TITLE: Corona Baby

My daughter was born during a significant time when Covid19 took the world by storm. The past year has transformed almost every aspect of our world. With three waves and subsequent shutdowns crushing our freedom of movement, our lives have changed in critical ways, and dramatic shifts were created, affecting our choices and livelihoods. She does not really understand what all of this means and the impacts yet.

Because of the lockdowns, our flexibility and choices were limited when it comes to ways of entertaining a baby. The manner in which we had anticipated on introducing our child to the outside world had to change and many of the activities we had hoped to do with her were not possible. We were mainly confined to our home and we used whatever creativity and resources to keep our child grounded, interested in learning, and happy.

Looking back at the photos that I had taken of her was like looking at a time capsule: capturing her growth and development; displaying her interests and expressions; and sharing her sense of curiosity and exploration. We spent more time indoors than what we would have liked. However, whatever the new tomorrow is, we hope that when we all leave this distorted sense of time, as we return to 'normal life,' our daughter will appreciate and learn more about our beautiful world, to capture the zest of life, and cherish time, with empathy and understanding as she grows up.

AUTHOR: Michelle Zheng (Austria)