A Baseball - A memory to last a lifetime

So....last night the Cubs won the World Series (cue the city of Chicago lighting itself on fire). Which to be honest, doesn't feel great, because that's what makes a good rivalry. A lot of people say "But can't you at least recognize what a big moment this is?" And in some ways yes, of course. I recognize that this is a big deal for a crap ton of people but at the same time it just makes my insides feel awfully crummy which I also don't feel guilty about.

In college I was part of a very competitive speech team and whenever we didn't compete as well as we wanted, I didn't think "But good for that other team!" I usually felt crushed, and defeated, and emotionally drained - which is a little how this World Series win feels.

However, the one thing that is putting a huge smile on my face is watching the way this sport (and sports in general) bring people together. Devin HATES baseball, he really doesn't like any sport, but he actively dislikes baseball. At first that really bothered me about him. I wanted him to recognize the nuances of the game, the spirit and excitement that surround each inning, and I wanted him to know why I love this game so much.

But as time has passed I have totally accepted his viewpoint and I even kind of enjoy this fact about him. Devin and I are never going to share a special moment over baseball. He isn't going to look over at me with a huge grin after a critical home run and high five me. We aren't going to watch a 9th inning with baited breath. Instead, these are moments I have had with my dad that are very very special to me.

In 2005 when the White Sox won the World Series I remember sitting in our living room watching the final out with him. I remember jumping and cheering and his pure joy as his team won the championship. I remember going downtown for the parade and feeling so excited about skipping a day of school - I know I will remember that day for the rest of my life.

This season we took Rosie to her very first White Sox game and it was so delightful. She loved watching all the people, she tried some ballpark food for the first time, we explained to her all about how baseball works, and she clung to her grandpa all day long as excited as could be. I know that as Rosie grows bigger she will also start creating memories in that ballpark that I have been to countless times over the last 26 years. She will know the pinwheels, the fireworks, and the foam fingers. She will know the joy of a win, and the disappointment of a loss, and more than anything I hope she remembers spending warm (or sometimes bone chillingly cold) afternoons with her grandpa.

Rosie and her official first game certificate!

Like I said...clinging to grandpa!

Rosie was so into all the clapping and most of the time did it at the right time.

She did however get a little messy and needed an outfit change.

Grandpa telling Rosie all his baseball secrets. 

Rosie trying some nachos because you only go to the ballpark for the first time once!

Earning herself an awesome balloon that of course she wanted to eat.

Grandpa pointing out some of the finer features of the ballpark.

Can't believe someday she will be a full grown person who will fill this seat.

A keepsake for life!

So yeah, knowing how memorable all this is, how special a world series win is, how it brings families together - for that reason I have found a reason to smile at all those social media posts about the Cubs win - even if it does sting.

Two Years Past....A Lifetime Ahead

Yesterday Devin and I celebrated our two year anniversary! Last year we had a 6 week old so even though we were at my parents' and had big plans to go to a Brazilian Steakhouse we ended up just staying in for the night and eating pizza. This year we had no false illusions of grand dinner dates and instead just planned to do dinner at home. However even though Devin is usually not one to give presents, or buy cards, or plan surprises he showed up at my work mid-morning with all kinds of wonderful goodies.

When he showed up in the surgery room, baby in one arm and flowers in the other, my very first question was:

"How did you get up here?!"

Because I work on a secure floor, and I am obviously very welcoming.

But it was such a wonderful and completely unexpected surprise that it absolutely made my entire day. I made out with some cupcakes, cookies, a new picture frame, flowers, a bag of M&Ms, and a beautiful card that Devin said he picked out because it reminded him of our wedding (how freaking adorable).

After the little family left I got back to work and spent the remainder of the day finishing up surgeries. Towards the end of the day I got a call from Devin saying him and Monkey were at the park near by building so I hurried over to meet them for a little afternoon hang out and accompanied them to the library where Rosie ran around shrieking, stealing CDs, looking at books, and wiggling her way out of our arms so she could run around some more (intense wiggling pictured below).

I love our library because it has a specific section just for board books, so Rosie has a ton of books that are just perfect for her age range. However yesterday a couple was sitting in that exact area having an argument about their relationship and I felt really awkward interrupting an emotional scene to ask Rosie if she wanted the hippo book or the puppy book so we had to pick what we wanted pretty quickly and get out of dodge.

Once  I got home from work we started our normal nighttime routine of dinner and playtime except dinner was a little more fabulous than usual. Devin made lobster ravioli, cranberry salad, roasted garlic and cheese potatoes, and garlic bread and I happily ate everything in sight. So freaking delicious. Oh and since it was a special occasion we let Rosie try her first bite of chocolate. 

She was a total fan.

Overall it was a simple and perfect anniversary, and as Devin reminded me the most important thing is that we spend it together. The rest is just kind of optional. 

Oh and on a side note even though the Cubs are probably going to win the world series, Rosie knows deep down which Chicago team she roots for.

 Right now one of her favorite thing to do is put this hat on her own head, and then my head, and then back on her own head. And I don't mind one bit! #WhiteSox4Life

Halloween Weekend + NaBloPoMo Goals

This weekend was wonderfully full of Fall memories that started with Shmoopie helping me make some roasted butternut squash. In an act of efficiency (laziness) I got the precut squash from Costco and then roasted it with cinnamon, a tiny bit of brown sugar, a dash of salt, and a bit of honey as soon as it comes out of the oven. Rosie was all about it! 

She also thought dancing on top of the pan was the best part of making dinner. We are a lawless land. Also Rosie's Uncle Dominic bought her this Cubs shirt, and even though we are strict White Sox fans, I put her in it to Skype with her grandparents because I like some light trolling. 

On Friday night Rosie attended a Halloween Party put on by the local Moms Blog, and had a blast! She is at an age where I am never quite sure how things like that will go because sometimes she is really into participating and interacting with the things around her and sometimes she just wants to stare at people...most of the she just wants to stare at people. But hey I can't blame her, people come in all shapes and sizes and are pretty darn fascinating to watch but it also makes her look like a stalker baby.

Rosie killed at the ring toss game and then found this hoola hoop that she really enjoyed standing inside of.

On Saturday I busted out the playdoh she got at her Halloween party and she was thoroughly confused. She really couldn't believe it wasn't food, and then couldn't grasp the odd consistency and instead just tried to rip it into a bunch of small pieces.

The rest of Saturday was pretty uneventful, I napped for quite a long time while Devin took Rosie grocery shopping, and then I watched a crap ton of episodes of Shameless after Rosie went to bed. Is anyone else watching this?? I'm super in to it, however there are 6 seasons on Netflix which is a pretty lofty goal but I have some brains to slice this week so hopefully I can knock back a few more before the end of the week.

On Sunday Rosie and I went to Target to buy her some special toddler crayons (they are huge and shaped like eggs which makes them nearly impossible to break) and also picked out this sweet monster hat, which was of course from the boys' section because anything with monsters, aliens, robots, dinosaurs, or other exciting adventurous characters will usually be found in the boys' section. Of course. 

In the afternoon I got all the laundry put away which felt good for 5 seconds before I looked around and saw the laundry that has accumulated since Devin got caught up on getting everything clean. IT NEVER ENDS. Then before dinner we went down to the park because it was a ridiculously nice day considering the time of year and we absolutely couldn't waste it!

Rosie thinks her Dad is hilarious and loved getting to go down the slide all by herself for the very first time.

She is also super obsessed with mulch, and rocks, and woodchips, and leaves. So 75% of her time at the park was spent collecting these items, abandoning them, and then gathering more of the same item.

 Then Devin put Rosie to bed while I spent the evening with my neuroscience girls chowing down on pizza, drinking wine, and crafting. I don't even know what I am going to do next year without these amazing ladies!

We decided to take Rosie trick or treating but had extremely low expectations and were totally prepared to come back home if things went horribly awry. However she was a natural!

Rosie heading out the front door on a mission.

Watch out neighborhood, I'm on my way to get candy!

 The first few blocks were rough because Rosie found an acorn, and every few steps she stopped to check and see if it was still in her bucket, and then pulled it out to look at it and dropped it back in her pail. Also we went out at 5:30 and for the first few blocks we saw NO other humans and I was really concerned that our neighborhood was boycotting Halloween but eventually we ran into a little duck and we decided to start knocking on doors.

Rosie was really successful at picking out a piece of candy from the bowls people presented her and even dropped it in her bucket before moving on to the next house. She gave out lots of squeals, smiles, and tried to push her way into any house with a dog. A ton of people asked us if we were from the neighborhood, which was weird because what were they going to do if we said no? Deny us candy? But then Devin reminded me that people here are Iowa nice and just really wanted to know more about us. Weird.

On the way back to the house I ate a few pieces of candy and then I think Rosie realized that all the stuff people had been handing out was food, and at the next few houses she wanted to grab as much as possible. Good thing her hands are the size of silver dollar or else we would have had a real problem on our hands.

Once we got home we let Rosie look through her loot and I even gave her a tiny taste of kit kat, which she responded to the way she responds to all food, with open fists and grunts indicating she would like more please.

Then Rosie proceeded to carry every single piece of her candy over to Devin, despite the fact that I was politely asking for her to share and Devin kept pointing at me and telling Rosie to also give me some candy. Every. Single Piece. And the juice boxes!

I see how it is tiny human. I see. 

Even if she won't share her candy with me, I still think she was the cutest little octopus in all of Iowa.