A local Marine stationed in Japan was able to be part of his son’s birth thanks to a webcam and Skype. Greg Barron, of Rockwood, Somerset County, and Shyla Collins welcomed baby Gavin into the world Tuesday afternoon at Windber Hospital.
The couple had thought they were having a girl and, Barron even sent all types of pink baby items from Hawaii while they were expecting.
After 33 hours of labor, Baby Gavin entered the world as a spitting image of his dad and perfectly healthy at 8 pounds 11 ounces.
“The hospital was real nice,” Collins, of Central City, said. “They sent the Red Cross a message so Greg was allowed to walk out of duty and call to make sure he was OK.”
While Barron said he wished he could be there, the webcam was next best thing.
“Skype is going to be our little friend for a while,” he said.
Barron will spend five more months in Japan, and Collins said when he gets home it will be a grand reunion. Until then, she’ll tell Gavin all about his dad.
“He should be proud of him. It’s very, very hard for him to be gone,” she said. “I’m proud of him and he should be very proud of what he’s doing and what he’s giving up to do it.”