Quarantine Cuddles

Booger bear, little monkey, pooter butt, stinker britches, ham bone.

These names have been in my vocabulary at an alarming rate the past few weeks.

Who am I describing? Oh just my sweet lil nephew Jaxson.. otherwise known as Jax Man, another (less embarrassing) nickname I like to call him.

While the Coronavirus Quarantine has caused uncertainty, anxiety and sadness in many ways, it's also caused some unexpected blessings. More family time, a slower pace of life, communities coming together, added perspective, and for me... quarantine cuddles.

Life is full of unexpected surprises. When I moved to New York in February, I certainly didn’t know a global pandemic was coming the next month and that my new home would soon be the most infected city in the world... Surprise!

One of my favorite quotes is, "When you make Plans, God Laughs".

That quote has been very relevant for me these days.

Not ideal, but luckily I got out in time, my family and I are healthy and I'm still able to work remote with the NBPA. I have so much to be thankful for and I pray and empathize for those struggling through this time.

When my office in New York closed over a month ago, I decided it was best to dip for a couple of reasons.

1. Because it seemed like the smartest move.

2. Because I was tired of my mother calling me twice a day with frantic warnings to get out of the city.

Thanks mom, you were right.

This led me back to Kentucky - where you can see farmland for days and the closest neighbors are more than a safe social distance away. A much safer option than my life in New York riding the sardine can, I mean subway to work every day.

I compared the case totals too just to justify my decision.

New York City - 150,000 cases

Union County, KY - 2 cases

I'm coming home sis!

As you might expect, there isn't much to do in a town full of 3,500 people to begin with. But when a pandemic hits, and the only place you can go to is Walmart (1 per household of course)... your options become real limited.

Luckily, I had a cute 2 year old stinker to keep me entertained for a month.

Introducing Jaxson Thomas Hardesty... my sweet little angel baby.

Jaxson is my older sister Rachel's son, my nephew and the first grandchild of the family. He's the star of the show in the family.. for now at least (she's having baby #2 in June).

I knew Jaxson and I would have a special relationship from the day he was born. For those who know me, I'm not a super emotional person... but when Jaxson was born... I cried like a baby.

I couldn't help it - the tears just flowed!

Most people don't know this, but Jaxson was born with a rare genetic disorder called

Prader-Willi syndrome.

It's pretty complex and can have affects on appetite, growth, metabolism, cognitive function and behavior among other things.

When he was diagnosed with PWS, you can imagine how concerned my sister was. Hearing your child has a genetic disorder is downright SCARY and it's natural to think: Why us? Now what? How are we going to manage this?