Everywhere we go, people point us out. At the mall and the market and the grocery store, they stop in their tracks, elbow their friends, smile in our direction, laugh with delight. Everyone loves us.
Actually, since people don’t point and whisper when I’m alone (unless it’s behind my back), I’ll have to give most of the credit to Ruby. She is a pretty freaking cute baby to begin with, and when she’s riding joey-style in my sling, with just her big head and the odd arm poking out… well, we can’t be beat.
For the most part, I ignore the adoration. Part of me is just plain anti-social, but most of me wants to send a message. It is perfectly normal for a ruggedly handsome man to be walking around the grocery store in the middle of the day with an adorable baby. We are just doing our thing. We’re not showing off, and this certainly isn’t a rare exception while we give Mom a much-needed day off. This is just our ordinary, fabulous life.
However, and despite my brusque demeanor, let me just say to all our passing fans: I’m glad we make you smile. I think Ruby’s cute, too, and I can’t stop staring at her either.
September 1, 2006 at 12:50 pm |
Great blog! And she is lovely.
We feel the same way about our little girl, she’s the sweetest thing. I do hear that my husband gets a lot more ‘ah’s’ and ‘what a great daddy’ when with her in public than I do, though. I guess for some people it’s still novelty for a dad and little girl to be out together during the day?
We secretly relish the ‘ooh’s and aaah’s’ though- we also can’t get over how amazing she is.
September 1, 2006 at 7:25 pm |
[...] I’m happy to say that I haven’t experienced much of what this guy refers to. Perhaps it’s a cultural thing; he’s in the UK, where I believe stereotypes and class are much more influential than out here in hippy-dippy Seattle. In fact, my experiences are generally the opposite. When Ruby was about a month old I had one woman at the deli ask if I was “filling in for Mom today”, and that’s about all I can recall. [...]
September 2, 2006 at 10:43 am |
get over yourself. the kid may be cute, but you’re far from “ruggedly handsome”
lol.
September 4, 2006 at 11:05 am |
[...] Mine is a Premaxx Baby Bag, and I get approving comments everywhere we go. I’ve modified mine slightly by adding a shoulder pad (rescued from an old laptop bag) to help distribute the weight. [...]