Elephant’s Continually-updating Coronavirus Diary. ~ Waylon

Last night I woke up at 3:34 in the morning to find my bedroom door ajar.

I got up to check that everything was okay in the house, and have a drink of water. I looked over my shoulder and noticed that my son, Valentino, was sleeping on the couch. He had kept his promise to look after me.

He has been so scared lately. He doesn’t understand why it’s taking mom so long to recover. He told me that he’s been leaving his bed after we say goodnight so he can sleep on the couch and check on me to make sure I’m still alive.

Imagine that! It is the purest form of love ever known.

These incredible little boys are only seven—little seven-year-old warriors. Valentino’s twin brother, Emiliano, wakes up every day, and the first thing he asks his brother is, “And mom? Is she good?” He then checks on me himself. Emiliano is older by only a minute.

They never cease to amaze me; their resilience is incredible.

From the moment they were born, they started to change my life. They’re a pair of old souls, wise beyond their years. Sometimes I feel like they teach me and not vice versa. They have incredible ideas and learn so fast. They learned about astronomical units at age five, and Valentino even did a presentation for his classmates about it. He had me help him with a diagram of all the planets. He knew them all by heart. His teacher allowed him to explain to his kindergarten class what astronomical units were and how many moons each planet has.

Emiliano is a little shyer but a smart cookie. He always knows what to say to cheer people up. He’s witty and straightforward. Sometimes a little too much, just like his momma. He started talking about World War II when he was only four.

He would randomly say things like, “When I was a soldier during World War II, we hid in a bunker and…” then he would look at us and smile. It sounds so funny coming from such a small child, but as he has grown, so has his love for soldiers. He used to hold conversations with strangers teaching them about what happened during the war, and when people would fact-check him, they’d be blown away at his accuracy.

Reincarnation? Maybe. Astonishing? Absolutely!

Did I mention they’re The Beatles’ biggest fans? They have a collection of vinyl records and their own record player. Their dream is to go to Liverpool and follow the steps of Ringo, George, John, and Paul. Visit the places where they lived and, of course, Apple Studios.

Emiliano dreams about meeting Ringo Starr but is afraid he may not wait around until my son turns 30. Valentino’s favorite is John Lennon; his theory is that if he had stayed married to Cynthia Powell, he would still be alive today. The minds of little boys, right?

I was afraid of how they would react to their mom having this virus. I try to keep them away from the media. I will not add to their stress. I’ve tried my best to keep a smile on my face through this and keep reassuring them I am not going to die. They said I don’t have permission to die until I’m 100 years old anyway!

Suffering the effects of this virus has been challenging. There are days where I can’t get out of bed. It’s scary to feel my body so weak, but I don’t want to make this about me or the virus. I want to praise my children for being so brave and always keeping a smile on their face.

I want them to know they are so inspiring and incredible! I am so proud of them for being so patient and so kind through this hardship. They’re doing great with learning remotely, and their teachers have been so supportive. They’re becoming independent little men, and I can’t be any prouder of them.

They are the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I can’t wait to get better to teach them new things like gardening and how to grow their own tomatoes!

I want these kids to thrive and travel with me to every corner of the world so they can keep feeding their minds!

Until then, I will continue to push through this illness until I beat it.

~