We left our beloved apartment in NYC two days after our third daughter, Margaret, was born. We have been quarantining in our cottage in Pennsylvania for the past 10 weeks. We finally made a brief return visit to our home in NYC this past weekend. All 3 girls had doctor appointments, and Margaret was due for her first round of vaccines.

Here are some images that I captured as we walked through our apartment for the first time in months:

Moments Frozen in Time

1. Our mail file, with Margaret’s newborn paperwork

2. Dishes washed in March, ready to be put away in May

3. Remnants of our “Welcome Home, Margaret” day

4. Artwork from the day we came home from the hospital

5. St. Patrick’s Day window cling decorations

6. Mabel’s birthday shoes, purchased for a party that never happened

7. Emily’s winter coat and Margaret’s ultrasound pictures

It has taken several days for Emily and me to begin to process our brief trip back home. It was bittersweet to walk the streets near our apartment, see neighbors on the sidewalk from a distance, and realize how much our neighborhood has truly changed. It was difficult to reenter our apartment, see the moments frozen in time from 2 months earlier, and then immediately prepare to leave again. We ordered delicious bagels and iced coffee, gathered supplies for the summer, the girls chose a few dolls and toys to take with us, and then we left. We are thankful for our cottage in Pennsylvania, but miss our apartment in NYC.

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