Little Reagan Caldwell  was all smiles as he got a good look at his father, Brandon, a captain in the US Air Force who had just returned home to New York from a stint in Antarctica.

Reagan was infected with Group B Strep (GBS) shortly after he was born, according to his mother, Amanda. As a result, he came down with sepsis, meningitis, and other illnesses, and was rushed to an intensive care unit at hospital, according to the Caters News Agency.

Mrs Brandon quit her job as a teacher to care for Reagan. Then her husband was deployed to Antarctica in what she said “was the hardest deployment yet by far”.

Before he returned, his little boy had received the special glasses to improve his vision as part of a recovery regime that also includes physical and speech therapy.

“I was never told this could make my baby sick after leaving the hospital,” Mrs Reagan told ABC7 news. “I want moms to ask questions, do research on it, and if you think there’s something going on with your baby take them in to the paediatrician or the emergency room.”

Capt Brandon was still in uniform when he picked up his baby boy and sang “Patty cake, Patty cake” to him. In the video, Little Reagan peers at him. His reactions are priceless. Finally, his little boy rests his head on his father’s chest.

“You can see how hard it was for Brandon to be away from Reagan by the emotion he showed when he finally had him in his arms again,” Mrs Reagan told ABC7 news. “Reagan did not skip a beat and is loving having daddy back home.”