Freaking out the Normals

Taking Ellie out in public with her gear can be an interesting experience. She looks very healthy and giggles and screams like an almost-11-month old baby should. Without the pump and tube this usually gets a smile from people in the grocery store or restaurant.

Happy babies do that (even with the shiner under her eye):

There is something about the white tube hanging from her crotch that makes people turn into idiots.

Today for example, we went to lunch here in Wellesley. Abby, Ellie, my sister Beth and I. As we went in to the diner, Abby went in and I got Ellie out of the stroller along with her little black backpack and the white tube attached to her.

When Abby went in ahead of us, she ran into a woman who was staring out the window at us, telling her friend,

“Look, that baby has an IV. I wonder what is wrong with that baby? Look! Look ! She’s coming in here. There must be something really wrong with that baby…..”

Needless to say the woman shut up and looked sheepish when I walked in with Gut Girl and she realized Abby was that baby's mother .

Abby and I have noticed this pattern too many times to count. At the mall at the store, in restaurants.

We have even given it a name- Freaking Out the Normals.

You can follow their eyes in a pattern- Eye contact with me, look at Ellie, see her tube, and look away as fast as possible. Run away.

I have to admit I honestly don’t care about what anyone thinks and have stopped trying to cover it up at all.

Sometimes, I even let the tube hang extra long just to mess with people.

I guess it comes down to the fact that we are proud of our girl and everything that she has been through. Right now her pump is part of who she is and if anyone can’t deal with that, well you know what they can do with it.

We have decided that we won’t flaunt her tubes at Baby’s R’ Us anymore. Expectant parents have enough to worry about without a flesh and blood illustration of what could be.

Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt.