By ERIN and NIKKI MORRISON
erin@newsroom.byu.edu
I know I have the cutest baby on the entire campus.
And I know people love to look at things that are cute, so my three-month-old daughter is often looked at.
Ooing and aahing is not a problem for me, my concern is people gawking Nikki.
I can be walking in front of the old entrance to the Harold B. Lee Library and heads turn to my daughter while the bodies continue to walk toward the Bookstore. It's as if they are staring at a car accident on the freeway; but she's only an infant.
I hear many comments as I walk along. 'You're so lucky' and 'She's so cute' are the most common.
One evening while strolling in the Wilkinson Student Center a girl stopped to play with Nikki and then continued to walk with the male she was with.
Before leaving us, she turned to her friend and said, 'We can go now, I've had my baby fill for the day.'
I'm sure he was relieved.
Nikki goes with me to most of my classes, and when she isn't with me, she is with her daddy in class. She is learning right along with us.
Nikki provides great entertainment for boring classes. Playing with her instead of taking notes is a temptation I often find myself succumbing to. It gets worse when the students around me play with her as well.
I must admit that sometimes I have pinched her to make her cry so I could leave class. I apologize to my teachers. But usually I don't initiate her screams.
At the beginning of the semester, I had one of my professors ask me if I was paying tuition for her. I said I was not, but she did take a large chunk out of our checking account for insurance.
Nikki also makes for something fun for people to look at as they go from floor to floor in an elevator.
The people on campus most likely to stare at Nikki are usually single girls. When people gawk, I often check the left hand because I am curious. And yup, no ring -- baby-hungry single girls.
When my husband pushes the stroller around campus, he gets even bigger stares than I get. He tells me most of the single girls give him looks that say, 'I hope my husband will do that with my kids someday.'
Nikki loves the attention from others and is learning people like her better when she smiles at them.
But I do have a few warnings for the total strangers who stare and play with my daughter or any infant on campus.
Please don't gawk. If I am talking to you, then it is perfectly all right for you to play with Nikki. But if not, don't stare at her.
Don't touch her hands. She puts her hands in her mouth and then the germs from your hands get into her mouth. And I don't like germs. She has a cute head and chubby cheeks that you can touch if you must touch her. But don't get too close to her mouth.
Don't let her suck on your hands. I have an even bigger deal with that. She has a binky and a bottle she can suck on, she doesn't need a finger. Everything she grabs goes into her mouth, but your hands are not allowed. Nikki is only allowed to suck on her own hands -- not total strangers'.
Please don't purposely cut Nikki's stroller off while you rush to class. I am in a rush as well; but I can run over heels, so be careful.
I exist too! People usually just stare at Nikki and don't acknowledge me. There is a mother to the baby, and you can talk to her, too. Just a smile is appreciated.
My husband was sitting outside with Nikki one afternoon and a girl was staring at Nikki for a long time. So he stared back at the girl. Apparently she did not realize was staring at her because she was so involved with Nikki. He would have appreciated a glance at least. He is the dad.
The things you can do for us are open doors. Many moms and strollers appreciate the extra hand.
Thank you to all those who have held doors open for us and the elevators we wait for. Sorry if I don't look at your face to say thank you, but you usually aren't looking at me, just Nikki.