He is busy. He seems to have weaned himself (excuse me while I go cry), as he's too busy to be patient or sit still. Those 8 giant teeth also don't help. He spends most of his time trying to be big and stand unsupported (today he was so close to getting from a seated to standing position without any support), or foraging for more food. He loves climbing stairs, but still would prefer to yell at us to help him down despite his sneaky escapes to places we thought we closed off. And, for what it's worth, a 5-year-old can and babies can almost find ways through cat doors on baby gates.
Isaac desperately needs a haircut. He's currently rocking the mullet look, with a touch of Alfalfa/Jack Jack on top. We were brave enough to do Nolan's hair, but I can't imagine cutting a baby's hair. On that note, I also can't imagine Scott's... so there's that.
As far as quarantine life goes, we are hanging in there. I'd be lying if we said it was easy. Though I'm grateful for what we have, we are certainly nervous for an upcoming move across states as we struggle to find housing. We're also still anxious about our own health and our family's. And while Isaac is enjoying his constant time to play and explore the house, Nolan is struggling with the lack of social activities. His behavior seems to feed off of social settings and routine... both of which are lacking here. Isaac needs a lot of our attention, and so does work. So, Nolan, while incredibly independent, is struggling to figure out his place. And, of course, that also translates to a lot of guilt from mom and dad as we try to balance work, home-schooling, creating consistency, and giving him the time he definitely deserves. All that being said, we are thankful and it's been rewarding to see the connections and 'light-bulb moments' in both of our kids.
After reading, re-reading, and contemplating the deletion of that paragraph, I'm going to leave it because it's how we are working through this time (and this whole silly blog is a memory book to look back on when our kids inevitably ask "how old was I when..."). We stay awake at night discussing the pains of the world around us, and how much sympathy and empathy we share for those going through a lot more than us. Amidst a global pandemic, the politicizing and lack of empathy is something that we hope we can avoid in the future when teaching our kids what mattered most.
