Weâre at the point in this pandemic where the ânew normalâ has set in, even if none of it feels normal. Aside from the many closures, layoffs and postponements, the daily fabric of our lives has shifted dramatically, and weâre having to figure out creative ways to do things that were so straightforward, in the Before. Like meeting a tiny new family member for the first time.
In a poignant picture from Ireland that went viral over the weekend, a father holds his newborn son up by the window so that his own dad can safely catch a glimpse from outside. The look on this grandfatherâs face as he gazes at his new grandchild is one of affection, but also deep yearning.
âHe is looking forward to holding the baby soon,â Emma Gallagher, the babyâs aunt, wrote on Twitter.
âThree generations of social distancing as my dad meets his grandson for the first time,â her caption read.
Gallagher and her extended family live in Meath on the east coast of Ireland, just north of Dublin. Her brotherâs wife, also named Emma, gave birth to baby FaolĂĄn a little more than a week ago, Gallagher told HuffPost Canada. It was FaolĂĄnâs mom who took the photo.
In the days following FaolĂĄnâs birth, coronavirus cases started to escalate in Ireland: schools closed; public spaces emptied; St. Patrickâs Day celebrations were cancelled. According to the latest figures on Tuesday, there are more than 1,000 confirmed cases in the country, which has a population of fewer than five million people.
âIt was very scary for [FaolĂĄnâs parents] to come home from hospital and realize how serious things had become,â Gallagher said.
The medical authorities recommended that Gallagherâs brother and his wife limit the number of visitors baby FaolĂĄn meets, and that ideally no one else would come into contact with him, if possible.
âWe are all taking that advice very seriously as we know now that babies can contract the virus,â Gallagher said.
âIt is difficult not to meet him properly just yet and hard on the new parents especially,â she said. âBut we are visiting through the window daily.