We got to go to the Giants game on Friday!

I entered all the kids’ names in a drawing at our public library a few weeks ago, and Heidi’s entry won!  I’d already forgotten about even entering when Colin called me as I drove back from dropping Degen off at school and said that the librarian had called informing us of our good fortune.  So, we picked up our four free tickets and started planning.

Here’s the irony: Heidi won the tickets, but she didn’t go.  And we all could have gone together because kids 2 and under can go free if they sit on their parents’ laps and we had four tickets.  And at first I intended to take her with us to enjoy the spectacle.  But I had a couple of days to think about it, and realized that the game didn’t even start until after her bed time and that she’s 1 1/2 years old and WIGGLY!  She’d be miserable sitting at the top of the bleachers being forced to sit on my lap the whole time.   And once Grandma and Grandpa offered to babysit I was sold on the idea that she’d be so much happier being spoiled at home than being cramped at a stadium.  And in retrospect, I think we did the right thing.  So, thanks for the fun Heidi and I’m glad that you got to have ice cream with Grandpa!

I made a picnic for us to eat at the park, and Maggie helped me make caramel popcorn for the trip (Cracker Jacks replacement, you know).  We brought water and juice boxes and some cookies and we were good to go.

We left really early, straight from picking Degen up from school.  I think it took and hour and a half to get there and park, and then we had to find a bathroom for Maggie (ahh!), which took another 20 minutes.  I’m sure the man in front of us in line who was in the one-stall bathroom for what seemed like 10 minutes must have had a good reason for not letting her go first and for taking so long.  But may I appeal to anyone who happens to have a small (say, 3 year old) girl behind them in line doing the potty dance and who thinks they can wait a few minutes more to let her cut in line?  Please?

Once the potty emergency was successfully managed, we moved on to the walking and waiting part of the game.  We didn’t know it beforehand, but apparently the Giants were giving out free T-shirts to the first 20,000 people in the stadium, and so there were HUGE lines to get in.  We got in line just before 5 when they opened the gates, and got to our seats around 6.  The kids amused themselves and the others in line by jumping and spinning and dancing and singing to themselves.  And all four of us got bright orange Posey T-shirts!   The people next to us in line were veteran Giants game-goers and told us we HAD to take the kids to “the Coke bottle” and told the kids they could play baseball, too.  We’d explained to the kids before we left that we were going to watch a game, not PLAY baseball, and Maggie loudly informed the kind lady of that fact.  Undeterred, the lady explained that there’s a kids’ field next to the big Coke bottle where they let you swing a big bat and hit a plastic ball.  The kids were sold and Colin and I weren’t sure we were glad and half hoping the kids would forget about it since it would almost certainly involve waiting in more long, long lines.

Our seats were WAY up high in the highest section, but we had a great view from behind home plate.  We had our picnic while we waited for the game to start, and I was so happy to not pay the $6 price for a $1 hot dog.  Can you believe that a cup of hot cocoa cost $5.50 and a churro cost $4.50?!  Shocking.  If we’d bought our hot dogs there instead of bringing our own, it would have cost at least $24 for the four of us (and we had two apiece, so it would have been $48).  And then drinks would have been another $16 and a treat another $16.  And if we’d paid for our seats… For the other families we saw there, this is a multi-hundreds of dollars event.  Wow.

The SF Opera chorus sang the National Anthem, which we all loved.  And a little kid Heidi’s age said “Play Ball!”  Degen and Maggie loved watching the mascot, a giant seal, dancing around and at one point riding around the park in a 10th Anniversary Prius.

I was surprised at how well both kids followed the game once we explained some basic vocabulary like pitcher, batter, base, plate, strike, foul, ball, and umpire.  Degen was enthusiastic in his cheering for the Giants, his team.  Maggie watched the pitcher carefully to see if the batter would hit the ball this time.  They were both shocked at the man a few rows behind us who heckled and booed the other team in such an unsportsmanlike manner.

About the seventh inning we decided that the kids would never forgive us if we didn’t visit the very-visible Coke bottle and packed up our stuff to brave the lines.  Upon finding that we were first-timers to the Giants, and the kids first-time baseball fans, the elevator attendant sent us to the service desk to retrieve orange “First Time” certificates with our names on them to commemorate the experience.  While we were there Colin and I noticed all the advertising for the “Designated Drivers” program where you get a free soft drink if you promise not to drink alcohol while at the ballpark.  It was too late in the game to sign up, but we thought it would be funny another time to sign up since we don’t drink alcohol anyway.

The Coke bottle fans area was as great as promised, with surprisingly short lines.  I don’t know if it was the late hour of the game keeping kids home or that we went there so late in the game, but it wasn’t crowded at all.  Typically, Maggie was daredevilish about wanting to go on the biggest slide as quickly as possible and my cautious Degen wanted to watch see several kids get down safely before he would try the smallest slide.  In the end, both were so pleased that they went down again with great gusto and took their Dad with them (see Maggie’s orange T-shirt/dress under her sweater?).

Just before the end of the game, we went to the kids’ ballpark and let them play, which turned out to be a highlight of the whole baseball experience.  Degen loves this picture where his white ball looks like a streak and the woman behind him looks amazed by his impressive hit. Maggie used the tee and ran the wrong way around the bases and loved it, and Degen was pitched to and hit the ball and ran “super fast!” and loved it.

Thanks to the library for a great evening out with our family at the ballpark!  And thanks to Heidi for the tickets and to Grandma and Grandpa for keeping Heidi happy while we were gone!

I finished reading a book and started a couple more on potty training, or "toilet training," as some experts like to call it. I've also discussed it with my mother and done some internet research, including looking at reviews of training products on Amazon. It looks like kids won't be trained if they aren't ready, and if your efforts fail for a week or so you should give it a rest and come back in a few weeks or months. It also sounds like there are some preparatory steps that have to be taken to make the process easier on everyone. And it seems that daytime training and nighttime training are totally different beasts.

My goal in all of this is to stay as relaxed as possible and to not worry about "getting it done" so that I don't freak Degen out. So, we're now working on the preliminary steps. Today I taught him to flush the toilet, hoping that if I teach him about the sound it won't scare him when he has to use it. I helped him try on his "big boy underwear" today for the second time and congratulated him for keeping them dry for about an hour before changing him into his diaper for his nap this afternoon. We practiced putting them on and taking them off, which is going to take more work before he masters the process. But he seemed to like the idea of wearing them, which is a good sign. I think I'm going to get a toilet adapter seat and a step stool instead of a little potty to start with and see how that goes, hoping to eliminate some of the cleanup and one extra step.

As far as birthdays go, the common wisdom seems to be to invite as many guests as your kid is old, in this case his age and the number of guests will be two. The accepted practice sounds like donig 1 to 1 1/2 hours for a party at this age, and to invite the parents to join you (if only for assistance with crowd control). The order of the party goes as follows: opening activity (to introduce kids to each other and warm up as they arrive), craft or activity (maybe music or throwing things or something simple at this age), food, presents, goodbye activity. A theme seems to keep things simple, interesting, and cohesive. I'm thinking circus, dinosaur, farmer, firefighter, or superhero might be appropriate this time. I'd like to make a neat cake and have lots of fun stuff to send home with the kids. Placemats, "costumes" (a mask, cape, hat, etc), and whatever craft we make seem like a good start, plus some little treat. I'm thinking a Saturday morning before naptime would be a good time for the party.

Another tradition I'm thinking of starting is a "brithday book"–just a simple little scrapbook with an outline of the hand and/or foot, some vital statistics like height and weight, likes and dislikes, and maybe a photo for each birthday. And I'd like to make a video and take pictures at the party/on his birthday.

I finished reading a book and started a couple more on potty training, or "toilet training," as some experts like to call it. I've also discussed it with my mother and done some internet research, including looking at reviews of training products on Amazon. It looks like kids won't be trained if they aren't ready, and if your efforts fail for a week or so you should give it a rest and come back in a few weeks or months. It also sounds like there are some preparatory steps that have to be taken to make the process easier on everyone. And it seems that daytime training and nighttime training are totally different beasts. My goal in all of this is to stay as relaxed as possible and to not worry about "getting it done" so that I don't freak Degen out. So, we're now working on the preliminary steps. Today I taught him to flush the toilet, hoping that if I teach him about the sound it won't scare him when he has to use it. I helped him try on his "big boy underwear" today for the second time and congratulated him for keeping them dry for about an hour before changing him into his diaper for his nap this afternoon. We practiced putting them on and taking them off, which is going to take more work before he masters the process. But he seemed to like the idea of wearing them, which is a good sign. I think I'm going to get a toilet adapter seat and a step stool instead of a little potty to start with and see how that goes, hoping to eliminate some of the cleanup and one extra step.

As far as birthdays go, the common wisdom seems to be to invite as many guests as your kid is old, in this case his age and the number of guests will be two. The accepted practice sounds like dong 1 to 1 1/2 hours for a party at this age, and to invite the parents to join you (if only for assistance with crowd control).

The order of the party goes as follows: opening activity (to introduce kids to each other and warm up as they arrive), craft or activity (maybe music or throwing things or something simple at this age), food, presents, goodbye activity. A theme seems to keep things simple, interesting, and cohesive. I'm thinking circus, dinosaur, farmer, firefighter, or superhero might be appropriate this time. I'd like to make a neat cake and have lots of fun stuff to send home with the kids. Place mats, "costumes" (a mask, cape, hat, etc), and whatever craft we make seem like a good start, plus some little treat. I'm thinking a Saturday morning before naptime would be a good time for the party.

Another tradition I'm thinking of starting is a "birthday book"–just a simple little scrapbook with an outline of the hand and/or foot, some vital statistics like height and weight, likes and dislikes, and maybe a photo for each birthday. And I'd like to make a video and take pictures at the party/on his birthday.