SHOWING THEIR LOVE
Family members formed a Mother’s Day parade in front of the Amica Britannia seniors residence on Sunday to visit their mothers and grandmothers from a distance.
Welcoming a newborn into the world is overwhelming as it is, but doing so during a global pandemic is unheard of in modern times.
Calgary parents Jamie and Stuart Gradon have started calling their four-month-old son Malcolm “bunker baby” as they grapple with the new reality of pandemic parenting.
“It has been a really wonderful experience, but you throw a global pandemic in the mix and it’s a bit bizarre,” Jamie said.
“It’s basically the same, on one hand, for what you think about having a new baby: lots of diapers, lots of crying, lots of puke, lots of late nights, but we’re also doing it totally on our own. We understand the importance of the pandemic and the virus and we’re happy to do what we need to do, but that also means our little guy hasn’t met so much of our family.”
Family visits aren’t a reality right now for the Gradons, so video calling has become the norm for introducing their little boy Malcolm to close friends and family. They’re also taking extra precautions when leaving the house — and they’re leaving the house rarely.
“It’s a little bit sad but it’s also surreal,” Jamie said. “It’s also the day-to-day stuff, like, what happens if you run out of diapers? You don’t want to keep running to the store, so you’re constantly thinking ahead — but he grows so fast.”
She said Malcolm can outgrow multiple sizes in a month, so ordering clothes online is tricky, but they’re taking it in stride. They’re just happy to be at home with a healthy and happy baby boy.
“We do feel fortunate,” Stuart said. “We know COVID-19 has been devastating for so many and there are many who have been required to sacrifice so much.”
Like many others, they celebrated Mother’s Day indoors on Sunday, with special plans in place to commemorate Jamie’s first year as a mom.
Maddie Bemrose, who has an eight-month-old, said her Mother’s Day plans were pretty tame, too, including a couple of long walks and food from local restaurants to celebrate with her family.
Bemrose said she’s privileged to be able to spend time at home with her newborn while the COVID-19 pandemic affects lives across the globe. She’s sticking to a strict schedule and is happy to have her husband at home to spend more time with their first child.
“It’s probably the best time to be a new mom with a healthy baby,” she said. “My life honestly didn’t change much. I was already home with a new baby and now there’s no pressure to go out to every mom group or rhyme time at the library, and just kind of hang out at home and enjoy those moments that go by a little too quickly.”
She said it will be interesting to tell her son in the future what happened — spending his first year in a world flipped upside-down.
Bemrose said she’ll tell him how they did their part to lessen the effect of COVID-19 by staying home and supporting local business whenever possible.
Mothers Shevaughn Smith, who has a three-month-old and a twoyear-old, and Eleni Cumming, whose daughter was seven months old on Sunday, both said missing out on opportunities to connect with other parents and attend activities with their kids is a letdown.
But they’re making the most of a unique situation.
“We can’t just be spontaneous with things and we’re very cautious of taking the baby out where we wouldn’t have otherwise before,” Cumming said. She’s managed to keep her newborn occupied by rotating toys, getting ideas from other moms and even using household items, like a laundry basket, for her daughter to play with.
For Smith, it’s all about being thankful for the little things.
“It’s hard keeping them entertained all the time but we go out for lots of walks,” she said. “Instead of going to the playground, we’re very observant people now. We look for interesting things to look at. We love the construction sites and the community gardens.”
Smith said this Mother’s Day was special nonetheless — and one to remember.