Pesach 2022

We made it through Pesach. I've gotten preps down to a science over the years, doing the basics and getting help wherever I can, but it was still a lot. I paid my cleaning crew extra to do a deep cleaning including the oven and fridge. I ordered some catered trays of food to ease the amount I needed to cook. We limited hosting to just two meals, and declined any invitations because I'm not up to walking anywhere these days. Many family members were traveling out of town and the one that stayed local had tested positive for covid so they were isolating.

There were no days where I was off work and he was off school for me to just crank everything out, and everything takes longer with a toddler trying to help. I hired a neighbor's 11 year old a few times to help us entertain him while I cooked and prepared. My husband helped as much as he could around his work schedule. Chol hamoed was hard with cold and rainy weather. I tried to do an activity every day, trying to stay within budget and considering my limitations for how far I can walk or move.  Somehow we managed to keep him happy, fed, entertained, and occupied for the past 10 days. When he's in a good mood it's a really fun stage; when he's in a less-good mood it can be really challenging to stay patient. We're lucky that he's generally well-behaved. As much as we love spending time with him and enjoy his energy and newfound independence and curiosity for everything, I find myself breathing a sigh of relief at bedtime when he finally falls asleep and we have some quiet... then I miss him. 

We're still on weekly appointments. I'm up 12 lbs from transfer date but look huge. People are visibly uncomfortable when I bend down to pick something up, or get up from a sitting position. For the most part I feel ok, just a lot of tightness in my lower back. I tried to schedule physical therapy but everyone was booked. I ended up getting a prenatal massage and it was just ok - didn't release any tension in my lower back and wasn't as good as a usual massage. Maybe it was just not a good therapist.

We know it's getting close but are having trouble wrapping our mind around it. I need to install the infant car seat, pull some newborn clothes out of storage to wash, and get the room ready. I think I needed to get past Pesach first to be able to mentally make the shift. On one hand we barely had anything set up for the first (because we were so superstitious) and it was fine; on the other hand I know things will transition more smoothly if we prepare in advance before we're sleep deprived trying to juggle newborn and toddler.