Tag Archives: Covid

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COVID found our home

You try to keep your family safe and healthy the best way you know how. You do all you can to avoid crowds, not staying indoors for too long, always wearing a mask and just praying that you can do it. After all you follow all COVID-19 protocols and you isolate for half a year and then some. You stop doing all the things that brought you comfort and made you feel alive. It just stops and you remain in a bubble. A bubble you call home surrounded by the family you made and love.

You get your vaccine’s, first and second, and when the booster comes out you are first in line to show your arm once again. You await the announcement for the kids age group you need. Once that announcement came in I immediately scheduled my kids. Not everyone feels the same but for my family and our children it will always be the best thing. 

Through it all and no matter how careful we were COVID entered our home. I have friends that left us too soon because of COVID. Dear friend’s mothers, sisters or brothers that left too soon because of COVID and of course, all that your mind has been absorbing just watching the world each day during the pandemic. The many questions. The uncertainty. Learning each day as the pandemic continues. You try to prepare yourself the best you can. 

Now it was here and in our home. 

The night my daughter said her head and throat hurt. I immediately checked her temperature and although it was a mild fever it was enough to grab four at home tests. I tested my daughter, then proceeded with my son, husband and I. My daughter’s test began showing positive so we began her isolation process and she stayed in her room until we received our results. The three of us were negative. How could this be? We are always so close in contact. 

It was hard to feel grateful knowing my daughter was upstairs but I was relieved just a little for the rest of us. 

Panic mode sets in and you start going back to who we were with or where we were and each time my heart sank knowing my parents were with us for some of those times. Filled with worry my finger shook as I made the call to my mom explaining what had happened. I needed to make sure they were all ok. My heart was beating so fast and was about to come out of my chest until I heard her say they were all fine. With this darn thing, it’s a wait and see a game. 

I returned the focus to Isannah and made sure she was comfortable and had everything she needed in her room. Man, it really sucks and is so unfair knowing you can’t go to your kid, stay with her and hold her until she feels better as you normally would do. This time I couldn’t kiss the booboo and make it all better. The first two days were the worst of it. Sore throat, slight fever and headache but after that she was getting better. But that didn’t mean she could join us or the world. She needed to stay isolated. Thank goodness for technology as we were able to chat and FaceTime. When it was dinner time she would join us by FaceTime. We brought food upstairs to her room and we would set up the laptop at the table and make sure she was with us. While all this was going on I couldn’t stop worrying about her asthma and fearing another hospital visit because of it. But thankfully she was strong and getting stronger each day. A little asthmatic cough began but Albuterol nebulizer treatments helped greatly. 

Isolating time is over and she has joined the living once again. Thankful we were all vaccinated because this could’ve been a lot worse. Either way, all that matters is she is better and just in time for their birthday. 

This will make 11 love filled, memory making years. Happy 11th birthday my sweet miracles, twin A and twin B!

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School begins, memories, emotions, loss, sadness and hope. All things wrapped up in one day.

Summer is coming to an end and a new school year begins. This year the kids will be in 5th grade. Give me a second to let that sink in… Holy cow, 5th grade! I can’t believe come Monday my two beautiful miracles will be walking the halls of their elementary school for the last year. They will be the oldest kids in the school and the doors will open for new activities and events leading up to their last days of elementary school. How did this happen? 

I remember the days it all started and how many challenges they faced right from the start. Parents would tell me to enjoy every moment of it because the time will pass and you won’t realize how important all those moments were. At the time, exhausted and afraid I thought the time would never pass but boy was I wrong. My 2lb 10oz and 4lb 12oz miracle babies are growing and thriving each day. And those days led us here. Their 5th grade year. 

Leading up to the beginning of the school year teachers send out letters to families introducing themselves to make the teacher “Meet and Greet” not so surprising. It also gives the kids some comfort knowing a little story about each teacher. As the letters were coming, we noticed that a lot of my daughter’s friends were not in her class. Most were in one class and some were spread out. She was really excited to have her friends together for her last year of elementary school but that wasn’t showing to happen. 

At that point she turned to me and said, “it’s ok mommy, I will make more friends in my new class.” What a grown up answer, I thought. I felt more at ease until the Meet and Greet. We got to meet her wonderful teachers. They were amazing and kind. She was happy to see them. It wasn’t until later and after she played with all her friends in the schoolyard that she felt a little down. I guess it hit her that she wouldn’t be in class with any of her close friends for her last school year. 

It will be a little different but so were the last couple of years with Covid. Things are rapidly changing every day and we need to stay positive and keep moving forward. It’s amazing how the kids have been at the same school since pre-k. Growing in a building as they have each year becomes like a second home. They see many familiar faces and welcoming staff and teachers that played a part in their life and create beautiful memories that will be with them always. We have been really fortunate with the amazing teachers we’ve had through the years. Reflecting back on this journey has me both crying and smiling. I will keep the faith that both my kids are right where they need to be to help them grow and explore this new and final year at their school. Maybe I am just a ball of emotions right now. 

So many things are happening all at once and my head and heart are feeling heavy.

In just the past week I have been to two funerals and that is not counting the others before that week. 

Today will be another one. Today is also September 11. Not only are we remembering all those that lost their life 20 years ago on that tragic September day. I am thinking of one very special friend who lost her life in one of the towers. She was kind and beautiful. I had the gift of being her friend and knowing her in elementary and when I moved, I enjoyed the many letters we exchanged through the years. She touched many lives and still does. 

Today I’m also remembering the many lives that are taken by COVID and just the loss that happens every day. Not only because COVID. So many lives are leaving us. Today is a heavy day felt all around the world, not just here. Today is the day for us to all mourn together in our own way. 

I would like to extend comforting healing hugs to all that are mourning a loss today. All those who are dealing with something so great that they are feeling alone. You are never alone. There is always someone there. Thinking of you. Praying for you and just smiling because someone said your name. 

I want to wish teachers, school staff, families and students all starting a new school year safety and good health. I hope this year is better than last and continues to be strong. May we each feel comfort in knowing our kids and families will be safe. 

Sorry. I told you I was all over the place with emotions.

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How to say goodbye while still living and moving on

Today I received an update about my friend’s cousin. I’ve been praying for her and her family ever since I found out that her cousin’s two daughters 12 and 9 were hospitalized for COVID. Her cousin (the mother) didn’t think she and her 12 year old needed to get vaccinated right away because her and the girls had healthy immune systems and never got sick so she pushed it off. Now she is regretting that decision watching both her daughters intubated in ICU. For two weeks now things didn’t look good. Yesterday they had to say goodbye to her 12 year old daughter Marisol because she lost her fight and became unresponsive. Her 9 year old is still in the ICU. Please help me in praying for Sonia. Please God give her the strength to keep fighting and get well enough to go home to her family. Please keep the Longoria family in your prayers. They need all the prayers and healing thoughts they can receive.

I’m so sad having to type this. My emotions are all over the place. I am trying so hard to smile and stay positive for my kids. Each day I wake up thankful that my children are safe, healthy and well. That I am able to hold them, see them smile and even get mad. See them grow and experience life good or bad. They are here with me, with us and I am so grateful. Each night I go to bed thanking God and praying for allowing me to have this. All that we experienced that day. 

I am thankful that I have a husband that loves us so much that he researches endlessly, reads so much and keeps us up to date with all that is going on. He pushes me to always do what is right for our family. He gives me the courage and strength I need when I feel depleted. 

I am so thankful that we were able to get vaccinated not only me but my husband, my parents and my sister. All that matters is that we are a little safer and we make it a little safer for those around us. 

I personally have lost a few people because of COVID and I don’t want to lose any more. We’ve witnessed so much loss all around us not only to COVID but the loss felt so greatly because we are in this scary time. Families that are losing people, my friends, can’t celebrate the life of their loved ones and mourn them surrounded by family because everything is limited to help keep the spread of COVID down. In the past year my beautiful and dear friend has lost family members and not to COVID. My dear friend lost her innocent, beautiful and kind daughter. A miracle and now she is not here. My friend lost her brother and just recently another friend lost her father, her best friend. Just a few days ago another friend lost her husband.

This life has brought us so much pain. Heightened our fear and questioned our faith. As hard as it seems, it has also brought us love, joy and happiness. It has made us smile even though we are crying. It has lifted our spirits when they were so low. It has shown us there is still a way. 

Everything around us shows us how much we still have and how tight we need to hold on to it. Life still needs to be lived and continued. Even though pieces of us are breaking and some days the pain seems unbearable, we need to look around us and see those still here and cherish those lives and continue to go on so you are not missing the next steps.

As hard as it is, we go on but that doesn’t mean the ones we lost are no longer with us because we carry them in our hearts. We carry them in the memories we created with them. We hold on to it all and move forward. 

Praying for all my friends and their families. I’m carrying them all with me. May God continue to give us the strength we need to face a new day.

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Gio and Isa’s Miracles – March for Babies 2021

It’s the time of year when I ask family and friends to join us on our journey through March for Babies. It’s a personal, touch my heart pull at my strings kind of time. It’s meaningful and very emotional. It’s about strength, hope, faith and love. It’s about sharing losses with so many mom’s and families. While also sharing and honoring those that are growing and thriving each day.
This year like last is very difficult for many of us. Last year with Covid increasingly growing and taking beautiful lives with it, I halted my fundraising efforts to allow people to grieve and grab onto all they could and needed to get by. I know we are still in this craziness of Covid, and I understand that you are limited in donating but I need to fulfill my duty in spreading the word and love to all that can hear me.
I am sharing our story with you as I do every year. Most of you have taken the journey right along with us. Sometimes walking side by side with us or by your words of support, your donations and your outpouring of love. We thank you. This year we are going to try and walk that walk proudly and very far apart, if allowed. If this year continues to be done virtually we will be there as we did last year.
We are honoring our sweet twins Giovanni and Isannah during this special time. Even though we are thankful for every moment of the day, even when they make me want to jump out the window, we support them. We honor them for their strength and determination to be here. To be present and live in this crazy world.

During this journey we remember infant lives taken too soon and we walk for them. We walk for friends and family who went through similar experiences as we did. We walk for the angels that are watching over us. We walk for friends and many others that go through it every day. We walk for hope that one day all babies win this fight.

Please read our story at https://www.marchforbabies.org/caramia626 and donate if you can. As little as a $1.00 helps. Share our page and believe in your heart that hope, LOVE and faith will bring us together.

Thank you for listening and taking the time to be with us. For those of you who have donated in the past, we appreciate you and thank you. If you have a company or work for a business that would like to sponsor our team, Gio and Isa’s Miracles, please let me know.
Stay safe, healthy and well. Thank you!