It’s raining, and our two-year-old son Jack is standing behind his cheese stoop, watching through a curious set of eyes as the storm pours down and rattles its drops against the asphalt. We named the stoop back in January before COVID entered into our lives, and Jack stopped going to that place he knew as “school,” where his friends and teachers surrounded him with love while his parents worked.

It was his routine ever since he was four-months-old, and ours as well. From the stoop, he’s made friends with mailmen and UPS drivers, neighbors and strangers, dogs, and city workers alike.

And since the lockdown began in March, he’s gone from scooting, standing, and walking to running and climbing. From a little tyke who giggled and squeaked to a big boy who can tell you that Cookie Monster is blue, who can dance with the best of them, and shovels down food and snacks at an alarming rate.

This is a story about a very strange time in our lives, as it has been for everyone across the globe. We have been lucky, fortunate, and privileged enough to wait out a pandemic as a family unit with food, shelter, and jobs, while many across the country and the world struggle. Our story is not one of hardship, but one that shares how lucky we were to spend a little more time watching our son grow while we did our best to work and maintain sanity.

All that being said, just what is a cheese stoop? There’s only one way to find out.