A-Rod and Super Nate

Alex was shy at first, but he got up the nerve to ask to join the neighborhood baseball game already in progress.* They immediately put him on a team, dubbed him “A-Rod”, and he was up to bat right away. At his first at bat, he hit a nice one down the first base line! And made it to first. He had a hard time understanding when he had to run — Daddy and Alex served as his third base coach, and Nate, God love him, stood there with his hands on his hips like he was really in charge! — but he ended up making it all the way home, and then batting another one in (earning his very first RBI!) before they called the inning at five runs. Our neighbor Andy pitched the tennis balls nice and slow to him, and one of the older neighbor boys helped him get the hang of holding the bat.

I see T-Ball in my future.

When it was Alex’s turn to field, I went out there and helped him stand in short stop position. When Andy (the only other adult playing) came up to bat, the first baseman (Andy’s son, who is probably 9 years old) went out to where Alex had been to field, and I basically helped Alex play first base. Andy dribbled it to the pitcher, who tossed it to me and I actually caught the ball bare-handed and tagged Andy out, much to my own surprise. Andy, in turn, threw a (joking!) Major League fit, complete with kicking dirt at me and getting in my face.** It was quite hilarious. Alex got one more at bat, at which he managed to connect when he had a full count and make it on base again. Go Alex!

When we got home, the boys stripped down and got immediately into PJs. Well, Nate took a side trip as “Super Nate”– wearing nothing but a diaper, he asked me to tie a blanket on his neck like a cape, and he was off and flying. When I finally got him onto the changing table, he was still saying “I’m Super Nate!”

PJs secured, the boys and I played a rousing two games of Go Fish! in lieu of stories for bed time (they still got their reading in today, since we stopped at the library before and after the Backyardigans show). A full and fun day for team Wasylik!

* Can I just say once again how much I love our neighborhood? A friendly ball game consisting of boys and girls, ages 5 through maybe 14, plus an adult or two. There are often similar pick up football games that include the younger kids. And the older kids are so good and patient with the little guys, it just brings tears to my eyes!
**Afterward, Andy admitted he had started to go for the chest bump and then realized that wasn’t the best idea. Too funny.