Samuel Gets COVID

 

Our five-year-old grandson had COVID-19.  Ken and I have talked many times about who might get it first in our family.  Hope against hope was that none of them ever would.  But Sammy did.

Kristen was putting on a huge birthday party for Audrey in their home last Saturday.  Jared took the little ones to the park so she could get it all ready without distraction.  When they got home, the guests were there for the party.  Sammy came up to Kristen and said, "I want you."  She picked him up and immediately noticed he was very hot.  She took him upstairs and took his temperature- 101.3.  She put him to bed.  They checked him an hour later and his temperature was 103.  Kristen called all over town until she found a drug store that had self tests for COVID.  Jared went and bought one and tested him- positive!  

He was in the room with the party people only briefly, so hopefully they were not exposed.  Right now all the rest of his family tested negative.  We hope it stays that way.

He said a kid in his class threw up at school, and since he hadn't really been anywhere else, they are pretty sure he contracted it at school.  

Kristen called their pediatrician and she was most reassuring and told Kristen how to isolate and care for him.

I think their isolation solution was brilliant: They have a lovely room they call the library just by the front door of their house.  Right next to that is a bathroom.  The room has glass doors, so Sammy stayed in there. It is where they hold their Come, Follow Me discussions usually.  It has a nice flat screen tv, a large table, a piano, and is very comfortable.  He slept in there at night and Kristen slept on the couch near there.  When she went in, she masked up and no one else was allowed to go in.

The other kids were so loving and solicitous of him.

These pictures that Kristen sent of his siblings serving him really touched my heart:

Nathan and Audrey made him his favorite scrambled eggs on toast

 They were creative in helping Sammy through this.  Daddy went and bought happy meals and they had a happy meal picnic outside.

They  let him play outside on the deck and in the backyard.  Little Lissi couldn't understand why she couldn't go out and play with him.

Kind friends brought over treats and activities to help him pass the time.

Playing with bubbles outside.

One friend brought over a Halloween house for him to decorate.

We "tended" him one morning while his mom went to a yoga class.  I told him I was going to read him a story that my mom used to read to me when I was his age.  "What?" he said.  "You used to be five like me?"  "Yes," I said, I used to be five like you.  I can remember when I was five."  "Ahhhh!" he laughed, "I thought you were always a grandma."

Another fun craft from a ward member:

The quarantine is over as of today!!!  Yea!  All the rest of the family took COVID tests today and none of them got it!  That truly is a miracle.  We truly feel blessed.  It was not an easy two weeks, but they all feel blessed that it ended well.