It was Logan's first Independence day and we thought we would be brave and take him to the Omaha Royals baseball game and firework show. Al and I took the boys to the game last year and it was great, and Alyssa really wanted to see some good fireworks this year since she didn't get to see any last year. However, I worried about some of the obstacles we would face by taking a baby.The first problem was the weather. What do you do in July heat with a 9 month old for 6 hours? Second, the crowds. We had to make sure we streamlined what we took in because seating is tight and it is crowded in Rosenblatt Stadium. Third, the parking. Al, the boys, and I took the school bus shuttle from Oakview Mall last year and that was super easy, but I did not want Logan riding on the bus without a car seat so we needed to drive. That meant fighting the traffic, finding parking, and paying out the WAZOO for it. Normally it is $20 per car.
So we planned ahead, got tickets under the cover to combat some of the heat and sun issues, strategically packed Logan's bag, and left very early (4 p.m. for a 6:30 p.m. game). After only about 30 minutes of confused right left, and illegal turns, we lucked upon a spot that was free of charge, relatively close, and that would be easy to exit from. Yay.
The weather was very iffy for the night. It had rained a little in the afternoon, and the forecast was for rain that evening. Thankfully, in trying to avoid the sun, we had also set ourselves up for protection against rain, so we weren't really worried about getting rained on in the stadium. However, walking to and from the car would be a different story. Al was prepared and this is how he protected himself and Logan.
I can't tell you how excited Logan was to be riding his Grandpa's belly. As soon as Alyssa hooked him in, he started kicking his feet and waving his arms and laughing. Then, to make matters even cuter, as soon as Al started walking he started bouncing up and down with Al's stomach. It was too cute. Also, it wasn't raining when we walked in and the weather was cool and breezy. It was perfect.
When we got to the gate a police officer said "No umbrellas!" So we unhooked Logan and waited outside the gate while Al took the umbrellas back to the car. Alyssa and I sat at some picnic tables and took pictures of Logan while we waited.
After Al got back we went in to the stadium. The boys, along with their friend Kevin, had already gone in and sat down. We got seated and waited for about 45 minutes for the game to start. Alyssa had never been to Rosenblatt and she enjoyed her first (legal) beer and brat with her Dad.
Early in the game a couple got engaged on the big screen. It was pretty exciting.
Logan was so good and he took turns sitting in everyone's lap.
There were some sprinkles after the 8th inning and then the game went into extra innings. At the beginning of the 11th inning the bottom fell out and it poured rain. At first they covered the field and called a delay, but finally they rescheduled the game. They did announce that the fireworks would still go off, so many people stayed and waited it out. We felt sorry for the people who weren't under cover, but we just sat in our seats and watched it rain. All the while we remained dry and cool.
Logan kept himself occupied playing with the metal number plates on the back of the seat.
Finally, at 10:30 the rain had let up to just a slight drizzle, and the fireworks began.
Logan loved the fireworks. He did jump a couple of times when there was a really loud boom, but then he would laugh. We had ear plugs in his ears, so he was probably better off than the rest of us. The fireworks were amazing, and since some people had left early, the boys and Alyssa were able to move up a couple of rows for a better view. Al and I stayed put, but we had more elbow room since the kids moved. During the next to last song Logan started getting sleepy. He rubbed his eyes once and then wham, he was sound asleep. The ear plugs must have worked pretty well because he slept through the finale.
So, even though I was a little skeptical about taking a 9 month old to a baseball game, we had a really great time. I think we really lucked out because everything that could have gone wrong went right. We had great parking, good seats, and a very tolerant baby. I just don't know how he'll do next year as a 21 month old toddler. Maybe we'll just park and watch the fireworks from the car.