We can’t believe that today marks two whole years since Junior and Mini ESLT joined our team and made it complete. Looking back to pre-adoption and the adoption journey, it feels like a million years ago. It really does feel like the girls have always been with us. Gone are the socially awkward and heavily delayed 5-year-old and the mute 23-month-old. They have been replaced with a 7-year-old who is happily the centre of attention, loves playing sports (this girl can run!) and is everyone’s friend and an almost 4-year-old who never…ever…ever…….shuts up, has her own girl gang and certainly knows her own mind. 2 years on Team ESLT is not only surviving, we are thriving and looking forward to what’s next. But in the meantime here’s a look back on the last year.
COVID-19
The pandemic (or that bitch Rona as it’s known as by the adult members of our team) really put the kibosh on a lot of things over the past year. We had big plans….press trips to Spain, a visit to see the Main Mouse in Paris, a self-set target of visiting all the soft plays in the area etc. All of which we simply couldn’t do because of lockdown.
It did mean, however, that we got to spend more time with the tiny human faction of Team ESLT. This was great news for our kids. In fact, for adopted kids in general, as much family time as possible is always a good thing. If the attachment wasn’t there before last March is most certainly is now. We have lived in each other’s pockets, even opting not to have a child-care social bubble up until very recently when we enlisted Grandma and Grandpa and YES, we finally had our first child-free night in 22 months.
We also learnt very quickly that teachers are angels that walk the earth. Homeschooling one school-aged child was actual living hell. How teachers teach a class of 30 on a daily basis is beyond us. Luckily for us, we only had to endure homeschooling for a couple of days whilst Mr ESLT and I obtained the necessary Key Worker documentation from our employers. Therefore, both Junior and Mini have been to school and nursery throughout the third lockdown. Both have come on leaps and bounds – emotionally, physically, mentally and socially. It has also helped us keep them unaware of the bigger worldwide picture and simply be kids.
Granted, over the past year our wine consumption has gone up but it really has been a great time for us as a family.
Travelling In Pandemic
Or lack of travelling in a pandemic more like. Going from 12 international trips to none was a thorough shock to the system, especially as it had already been a year since our last international trip too. But we were in a pandemic no one was travelling. Therefore when we got a brief respite from restrictions last summer we packed the car up as quickly as possible and drove to Cardiff to visit Chris’ mum and stepdad.
Trips to Cardiff prior to COVID had always been lovely but also part of our travelling tapestry. In 2020 it became the main event and we made the most of every second. It was lovely for the kids to see their grandparents. We had been lucky enough to see them just 2 weeks prior to the 1st national lockdown in March 2020. However, in a 2-year-old’s world (as Mini ESLT was then), 5 months is a lifetime. Farms, beaches and eating out, all things we had pre-Rona taken for granted were now front and centre of our travel experience. NEVER has a Pizza Express tasted so good!
Of course, we have day trips as well – local beaches, kids theme parks, activity centres, (many, many, many) woodland walks etc all of which the kids loved. We even managed to seek in a long weekend in the Yorkshire Dales before the 2nd lockdown. It was a great weekend of fun and family bonding. However, in future, we’d rather spend our October half term doing that in 26-degree heat, not the pissing English rain.
We have also just returned from a long weekend in Northumberland. With lockdown measures eased and attractions open for business, we had a great time exploring the castles, coastline and countryside that part of the world has to offer. Also, and we are still in shock about this – the sun shone! Yes – a bank holiday weekend in England and we had sunshine!
Getting Back To ‘Normal’
Barring the first lockdown when people thought you could catch COVID simply by looking at someone the wrong way (I swear some people still do), everything at ESLT HQ has been pretty much normal throughout. Mr ESLT has worked, I have (albeit from home) and as mentioned above, the kids have been at school and nursery the whole time. Therefore, as we have been allowed to do more stuff and things have reopened we have been first in the queue. We have lost a year to this virus, we are not losing another.
We wear our masks and wash out hands and get on with life and hope that true normal will return very soon, even if it’s not the 21st June as predicted (although fingers crossed it is!)
The kids have been enjoying proper days out again, eating in cafes and even going to birthday parties. As they are only small, I hope COVID-19 does not have a lasting effect on them and that ‘the time when we had to wear masks and not see our loved ones’ is simply a vague recollection in the future.
For some people, we understand that the return to normal will be a longer and more complex road, especially if the worry stems from fear. We hope they get there at some point because whether we like it or not Rona or one of her pesky variants is here to stay for the foreseeable.
Future Travel
Last year when I was convinced we would be sunning ourselves in some far off land this summer, Mr ESLT had the foresight to book a luxury lodge in Cornwall. Therefore, we have a week exploring and keeping our fingers crossed for nice weather. We cannot wait as me and the girls have never visited before and Mr ESLT has only been once when he was young. From there we will be heading to Cardiff to spend some quality time with nanna and grandad before heading to (finally) see the Salty Sausage (Peppa Pig) and her mates.
With nothing major planned for the rest of 2021 (due to Mr ESLT’s work pattern not matching up with the kids being at school), we are very much on the countdown for 2022.
We have a week in Dubai booked for the February half term and two weeks in Orlando booked for Easter. Together with a couple of other things in the pipeline for later in 2022. Having never been on a plane with the girls before, we are hoping that they find it fun and exciting and do not lose their shit mid-air!
The Next Year
The next year we hope to be able to continue having day trips, travel and plan future adventures. We also hope to spend more time with family and friends. Junior ESLT is settled in school and is really looking forward to moving up a year with her friends. And Mini ESLT is super excited to start ‘big’ school in September (where has my baby gone?).
Team ESLT really are living their best lives, now Rona – sling your hook!
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