Baseball fever

Last night, I told Jennifer she couldn't stay up late because she had a game today and needed her rest. This morning when I forced myself out of bed at 8, I sure wish I had taken that advice. I didn't get to bed until 3 a.m.! (I just couldn't sleep.) But force myself out of bed I did and stumble to the shower I also did. The kids were still asleep and if I wanted to get a shower before noon, it was either now or never!

Fortunately, Jennifer wasn't too sick to play today. She missed the last game because she'd had a high fever that had her temperature going up and down for 3 days and I was hoping she'd make it to today's game. This morning she woke up complaining of a tummyache. I tensed. Her temperature was normal and her appetite was normal. But she said her stomach was just bothering her. I told her to lie down for a while and maybe she'd feel better later. Sure enough, she was feeling just fine after a while and ready to play ball!

We all loaded up into the car and drove out to the park. This park is the same one I got horribly lost trying to find last time. I was supposed to get to Kincaid Park and ended up at Tugman, scratching my head staring at the map and trying to figure out WHERE the heck I should go! Fortunately, my husband was driving this time. Map in hand, he went along the same route I did when I'd got lost. (The problem was, the map told me to make a left turn where there was no left turn, but I soon learned WHY: I was on the EAST street and not WEST. D'OH!) I just sat back and watched how exactly he would get us there. Last time, I got us there completely by accident. I was driving all over the place and just found it, an hour after the game had started. (Gah!) So I watched him get onto the WEST street via Fox Hollow and, sure enough, the turn the map said to make was RIGHT THERE! So I guess there are TWO 39th streets?? Anyway, I figured out how to get there now and so NOW I won't get lost next time.

We camped out on the grass and watched the game, with Jesse sitting up in his stroller. I noticed how Jesse kept leaning forward and watching the game as closely as he could. It was so cute how he was REALLY getting into the game. (We even had him dressed up in a baseball outfit that said "shortstop" on the back and, just like his big sister, he, too, wore a baseball cap.) I bet if he was able to talk, he'd be saying something like, "Hit a homer!" Here's a picture of him in one of his "paying close attention" looks:

I was really impressed with how well Jennifer was hitting the ball. She REALLY smacked that ball right out there! We were kinda bummed how she got tagged out on her way to home base, but I still think she played really well. She is definitely improving!

After the game, I was talking with the coach while she held a baby in her arms. The baby was 15 months old. Sooo cute!! I told her about how Jesse got interested in watching the game and she laughed and said the baby she was holding is the same way. He really gets into watching baseball and football games on TV. One thought struck my mind when she said that: "It's a guy thing." LOL Apparently, men have it wired into them to get all crazy about sports! It's just a part of their nature.

Anyway, we went to the Valley River Center Mall. On the way there, I took a small catnap in the car. (I was sooo tired and had started dozing off while watching the game.) First we went to Sports Authority and my husband spent time with Jennifer looking at baseball stuff. Jen wandered off to check out some basketball stuff then went back to looking at bats and baseball gloves with her father. I tried to check out the baseball mitts, too, but was disheartened that almost every single one of the gloves I saw were for left-handed people. My husband said that if you're left-handed, you have to wear a right-handed glove, and vice versa. I am right-handed but there's no way I can fit my left hand into a baseball mitt. (Here's why: http://greenwolf103.deviantart.com/art/My-Left-Hand-37406164 ) I'd need a custom-made mitt! That just stinks. Once when I was practicing catch with Jennifer, I hurt my hand trying to catch the ball without wearing a mitt. I noticed how her coach was catching the ball thrown to her with her bare hand and wondered if it hurt at all. (Maybe she is used to it??)

Later, after we got home, Jen and I went outside to practice throwing and catching. It went pretty well until I threw the ball wrong and it hit her in the eye. RIGHT SMACK IN THE EYE! OUCH!! I ran up to her, my heart pounding and I was all freaking out, trying to calm her down as she stood there clutching her eye and crying. OH, MAN!!! Why did I have to throw the ball wrong?? I swear it was an accident! I wasn't even aiming for her face; I was aiming for her lower chest. It just rolled right up to her eye. Thank God it didn't break her glasses.

I felt so terribly, terribly guilty. :(

I took her into the house, telling her that sometimes this happens in baseball (I should know; I once got hit right in the face when playing baseball as a kid) and had her sit on the couch with an ice pack on her eye. Thankfully, the only visible owie was where her glasses were hit against her cheek. Her eye seemed okay. I still felt rotten about that, though. What a way to end her game day. Sigh. Somebody kick me. Hard.