Two little buddies born during the height of the Covid pandemic are ready to start their first day at Graceville State School in Brisbane's southwest next Tuesday (28 January).
Four-year-old prep students Mack Finlayson and Rohaan Ratnam-Elmore were born at South Brisbane's Mater Mothers' Hospital in 2020, just two months apart at the height of the global pandemic.
Mack was born nearly double his buddy's size on 14 March, tipping the scales at 4.06kg while pint-sized Rohaan arrived on Mother's Day (10 May), six weeks early and weighing just 2.1kg.
Across the state, an estimated 12,000 Mater babies are expected to start school on 28 January.
The boys share a special bond after their mum's met at the local library when their older sisters, now aged seven, were only a few months old.
Mack's mum Anna Finlayson said giving birth during the pandemic was a "tough time" as her daughter Billie, who was a toddler at the time, was unable to visit her in hospital.
"I remember those Covid lockdowns with a newborn, toddler, and an essential worker (construction) husband, being really hard," Mrs Finlayson said.
"At the time I was really wishing for Mack and his big sister to be off to school, now I am quite sad to see him go.
"He's my baby and now he's off to school!
"He's so ready and I am fortunate to have had so much time with him, that I may not have had if not for all those lockdowns in Queensland."
She said it had been amazing to watch little Rohaan and Mack and their older siblings play together and now attend the same primary school.
As the school year kicks off, Mack said he was looking forward to making new friends, seeing what new toys are in his classroom - and learning how to read.
Rohaan said he was looking forward to wearing his new black school shoes and joining his sister at "big school".
Rohaan's dad Craig Elmore said as a second-time premmie dad, the birth of his son during the pandemic was at times "challenging".
"Our daughter Isla was a toddler at the time. She couldn't visit her mum or meet her baby brother for the first time in hospital," Mr Elmore said.
"We did daily FaceTime calls, but it wasn't the same as capturing the first moment a child meets their younger sibling in hospital."
Mr Elmore said Isla was also born premature at Mater Mothers' Hospital in 2017 at 29 weeks' gestation and described her arrival as a "completely different experience".
"Life with a toddler, and a tiny premature baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for two weeks during a pandemic was a bit of a juggling act," he said.
"Birthing a child is hard enough, but throw in a premature baby, a global pandemic and social isolation and it's something no one can forget."
