My kind of town, Chicago is... [Part 3 of 5]

Day 5 - Sunday
I was amazingly lucky this trip and didn't see one perverted act on or from the El train on the way to the White Sox game. I was somewhat surprised and a little bummed out if you want to know the truth. My very first week of living in Chicago in 2002 I was on a train that stopped in the subway because of a knife fight. On the car I was riding in, right in front of my seat. I can hear you all clutching your chest and thanking God that I survived and crying out loudly "Sweet Lord, what was this knife fight over?!?!" Believe it or not, a crying baby. That's right.
Over the next three years I was at times harassed, nearly physically accosted (and subsequently defended by 2 different men and 1 little boy), witnessed a couple (ahem) having relations under a bridge by the cemetery (at 7:30 am no less), and will never forget the big crazy happy man who stepped out the train doors with arms open wide and yelled "Helloooooo Wilson!" Still to this day I sometimes cry out "Helloooooo Wilson" just to cheer myself up. I suppose it's funnier if you'd heard him yourself. Close your eyes and picture James Earl Jones with dread locks.
Once we got to the game I immediately found an unoccupied seat in the shade and fed Avelyn so we could again avoid the "Wail of the Abused Baby". She was a hit in her super cute outfit. We got tons of compliments all day long from passersby. (Thanks for the adorable bow, Mom!) If I remember correctly Kevin and I were once again able to eat something before disaster struck. At least she allowed that. Everything was going great; even the roar of the crowd hadn't scared her. I found that when the crowd got loud as long as I talked and "Yay'ed!" in her ear she seemed to understand it was okay.... You loyal readers will recall our Father's Day at the Astros game during which the crowd roared so Avelyn roared, only she never stopped so I spent 3/4 of the game in the hall holding her. Would you believe this past Sunday she let us both enjoy the White Sox game in it's entirety without crying once?

[Sigh] I would love for that to have been true. All you yees of little faith get an extra star. Just when I thought things were going so well that fat, dumb, obnoxiously loud beer guy came walking up the stairs bellowing in a volume unheard of by human ears. "BEEEER! COLD BEEEER! MILLERRRR!" Right.In.Front.Of.Me. A-hole. And that was it. Not even one inning in and we were out of there. I mean come on! 50,000 people can cheer and the freaking BEEEER guy does us in? I wanted to punch him in his fat stomach and pull out his hair. The only reason we were at the White Sox game is because I wanted to go. I love the White Sox (#2 after the Astros of course). I had to listen to half the kids and the staff make snide comments about not going to a Cubs game and I kept my mouth shut because I didn't want to be a bitch for Kevin's sake. Hey losers, nobody forced you to go to the game. You could have sat around the hot stinky dorm. Oh well, it's in the past. (See the new me just throwing that ugly memory in the trash?)

Long story shortened, Avelyn and I again spent the bulk of the game up in the wings. The best part about it was that it was a really hot day and the breeze up there was amazing. A silent blessing. Most people thought we were standing there because she was hot. Little did they know... I tell you, if she wasn't my kid and wasn't so dang cute I would not hold the fond memories of a ruined baseball game that I do.
I tried a few times to head back down to our seats but that would last approximately 5 minutes and we'd have to head back up so I just quit trying. I even tried to convince the security guard to let me sit in one of the EMPTY folding seats in the disabled section at the tops of the stairs so I could PLEASE sit down. He said no. They were reserved. For who!? I've been staring at their emptiness for 3 hours now!!!! Idiot. By the time the game was over we were both ready TO GO. It was scorching in the sun and the line for the El train was realllllly long. Avelyn was passed out in her BabyBjorn and was slowly losing 5 pounds in sweat. She stayed asleep for most of the train ride but when she finally woke up she let us all know that it was the end of the day and she was hungry and pissed. There was nothing I could do but bounce her around in the Bjorn and exchange smiles with the one other couple on our train with a kid. I just completely ignored the death stares of the childless.
When we got to our stop I told Kevin to send everyone else on their way and I sat down on the train tracks and fed her. Of course in the time it took to get the bottle made she screamed bloody murder and put on a great show for the people waiting on the other side of the tracks. Once I popped the bottle in her mouth and she instantaneously was cured of crying I yelled across the tracks, "This should be great birth control!"
When we were done I got Kevin to Bjorn her on our way back to the dorm. My back was killing me after roughly 7 hours of standing and holding a 15 pound baby. It is amazing how much she looks like him when they are together. They even have some of the same expressions. I love it.
Oh, I almost forgot. I was vying for worst mother of the year award and hadn't given Avelyn a proper bath in days. There was no tub in the dorm and the sinks were really small so I kept putting it off. On Sunday she had to have one. Short of spraying her down with a hose outside Uncle Pennybags came up with a MacGyver style tub. It was a perfect fit for my travel bath. Avelyn wasn't thrilled with our idea but she got clean, smelled great and slept like a baby that night. What else can you ask for?