Dear baby boy,
You have now been in this crazy world for 3 months. For 3 months, you have brought us daily happiness and light in a way that only a baby can. I’ve wanted to write you a letter since you were born, but juggling daily life in a pandemic with 3 young kids is, unsurprisingly, nothing less than chaotic.
You are a 2020 baby. You were born in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. These are facts that you will probably be reminded of your entire life. One day, I am sure that you will wonder, “Why is it so special that I am a 2020 baby?” Because the only life you know is life in 2020. You only know a world that is full of masks and limited time spent outside of our home or really with anyone outside of your immediate family.
This isn’t how it was supposed to be. This isn’t how it should be. But here’s the thing, 2020 was also pretty magical, and there is such beauty in being a 2020 baby. And, one day, likely in the near future, life will go back to normal, and we will look back fondly on when you were born in 2020.
You should have met your sisters at the hospital on the day you were born. But there were no visitors allowed at the hospital. Instead, your daddy and I got special time with just you, before the chaos ensued that is now life as a family of 5. And it was all the more special that they got to meet you for the first time at the same time that they welcomed you into our home.
You should have been squeezed, smooched, and fawned over by all our friends and family. They would have seen the magic of your face turning into a grin, your laugh that makes us smile so hard that our cheeks ache, and your delicious rolls. Instead, we got to keep you all for our own for just a little bit. And we Zoomed, we FaceTimed, and we sent an obscene amount of pictures and videos than we ever have and our family and friends still get to see you grow, even if it’s over a screen. Thanks to technology, we got to keep you safe at home and still show you off to the world.
Your sisters should not have been home distance learning during my maternity leave. Your daddy should have been at work all day, every day. We should have had uninterrupted days of quiet, naps, and snuggles, just you and me. Instead, your entire family got to be home with you. Your sisters got to hold and snuggle you on breaks in between live classes. They got to spend so much more time with you as a newborn than they would have spent with you if they were in school every day. They learned so much about babies and got to connect with you in a way that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.
Without what was 2020, we may not have fully appreciated the gift of a newborn. In a year of uncertainty, we know that you will make us smile every single day. We know that we can count on your snuggles and your innocence and pure happiness. You have been our light this year, showing us that even though the world is a little scary right now, life is still beautiful.
Yes, we indeed missed out on a lot. But the thing is, I wouldn’t change a thing. It’s easy to think of all the things we missed out on and not realize all of the experiences we were lucky enough to have instead. You may hear people say that 2020 was the worst year ever. Please pay no attention when they say this. I want you to know that to our family, 2020 was truly the best year ever.
Although the reasons why 2020 was the best year are endless, the most important reason is that 2020 gave us you. And you, baby boy, are the most beautiful thing of all. So when people remark that you were a 2020 baby, I want you to remember how loved you are and how much happiness and peace you bring to your family.
Love,
Mommy
