Go Avs!

I know we had a dry spell there for a while, but finally something has happened that is blog worthy. Thanks to Diana and her man, Marek, Connor has experienced another first . . . his first Avs game. The game was on Saturday the 21st, and the Avs were playing the dirty, rotten Detroit Red Wings at high noon. How could we pass that up? Unaware of the excitement that was in store for him, Connor decided to sleep late that morning. I had to wake him up a little before 11:00 so we could pick up Diana and head downtown. He wasn’t too happy about having his nap interrupted, but he soon got over it. Especially when he saw his friend Diana. The first period was already underway when we arrived, and each team had already scored a goal. At first he was quite entranced with all the action down on the ice. He even clapped his hands when the rest of the crowd did. But then he discovered a distraction sitting one row behind him . . . Rose Brisebois, one of the cutest little girls in the entire Pepsi Center, with big, beautiful blue eyes. He has very good taste (just like his Daddy). He flirted with her through the rest of the first period. Diana and I each grabbed a hot dog just before the intermission. Luckily, Marek’s friend Boomer, who was sitting two rows in front of us with his son, offered to entertain Connor while we wolfed them down. It was very helpful. I can’t imagine balancing a hot dog with all the fixin’s in one hand and a squirmy baby in the other. Connor munched on cheese squares and bread balls – not your typical game food, but definitely baby friendly. At one point, the JumboTron caught the three of us on screen. During the second period, Connor decided to take a time out and gulped down his bottle. Then, with only 4:20 minutes left in the second period, he was out for the count. Just like Daddy, he can sleep anywhere! He only slept for about 20 minutes though. During the next intermission, we headed downstairs to the Avs store, where Diana, on behalf of Marek, bought Connor an adorable new Avs outfit. The third period proved to be full of excitement, but ended with disappointment. Those darn Red Wings beat our Avs by one goal. But we were proud of our Avs nonetheless, and cheered Marek on throughout the game. When the game was over, we headed downstairs and through the back hallways where only those with special passes are able to go. We lounged in the Avs Family Room for a little bit, where Connor downed a jar of pears in record time as he watched a rodeo on the big screen TV. Then we headed out into the hallway to wait for Marek. As we waited, different players straggled out of the locker room here and there. To pass the time, Connor played on a forklift for a bit. Other family members were also waiting for their respective player. If Connor had been in a better mood (a/k/a napped longer than 20 minutes), I’m sure he would have become fast friends with Thomas Laaksonen, who is just one month older than him. As it was, he would barely high five him. He did take a swat at his face though. Marek’s longtime friend, Peter Budaj, stopped to say hi on his way out. Connor briefly regained his manners and gave him a couple of high fives, then had his picture taken with him. I think the whole team had left by the time Marek finally ventured out. We chatted a bit, attempted to remove Connor's jacket from his mouth so he could pose with Marek (we weren't very successful), then set off on our merry ways. Once in his carseat, with his pacifier in place, he was out cold before we even left the parking lot. What a day!