a crazy thing to pay attention to.  More and more, studies of covid remnants in sewage provide the most meaningful metrics.  

I'm still afraid of long covid and most things I've read are pessimistic and still based on unvaccinated subjects.   

Some more food for thought on the subject comes from our recent trip to British Columbia and Alberta, Canada.   King County has a "fully vaccinated" rate of 82% while Canada has a rate of 84%.   While the definition of fully vaccinated is a moving target, these numbers come from the New York Times today and I trust they have made a solid effort to report comparable numbers.    In short, our county has taken a civilized approach to vaccination and masking, yet our numbers are shocking compared to our neighbor to the north.     As noted, all of these stats are imperfect, but still there is such a difference it must be significant.     Our trip was the first time I have felt like we were in a post-covid world where we ate indoors at restaurants and went to the grocery store without a mask on.

Could we have similar numbers if King County had been able to close its borders?

omicron update and two years of the new world

 A mini covid (omicron variant) update:

• Jan 19: one of Dd's preschool classmates had a case, but with the new policies (and shorter incubation period of this variant) he was only home for two school days.  No one in his class got it, even though all the kids are necessarily unvaccinated and they have relatively close contact.
• Jan 21: two whole years have passed since Washington announced the first confirmed covid-19 case in the country
• Jan 26: one of D's classmates had a case, but school continued as normal and again there was no transmission in his classroom
• Jan 27: D's principal shared that 60% of the students in his school are fully (2 dose) vaccinated and 73% have had one shot.   The New York Times reports that nationally those numbers are 18.8% and 28.1%.   I am soooo grateful to be in this vaccine-friendly community.

This pandemic has generated a lot of data that will probably be discussed for years to come, but as it lingers, the snapshot of how we feel about the information we have at a given moment might get lost.   It is tragic and still shocking how much politics predict vaccination rates.

Just for Dec 25 - Jan 23 in King County, this is how the impact of vaccinations is playing out.

We kept D off the school bus for the last two weeks after there were  two isolated positive cases on the bus for the first two weeks of January.  We've also not seen our parents indoor since late December.   We've used quite a few rapid home tests, which are still kind of difficult to acquire. 

The state has a great online resources for looking up vaccination records.  Early last week I checked it to see if my covid booster showed up yet, because soon I expect proof-of-booster will be necessary for going out and about.   It wasn't, but my doctor's office was able to add it for me.   

At the same time I noticed that all of D's infant and toddler vaccinations were missing from his record.   I knew he was actually fully vaxxed so I didn't take any action.   My subconscious was not satisfied however and served up a stressful dream about him getting denied entry to school.   Lo and behold, three days later in the real world I got a slightly irate email from the (way overworked) school nurse about this being the second notice and how we needed to call to explain our plan to get him up to date.  It turns out it was an automated email and the district now is tech savvy enough to check the state record, rather than the parent-submitted record we wrote out when he entered the district in in 2019.  I contacted the doctor's office again and they updated his record to.  Now, what should I do with my ability to predict the future?

covid lifestyle update

Here we are in the 22nd month of the covid era.  Wednesday was Dd's first day back in preschool after a week off because of one of the toddlers in his school caught covid over Thanksgiving weekend.

There are a few positives angles: no one got very sick and we as a school community have had an impressive covid-free run.  Also, Jack and I survived a week of juggling Dd with full time work.  I think he enjoyed the time at home and we enjoyed parts of it.   It's also nice to not be too worried that he as a healthy kid would have a serious case, if he had caught it.

That said, having him at home while we both work just isn't sustainable, which is why I find myself worrying more about all the other viruses too.  Our current culture requires that even little colds be taken seriously and treated like covid until tests come back.   It's so tragically funny to look back at the old days where we went to school in the throws of a bad cold, spreading germs like crazy.   We've been relatively cautious about rejoining society, because even a cold throws our delicately balanced schedule in to such disarray.

We know this from experience.  Looking back over the last year, Dd brought home colds on a monthly basis from September '20 through this past July.  I got most of them, D got a few and Jack has had a few minor sniffles.  Miraculously we haven't had a cold in our household since July, finally enjoying the break from minor illnesses that many people had last winter.   Maybe it's because Dd's been wearing a mask much more regularly at school since the summer (though still not at snacks, meals or nap time) or maybe it's because we've already had everything that is circulating, aside from the covid (knock on wood).

In other good news, D had his second vaccine dose on Nov 28th and Jack and I got our boosters prior to Thanksgiving.  Now that D is more protected, we've switched over to having him ride the school bus, which is so very nice for us.  

vaccinations!

One year in to this, we are so lucky that most of our older family members have been able to get vaccinated!  Today marks the day my parents are fully vaccinated, meaning it has been two weeks after their second shot.

 

The New York Times has lots of info about the vaccine rollout and here is the current state of the nation.  

Last week we hear two important announcements.  Biden said states had to open up vaccine eligibility to all adults by May 1.   Governor Inslee made a pre-proclamation statement that schools must open up by April 5 in some fashion.    Changes are coming!

a year of home schooling and Who Ate the First Oyster

 We are a few days shy of having D home with us for an entire year (minus a few much appreciated weeks of summer day camp).   For better or worse, we are much more involved with his education and there's no need to ask "how was your day?" or "what did you learn about in math?" because we already know.

Although it has been overwhelming at times, in many ways it has been really fun.   He has so much to learn and so many topics are at a level where Jack and I are effectively experts.   We've talked about fractions, wars, alphabetization and so many other things.

On the other hand when we get in to questions about physical sciences I am far from an expert and my explanations falter.   He and I listened to the audio book of Who Ate the First Oyster, a popular science book answering a series questions about human history.   Each question is a chapter and the explanations were at a good level for me.  Examples include, "Who rode the first horse?" and "Who was the first surgeon?" as well as a chapter on smallpox and the first vaccines for it.  D followed most of the explanations of how we know what we know, once we discussed them and I explained words.   The book is only 210 pages and I checked the audio book out from the library about 8 times between July and December, so it was slow going, but was easy to pick up again periodically since the chapters were self-contained.   Going slow and explaining thing vastly increased my comprehension and retention as well, though don't ask me to recall many numbers.

Watching his analytical skills grow is really rewarding.  In the books we read aloud he is always excited to try to predict the plot, as well.   Jack taught us the term "plot armor" which is quite useful, especially in kids' books.

To be fair I appreciate that his first grade teacher has done a good job with online school.   She's demo'd some science experiments and he gets 4 math small groups and 4 vocab/reading/spelling small groups a week.  

zip strips are holding us down and keeping us stationary!

I know we have much more serious issues facing us, but here's an annoying little thing in our lives.  In July, we returned home from a getaway with our bikes safely attached to our car.  After taking them off the bike rack, we somehow lost our bag of plastic clips that attach the bikes to the rack.    We realized they were gone in August.  We've searched and organized the basement, but I think we must have left them outside or on the car perhaps.  In any case, they are literally impossible to buy and this is the first time we've ever encountered this in our spoiled little lives.

We ordered them in August and they were supposed to come in October, and now that site says they will come in March.   We ordered some more on Amazon, but we are pretty sure they are just lying about having them in stock as the shipment is just inexplicably delayed now.

We've tied the bikes on to the rack once but it was pretty hard and time consuming and still didn't feel very secure.  Considering that it takes us a really long time to just load the bikes, drive somewhere and unload them, even at the best of times, we will be riding from home for the foreseeable future.

On the other hand, considering the shortage of all things bike related, we did have a lot of good bike buying luck this year.  I bought a new bike in January,  just before the bottom dropped out. In addition to the uber feminine "acid strawberry" color, it has frame dimensions for women, which I've learned is essential for me  (no more reaching way forward for the handlebars, while having the seat all the way up).

The kids are growing like weeds so we've been changing bike set ups a lot.   In April we got D a used bike for a good price that was borderline too big (24" wheels), but a month later seemed just right for him.  Within a couple of months he was shifting gears pretty well.  Dd showed that he had outgrown the Burley trailer by being able to stick his foot out to reach the back tire of the parent towing him, or smooshing the side of the trailer so that the wheel rubbed.  So we sold that and bought and bought a used Weehoo trailer, also in April. Then in August we bought D a really nice used  (Burley piccolo) ride-along for a great price as well.  It is way more stable than the $40 ride along we bought last year and can fit him for a few years.  It even has gears!   With both kids in trailers we can safely ride from home.

Soos Creek trail in January.  D is on the ride-along because there were hills and he didn't have a gear bike yet.

First time on the big bike on the Green River trail in April

We did the Green River trail again

This was the last trip where we had the clips, in July.

We rode in Yelm in July

Dd started on D's old strider bike.

Riding in our neighborhood in October with D on the new ride-along

thoughts on childcare

This is the first month in our parenting career where one of our kids is enrolled in full time childcare.   

I’ve been through quite an evolution in my thoughts on daycare.  Initially it made me a little sad to send D, and I do still think there are some dismal childcare situations out there.  Now, however, I feel bad for the kids (over age one) who are missing out on the consistent, group experience.  In the time before preschool age there is so much to be gained!

That said, the social benefits of childcare definitely don’t depend on full time attendance, so that part is about families making it work, like us, right now.

We have been so lucky for so many years to have regular help from our parents.  Having grandparents help 1-2 days a week balanced routine social time with other kids with one-on-one attention and flexibility.   Together our parents and the kids (hardly ever both kids, due to timing) read lots of  books, went on adventures, napped according to our kid’s needs and gave us the chance to go to mid day music classes or the library.  They also did loads of dishes and laundry :)

It’s sad that this is over, at least for a while longer.  Dd knows his grandparents well, but I hope they gets the bond that D has, from regular time together without the interference of me and Jack (well, mostly).

However, in a time where childcare centers, which already struggled (being simultaneously expensive for many families and not being able to pay workers well enough), are closing left and right because of COVID-19 challenges, we feel so extremely fortunate to be part of a center that is well-run, convenient, cheerful and reliable.  It is not only shielding us from some unknown upheaval of our careers and finances, but it is providing Dd with developmentally key normalcy in this bizarre reality.

Speaking of reality, this full time thing is still theoretical.  The last week of August was the center's annual closure week for cleaning, organizing and planning.  Since Labor Day the kids have been kept inside because of the air quality and perhaps this lack of outside time is the cause of the longest nap mutiny I’ve heard of in any of the classrooms.   Dd has skipped napping altogether a few days and had several days with 30 minute naps instead of his typical 1.5 hour school nap.   Then Monday's air quality was so bad that we kept him home because the center didn’t yet have air filters.  Today he is home, and currently in the bath, with a runny nose that would not prevented him from attending school during normal times.   

But hey, I already took some time off this week in anticipation of another little vacation that is delayed (or cancelled?) because..... it's 2020.

Since we no longer go inside the center for drop off or pick up they've been good about sending us pictures more often.  Here are a few recent ones.

Lastly, D, who was originally signed up for seven weeks of camp this summer, got to go to five weeks of summer camp.   Two were at the science center and the rest were at or near the arboretum.  There were a few covid scares that turned out to be nothing, but we were so extremely grateful he got to go out and do things away from us before diving back into another at-home school year.

I get a good laugh when I remember worrying in February about the one week of summer we hadn't yet filled with a camp for D.  

1st grade!

D went to His first day of school today without going... to school. 2020 is something else.  He is in a 1st/2nd split class and his morale was good for the 2 hour social MS teams meeting and his independent reading afterwards.  I’m still impressed by his reading progress during the last 6 months - he is reading Calvin and Hobbes!

Coronavirus 2

Surprising no one, the state "stay home" order is extended from April 27  to May 4.


April 6: Dd's daycare re-opens with an impressive batch of new protocols.  The UW Covid 19 model is predicting that the state "peak hospital resources" will be about April 16.   We decide to keep Dd home another week, at least.

April 8: I sew two masks and we start wearing them when we go to the store.  It's been kind of wild to watch the official reversal on mask wearing recommendations.

Activities of Late

- recorders
- the roof
- bubbles
- exercise rings and the rowing machine
- jumping on our bed (which is still a mattress on the floor) is daily activity
- Dd is now pretty much trusted when playing with legos
- biking with D's new gear bike or the ride along and Dd's new weehoo trailer
- watching the new neighbors moving in to the north and south of us (so far three households of the new townhouses and one out the kitchen windows).
- finished the 3rd book from the Space Case series with D
- D reading Frog and Toad books
- annoying singing dog toy that both kids love
- a bit of kids' yoga and dance videos

April 13: the trucks are back, after a week-long shutdown, to ripping up our street and alley, which makes for good entertainment.   The sugar ants are also back, for the third spring in a row.   I really don't like it but this year offers some perspective on what really matters.

April 15: we do not go to San Francisco or change our alter our new routine with  a"spring break"

April 16: Dd and I go to his 18 month appointment for four vaccinations.  He won't need anything but a flu shot and hopefully a coronavirus vaccination until kindergarten!

April 20: Dd goes to daycare.   After five weeks away drop off is tough but he reportedly rallies quickly and seems to be happy at the end of the day and when we glimpse him at recess.

April 22: D bakes a "wacky" cake with my parents over Skype.  I open the oven but otherwise mostly stay out of the way.  We've also had success with him reading to them.  I figure him spelling out tricky words to them is good for their brains too.

April 26: the ants are still here, but diatomaceous earth is working pretty well and it's non-toxic!  In a pandemic, who cares if our doorstep looks like it's covered in flour and pancake batter (when it rains)?

April 27: this is the beginning of our 7th week home with D and the 3rd week where his teacher provides content.   I'm happy that we don't have to worry about grading at the kindergarten level.   What she provides is now 3 video lessons a week (totaling about 45 min), and two zoom meetings for the whole class.  This week they will try small group reading.   Other than that he does independent reading, reading to someone and we read to him.   He uses an online practice site that the school provides access too that covers math, language arts and a bit of social studies.  Usually he does one or two topics there.  He's done two Outschool classes so far, which are video lessons in real time with a few other kids.   There's a site where astronauts read books in space and another where actors read books which are lightly animated while the test is highlighted.  There are also a few more game-like practice sites we've used but it is really overwhelming to look through them and many are really crappy.   He writes in a journal everyday.  We've had a lot of really interesting conversations with him and I'm grateful for all the books we have, the many entertaining and enriching gifts the kids have received (like the kiwi crates) and the filtered recommendations people like my mom have given us. 

Also, so far our families and friends are okay.


Here are some fun writing sample's from D. 

Coronavirus 1: our local timeline

Even though we're all going through this at more or less the same time, I want to record our descent into isolation.  We're fortunate to both able to work remotely and our house is a lot more spacious than many dwellings (including our previous apartment, which I have been contemplating).     Thanks to the writers of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_coronavirus_pandemic_in_Washington_(state).   Thank you also to the health care providers out there.

December 2019: I read about the mystery virus in the New York Times and think "huh, that's bad"

December 24, 2019: Dd has hand foot and mouth disease so we exercise our social distancing.

January 21: Washington announces the first case of coronavirus in the state.

February: Fortuitously we have all kinds of mundane health appointments like our dentist and optometrists and a few visits for the kids.   We also see most of our families at rescheduled Christmases and the Winter Picnic. 

February (late): Scientists put together that the virus has been circulating in the area for the past 6 weeks and announce the first few deaths from it.   We realize school will close eventually.

March 4: This is The Last Normal Day.  Jack goes to work, D goes to school, Dd goes to daycare and I work at home.   Grandma Kathy helps out a bit after school.

March 9: My parents babysit Dd, for what turns out to be the last time in a while.

March 11: Wednesday.  Seattle Public Schools announces a two week closure, starting on the 12th.

March 12: Governor Inslee mandates closure of all schools in King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties for six weeks.

March 13: Friday.  Actually now all schools in the state must be closed until at least April 24th.   Daycare are not required to close.  We don't find out for sure that Dd's will close until late in the day on the 13th.  They say it is for two weeks, but we are skeptical.  This is the most stressful day so far.   We've pretty much decided not to have play dates with other kids because we are worried about our parents and kids are often symptom-less carriers (or so the current understanding is) and our kids are prone to wrestle with friends and put their hands in their mouths.

I get to swim at the YMCA, though I am surprised it is open.  The libraries and community centers are open for the last time.

March 14: we have a babysitter (!) and J and I take a wonderful bike ride and carefully stop by our neighborhood bar (for my first time and probably our last for a very long time)

March 15:  We have a long overdue visit with Jack's step mom at our house and decide to call off help from all grandparents for the week ahead.   Closure of restaurants and gyms is announced.

March 16:  Monday.  It's our first day working with both kids at home.  We realize we are now homeschooling and will need to do a bit more than the "little extra reading" we planned during the initially announced two week closure.   There are sooo many lists of resources.  It is overwhelming.

March 19: Playgrounds and big toys close.   We've been avoiding them for a few days and it's a necessary step for all of us.

D is writing a journal entry every school day and today's was about how he only learns things from Octonauts (the TV show) anyway, so the school closure.   Dd's comment is "truck, truuuck, truck.... BUS" while looking out the window, followed by "cool car" about the little car he and D push around the house and ride on.  He also now says "I don't know," which is adorable.

Dd also requests many specific books including a potty book that Jack and I could recite verbatim last time around.  Today he sat on the potty without being distressed for the first time.   Maybe we'll get at least the smelly part of potty training turn during this time at home.

We did not work near enough hours but we survived the week.

March 21: we socially distance with my sister at a beach park

March 22:  I give D a Mohawk, naturally.