Normal with a touch of Irony

While we try to lead as normal a life as possible, there are still a lot of things that we miss out on.  There are wonderful activities and places to go, if they only didn't serve or allow food.  We try not to dwell on this too often, but when we get to do something "normal" with the Babe, its a reason to celebrate.  And throughout whatever we are experiencing at that time, we remind ourselves how great it is to do something "normal".

While visiting Papa and Gram, we took the Babe to Mote Marine Aquarium in Sarasota, FL.  The irony is that the Babe is allergic to fish.  Well, at her last allergy test, she was tested for cod fish and shell fish, and came up positive for cod.  The other irony is shell fish is not kosher, so I would not intentionally feed my child this anyways, but apparently for allergy reasons it would be ok (still not going to give it to her).  The allergist instructed us to avoid all finned fish, as they would be related to the cod.  We could test this on a case by case, or fish by fish, basis, but are just avoiding them all.

Well, its not like we were going to eat the fish at the Aquarium, or lick the glass (yuck!), so it was a safe activity.  They did offer some sensory exhibits that allowed for touching some fish, like de-barbed stingrays.  We obviously avoided those, because who knows what could happen.  The Babe though LOVED this place.  She went from exhibit to exhibit having a blast looking at the variety of fish and other marine life.  She enjoyed having Daddy pick her up to get a better look, and the look of joy and excitement on her face was wonderful.  It was great to spend an hour with her, sharing her wonder, and not having to worry about what if.  Since no food or drink was allowed in the exhibition areas, it was fairly safe for her.  And we got to do a normal family activity with her.  Yippee!