LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — An Arkansas family is sharing their delight after their first born son and his new baby brother were finally able to meet in person.
The last few months have been tough as friends and family continue to practicing socially distancing because of the coronavirus. Everyone, including elderly people, ones with underlying health conditions and pregnant women are encouraged to keep their distance from others as the pandemic continues.
It's very difficult for a mother to keep her distance from her first born, but if it's to keep everyone healthy, then the moment they reunite is exceptionally sweet — especially if you are introducing the newest addition to the family.
Zachary Price of Bryant, Arkansas shared a video on Facebook of his 2-year-old son Preston greeting his mother and new baby brother Beckett at the door for the first time since his birth.
"Wanted to share a little bit of happiness through this time. #COVID19 kept our 2-year-old son, Preston, from coming to the hospital. It was hard not having him with us, but his excitement when he finally got to meet his new baby brother was absolutely priceless. Thank you for watching!"
Price said this was the first time either him or his wife had left their first born for more than a few hours, nearing almost three full days in total.
"From the moment I told him baby brother was in mommy’s tummy, he would always give big smiles and get so excited when we talked about him," Price said. "His nickname was “baby druh druh” (baby brother), and he would always give my wife’s belly hugs and kisses!"
As COVID-19 slowly became more of a threat and more of a worry, having a child in the midst of it all became very scary for the Price family.
"The hospital restricted all visitors 3-4 weeks before our due date, keeping me and my son from going with my wife, which is something we always did," Price said. "Not being able to have our families and friends around to meet him, help out if we needed, and just share this special time is very heartbreaking."
2-year-old meets baby brother for 1st time during COVID-19 crisis
Price and his wife used FaceTime to see their first born soon after baby Beckett was born.
"It was great to see him and show him, but it’s definitely not the same, seeing him from a screen. There was a time we FaceTimed our first son on day two and he just broke out in tears because he didn’t realize why mommy and daddy were not with him. It extremely hard seeing him like that."
Price's wife's family, the Gramling’s, surprised them with a parade outside of their home the day after they came back from the hospital.
"They drove by our house and we stayed at the front porch where they could see him from a safe distance," Price said.