The Very Hungry (Caterpillar) Reagan

Today was Daddy (me) and Reagan's big adventure.  I got it into my head I was finally going to take Reagan to her first big league ballgame.  Earlier this week I checked the weather, then checked the schedules.  I'd preferred to take her to a North Siders game but it turns out that the South Siders were in town instead.  That meant a longer, more "interesting" path to get there.  The weather looked great, so I committed a ridiculous amount of money (considering I don't really care about the teams...sorry PJS) for her and I have to have great seats for the game.  I think the minute I bought the tickets the weather forecast tanked and just for Saturday.  I tried very hard not to get to worked up about the weather, but all I wanted to do was have a nice time at the park with my daughter.  This being her first MLB game, everything needed to be prefect (in my mind).  I want her to like going to the park and being with her daddy.  This was something very important to my dad and my PawPaw.  Its hard enough with girls in general, going to the park with cold and rainy weather would make it even more difficult.

So putting the weather aside, I began to map out our trek down there.  The easiest and cheapest way to get down there would be to take the L.  If you don't know what the L is....well its sort of like a mobile prison. It looks and smells very much like a prison.  The rules are the same too.  Stay to the right, don't make eye contact, if someone asks for your seat you give them your wallet, etc.  I tried to prepare Reagan but in reality I was trying to reassure myself.  I didn't want the crazies to be in the same car as my Reagan.  Turns out that part of the trip was no big deal.  It took about an hour to get to the park but it went off without a hitch.  Reagan didn't really understand why I wanted to get to the park so early, so I got to spend a lot of time telling her about how my dad and I used to do that.  You get there early to watch them warm up, to hear the sounds of the game, smell the grass, be in the moment.  So we got to the park before just about anyone and got to our seats.  Reagan in her bright pink jacket (see above), me in my bright blue UK jacket.  That's when it hit me, the Sox were playing the Kansas City Royals whose colors are blue and white.  The South Siders don't take to kindly to those who aren't wearing black and white.  I only hoped Reagan's cuteness would keep me out of trouble.  We weren't sitting down long, when a Sox crew member called me down to the front row.  We were about 4 rows back from the visiting bullpen, excellent seats.  I thought I was already in trouble, but instead he flipped me a ball and told me it was for my daughter. That is the second ball in a row she has gotten in as many games. It is difficult to convince a girl that you don't get a ball every game, when in fact she seemingly does.  After the excitement of getting the ball wore off, she said she was hungry.  We then proceeded to eat:
1) Three hot dogs between us
2) A jumbo pretzel
3) A giant licorice rope
4) Popcorn
5) Cotton Candy
6) Peanuts
7) And sunflower seeds.  Teaching Reagan how to eat and spit sunflower seeds is about the coolest thing I have done as a father.

Somewhere MaMaw was very proud.

About the time we get done with the orgy of eating, the heavens opened up and it began to rain.  I should have known something was wrong when it was 15 minutes till first pitch and the tarp was still on the field with no real players.  So we were cold, wet and in a food coma.  Its a good thing we were half asleep because at that point I felt just like this:

I was thankful the White Sox mascot was nowhere to be found or his fate might have been worse than Marty Moose.  However, it is what it is, there wasn't much I could do about the weather.  I tried to reassure Reagan that most of the time when you go to a MLB game there is nice weather.  Although it would have to be a park in a different city.  It is impossible for Chicago to have nice weather more than 2 days in a row.  Its not allowed.  Anyway, after about 35 minutes we were back in our wet seats ready for the ball game.  We hadn't even gotten to the game and Reagan starts to complain about a tummy ache.  Seriously?  What did you expect?  At this point I had enough.  I was hoping the game would be called and we could take a rain check, literally.  Just then the tarp comes off the field and the players are ready to go.  The rain had stopped.  And after we quasi dried off, I think it got a bit warmer because the wind stopped blowing.  

The game took place in front of us but we didn't care.  At that point we had been at the park close to three hours with no actual game.  The Royals score three runs in the first inning, and we were cold and wet.  The main reason we didn't really care is because in those moments the game really is ancillary.  She was so busy talking about everything she could think of, I was so busy just listening, that the game was just background noise.  At one point I look up at the jumbo tron and I see three different dads, with girls in pink coats, all playing a game on a phone.  Which was interesting because that was exactly what Reagan was doing at that moment.  By the time we got to the middle of the 5th, it started raining again.  I figured it was time to go.  Reagan didn't want to leave.  After waiting forever to see a game, getting a tummy ache, getting rained on, wanting to go home, she had come full circle and didn't want to leave.  The rain was coming down hard now, it was late.  The fireworks and funnel cake would have to wait for the next time.  We had a long journey home on the L and I wanted to beat the freak show home.

We pulled into the driveway sometime around 10:00 PM.  Our date night was over, time for bed.  I was a little sad that it was over, I was real sad the weather sucked.  The only thing missing from our night was PawPaw being with us.  Even with all the imperfections of the night, it was still  in many ways a perfect night.  One that I will cherish forever.  The hug she gave me in the kitchen was priceless.  She had even made me a thank you card.  I am already planning our next adventure to the North Siders park.  I know tomorrow is Mother's Day and I could never thank Mom or Brooke enough for what they do, tonight was Daddy's Day.