Baseball, Haircut, and a Baby

If I had to rank the people and things in my life that I love it might go something like this:

1. Family (Baby, Husband, etc..)

2. Baseball

That's right. I love baseball. More specifically, I love the C.ubs, but any baseball will do. Although I grew up in Texas my childhood was greatly influenced by my Iowan father's Midwestern sensibility and love for baseball. My memories of visiting Iowa as a child have a soundtrack of Harry Caray's voice and a television that was always playing a baseball game. Usually, it was a Cubs game. So, I suppose it is my sentimental side that is drawn to baseball, but it is a game that I love in its own right. There is just something about it.

The last three weeks before Luke was born I was on bed rest. I tried to be nonchalant about it all, but it was a little scary: low amniotic fluid, high blood pressure, weekly non-stress tests, a night in the hospital. I didn't really know what was going to happen and so my practical Midwestern side started thinking of things I needed to tell my husband, just in case. We spoke, of course, about the "what ifs" and for a moment I wondered if I should require that the baby become a Cubs fan. I settled for instructions that he become a baseball fan because I knew what his response would be if I brought up the C.ubs:

Why should I set him up for a lifetime of disappointment?

We haven't decided how we will raise him, in the baseball sense, but I hope he will follow me. There has been a lot of pain, I'll admit, but there is something to be said about the eternal optimism that goes along with it. On Sunday we headed to M.inute M.aid Park to see the A.stros (Lastros) take on the C.ubs. We did not take Luke, but his first game will be in September when the C.ubs come back to Houston.

It was a wonderful game (C.ubs 9-0) and, to make things better, we sat in club level seats with an excellent view of my favorite TV announcers, WGN's Bob and Len! Years of the C.ubs suckitude have made them both very good color commentators. I always enjoy hearing them call a game, no matter what the score is:

A few of you asked to see the new haircut. I asked my husband to take a quick picture, which turned into a little more of a photo shoot than I intended, so it's not a very candid shot. In weight loss news, I have lost 9 lbs so far and am very happy with WW. It seems to be working very well!

I am going to leave you with a picture that M took this weekend after Luke had his first swim. My dad was drying him off with a towel when he gave us one of his great smiles.