CORNER BROOK, N.L. — After 10 and half weeks apart, a Corner Brook doctor and her daughters have been reunited.
“Oh, it was just the best feeling,” said Dr. Shanda Slipp of the moment she held Alice, 7, and Evie, 5.
In March, when the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic started to be felt, Shanda, a family physician, and her husband Dr. Aiden Brazil, a respirologist, were faced with a bit of uncertainty with child-care and their jobs. They knew they could be called upon to work on the frontlines and worried about bringing the virus home.
After considering their options they decided to take Alice and Evie to New Brunswick to stay with Shanda’s parents, Joyce and Dick Slipp.
Last Friday, Shanda met her parents and the girls at the Nova Scotia-New Brunswick border. The three of them returned home on Saturday, June 6 and are self-isolating for 14 days.
Shanda was a bit nervous as she approached the border, wondering if she’d be allowed to cross into New Brunswick. If her parents came into Nova Scotia they would have to self-isolate when they went back.
All went well and she met them at the Irving in Aulac, N.B.
“As I pulled up, they just ran out and ran over. Just the best giant hug you could ever imagine.”
As the family was getting back into the swing of things on Monday, Shanda had no regrets with their decision.
“We needed child care was the main thing and we didn’t know how long it would be,” she said. “Obviously, it was really long and hard. Harder than I thought it would be. The evenings and weekends were just long and quiet. When you’re used to chaos, and noise, and coming and going, and schedules, and activities and all that is just gone. It was a weird feeling.”
What made it easier for her was knowing her children were well cared for.
“And great for them because it’s kind of a priceless stretch of time with their grandparents that they might not have gotten otherwise.”
Being able to do virtual care, Shanda and Aiden’s schedules are more flexible, and their daycare is now available when they need it.
“This is it now. We kind of have to plan for this is life now.”
Alice understands why she and Evie had to go to New Brunswick.
“Because of the virus, my parents had to work, and the daycares and stuff were closed.”
When asked what she enjoyed about being at her grandparents, Alice said “going to my cousins’ house.”
Evie replies to the same question with “same as Alice. We had a sleepover.”
Shanda’s brother, Tyler Slipp, and sister-in-law Katie Slipp and their three kids live in Fredericton and got to double bubble with them giving the cousins lots of time together.
But there’s no doubt the girls missed home.
Alice said she was “so happy” to see her mom. “I just ran out of the car. Grammie said wait and I couldn’t.”
Joyce and Dick said it’s definitely been quieter at their home since the girls have left.
“We were happy for them that they could finally get to see their parents and be in their own environment. So, we were more happy for them than sad that they were leaving,” said Joyce.
Having the girls spend time with them is something Joyce said they looked forward to.
Dick said they initially thought it would be about three weeks.
“As I watched the coverage on COVID though I got the sense that it would be two months.”
The length of time didn’t matter though as it gave them time together.
“It was good for us and for them because we would have been very bored, I think, here without them,” said Joyce.
“We had really nothing much else to do. So, we would each take one and if they wanted to do crafts, we wouldn’t say ‘well wait a minute I’ve got to do this,’ we would just do it with them. I think they got spoiled with so much one-on-one attention.”
Dick especially enjoyed getting to know the girls a little better.
“You get that sort of concentrated conversation with them.”
They spent a lot of time outdoors, kayaking, visiting a beaver lodge, playing, pretending to build houses, and exploring.
“They were always excited about seeing the wildlife and doing things outdoors.
“As much as anything I enjoyed watching the two of them. And then later the other three cousins come and they go in little groups and do their things together and you get to watch them, too.”
The hardest thing was in the evenings when the girls would get tired.
“They would really talk about their parents more and miss them,” said Joyce. “We certainly miss them because it made the days go by very fast.”
Twitter: WS_DianeCrocker
@western_star
