It all started with an Instagram ad.
Huh - that’s interesting, I remember thinking. I texted it to Tom as an almost joke – wouldn’t we be crazy if we did this? He immediately was on board and started talking about logistics, and I got scared and backed way off. I wasn’t serious! We couldn’t do that! Let me think about it.
And I thought about it the entire way home. And after I put the boys to bed. And it seemed… possible?
So I went back to Tom and told him I think we should attempt it. Because why not. If we failed miserably, at least we’d have something to put in the baby book?
A Red Sox game with both boys.
It was the last game of the season, and it was at a not-normal time, which meant that it lined up perfect with our nap schedule. They were selling tickets for cheaper than normal, and giving away free food with them. We had nothing planned, and had spent the past few weekends at home relaxing, so we were ready for a challenge. I had mentioned that I thought baby G was at an age where it was slightly easier to go places with both kids.
So I bought the tickets and we started planning. We’d wake them up from naps, feed them, and drive to the game. We’d pack minimally and give them lots of food while we were there. We’d each be carrying a kid, but we thought we could do it. And so off we went.
Our first obstacle was something we weren’t expecting. Boston has a lot of tunnels you drive through, and is completely normal if you drive in the city a lot. It’s something Tom and I used to do daily. However, there are no tunnels where we live now. And apparently both boys are terrified of them. The exit for the Prudential Center is one long and winding tunnel that takes concentration to make sure you’re in the correct lane as the road forks and exits multiple times. As I was navigating it, both boys were simultaneously screaming and crying. E kept begging “all done!” and wanted to see the sun again. I suppose it makes sense – it can be a little unnerving for the sky to just disappear when you’re not expecting it.
After we parked (in an underground garage that they were also not thrilled with), we managed to make our way outside. And the kids were as happy as can be. E was outside and had grass and dirt and rocks. G had people to look at and was whipping his head around so fast because he couldn’t decide what to look at first. We could have stayed there for two hours and they would have been more than happy (hint to ourselves next time we’re debating a big adventure).
We headed towards the park with E walking most of the way, but as the crowds got bigger, he asked to be carried. This was the part I was worried about - him not liking the crowds and getting scared. I told him earlier that he might get nervous, but to remember that he had both of his parents there with him, and to just grab us if he was nervous. In my head I was picturing tears and a meltdown, but I forgot that for a small child, a parent is a complete safety blanket. All he needed was to cuddle into my arms, and he was fine. He spent some time with his head down on my shoulder, and his arms and legs wrapped around me, but there weren’t any tears, and he did great.
Each kid liked different things at the park, which was a little difficult. E loved being in the bleachers. He had his own seat between me and Tom, a plate of food, and he just sat and ate while looking around. He found the jumbotron pretty early, and loved watching the “BIG TV.” But he wasn’t overwhelmed, and was excited about little things, like drinking out of a bottle of water Tom had bought (as opposed to a sippy cup).
Baby G on the other hand, didn’t love that part. He started off great, looking around at everything, and bouncing up and down in my lap. It was probably because the Red Sox were losing pretty bad at that point, though. As soon as they started scoring some runs, and the crowd started clapping and cheering, it was too loud for him, and he started crying. So we wandered around a bit, going to where I thought would be a good spot (but E disagreed), until we ended up in the grand concourse. It’s usually the most kid friendly part of the park, but it was incredibly over crowded that day. Partly because it was a family weekend, and partly because of that free food I’d mentioned earlier. Yeah, we didn’t get any of that. The line was hours long, which was just ridiculous, and wrapped all the way through the area with all the kids stuff. Very poor planning on the part of someone haha.
We still managed to have some fun looking at the statues and life sized Papi made out of legos. By this point both kids had adjusted to the crowds, and E was okay walking around on his own, despite all the people and sounds. Baby G was happy to have so many things to look at, he was nearly impossible to get to focus for a picture.
When it was about an hour until bedtime, we decided to call it and head back home, even though we were all having fun. It wasn’t easy, and both Tom and I were incredibly tired by the time we got home, and I got to watch almost none of the game, but it wasn’t miserable either. The kids had fun, I think, but we also realize they would have had just as much fun at Jordan’s or the Lynnfield Marketplace – both of which are closer and free. It was nice to be able to say we brought both kids to Fenway before their first birthday, especially since it’s such a special place to us. We’ll definitely be saving those tickets, and I’m thankful for the memory.
However, I think we might wait a few years before trying that again… (with the exception of spring training games – those are a lot easier). I’m definitely looking forward to the future, though, when we can all go and sit and watch a game together. I think it’s going to be pretty cool.
