Home Opener

It was another day of beautiful weather in St. Louis today, so while I was at Target this morning, I picked up a Disney Princess scooter for Alexa to leave at NeNe and Papa's house.  Needless to say, Alexa was ecstatic to see the scooter (she's been asking for one for nearly a year), and she took off zipping down the sidewalk as soon as Papa and I completed its assembly.  Alexa's spent a lot of time with her grandparents, and their undivided attention, this weekend, so I think tomorrow morning's flight back to Phoenix will be a rude awakening.

Today was a quintessential St. Louis day for me - - Imo's Pizza for lunch, a MetroLink ride to Busch Stadium, Cardinals Home Opener followed by Paddy O's, and ending the day with Ted Drewes for dessert. It really does not get much more St. Louis than that!  The home opener, my first one, was a lot of fun - it would have been even more fun had the game ended after seven innings...the bullpen completely imploded tonight.  Nevertheless, it was a fun afternoon with friends and baseball in my beloved St. Louis!

Alexa and I have a very early (7am) flight back to Phoenix tomorrow morning, and then the two of us will have an entire day to relax and get back into the normal routine.  We've had a phenomenal time in St. Louis, and this trip was a much-needed break for me, but unfortunately all good things must come to an end.  Besides, we do miss Damon and Alstott too.... :)

Representing our Cardinals....

Enjoying a scooter ride around the neighborhood with NeNe and Papa.

Mission Accomplished!

We did it!  The eight of us who embarked on the St. Louis Half Marathon completed it today, and it seemed that each of us achieved the personal goals (mine was to make sure I was sub 2-hours...mission accomplished at 1:56) that we had set for the day.  Not too shabby!  I think a few of us were a bit surprised at the hilliness of the course; I might have altered my training plan a bit had I realized how hilly the course would be.  Oh well - I know for next year.  My knees are not too happy with me tonight, but I'm very proud of all of us who participated....I know my little boy would be proud as well.

After the race, there was nothing that sounded more appealing than a nap.  Last night, knowing I was waking up at 4:30am, I did not sleep very well at all....I kept checking the clock and doing a mental countdown to my alarm.  Ugh.  Needless to say, when I came home from the half-marathon this afternoon, I took a shower and immediately took a nap.  A rousing game of Hungry Hungry Hippos between Papa Niehoff and Alexa's didn't even phase my sleep - I was exhausted!

While I was at the race today, Alexa definitely enjoyed her morning with Papa and NeNe, taking advantage of the gorgeous weather in St. Louis today.  After providing the rundown of the morning activities, she  was very proud to announce that she was no longer afraid of worms (I never even knew she was afraid)!  My mom told me they spotted a worm, and after a little bit of prodding ad assurance that it would not bite her, Alexa picked it up and held it.  She was examining the elasticity of the worm and accidentally pulled it into two.  Yuck!  Needless to say, when she asked me to help her look for more worms this afternoon, I happily passed the request onto Papa.

Alexa playing with a worm for the first time...eww!

Carbo Loading

After a delayed landing last night (around midnight...hence the non-update of the blog yesteday), Alexa and I have enjoyed our first day in St. Louis....I know Damon wishes he were here.  While I was running errands this morning, Alexa raided NeNe and Papa's basement; the Barbies, Calico Critters and My Little Pony toys were littering the floor when I returned home.  It was extremely windy today, so my sister Karen had the great idea to pull some of the kites out of the basement.  This was the first time Alexa has ever flown a kite (maybe I need to buy one for the next haboob in Phoenix), and after her initial frustration that the kite wasn't staying in the air, she got the hang of flying it and had a blast.  She was so proud that she was able to fly the kite all by herself!  I saw a smile creep onto my Mom's face as Alexa boasted about her independent flight...little Connie.

My friend Molly hosted an Italian dinner tonight, and she didn't disappoint with the two varieties of lasagna she prepared.  It was absolutely delicious, and Alexa scarfed it down like she hadn't eaten in days.  It was a great chance to see everyone who's running the half marathon tomorrow morning (eight of us), as well as some of our official cheerleaders who will be rooting for us with signs rather than running the race (the smart ones...haha).  Wish us luck for the run bright and early tomorrow morning.  I just want to make my little boy proud!

The 80's are back.!  The pic doesn't do it justice,
but this shirt is the brightest, pink neon I've ever seen....

Ready for a Getaway

Granty's 10-month birthday yesterday really hit me hard.  After yesterday, we'll be celebrating more monthly milestones without him than we had with him.  Hard to believe...

However, I think this long weekend in St. Louis will be the perfect remedy my current doldrum.  In addition to the time I get to spend with my parents and sister Karen, I will have a lot of quality time with my friends in St. Louis.  A pre-race dinner (no cooking for me - - just bringing a salad!), the half-marathon, Cardinals Opening Day.....  Alexa was disappointed tonight to find out that she wasn't going to be running with me; she can do a 1/2 mile run with me no problem, but I think 13.1 miles might be a little too much.  However, she quickly perked up when she realized she would have NeNe and Papa Gene's (no longer Papa Niehoff) basement for entertainment.  The assortment of Barbies, Calico Critters, Fisher-Price play sets, etc... are way more fun than running!

Tomorrow is going to be one busy day - - a full-day of work/school and then a evening flight that lands in St. Louis at 11:30pm.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Alexa sleeps on the plane.... 

SWIM UPDATE - Since Alexa's going to miss gymnastics class on Saturday, she had another Thursday of back-to-back gymnastics and swimming lessons.  Gymnastics, as usual, went great, but swim continues to be problematic.  She is truly petrified of Coach Anthony letting go of her in the pool.   She has made a friend in her Thursday class, Lauren (who's a great swimmer), so that's a positive out of the situation.  When we get back from St. Louis, I think I'm going to go back to the drawing board with the managers of the swim school to derive a new plan to help her overcome this fear....

My boy....

Happy 10-Month Birthday!

It's hard to believe today is my little boy's 10-month birthday....it's still crushing to wake up each morning without him.  We're definitely missing out on a very fun age with Granty.

The reminders of Granty are everywhere.  Like most new parents, I provided information to formula and diaper companies, which let to many coupons on those pricey items.  I used to look forward to those envelopes from Similac and Pampers in the mail or the online offers sent via e-mail.  However, after losing a child, those same direct marketing campaigns can be an intrusive reminder of what I've lost.  The Pampers newsletter, "Your Baby at 10 Months," evoked a sense of sadness as I glanced at all of the milestones that I would normally be expecting to see.  Instead, I will always have my little boy frozen in time at five-months old.

Happy 10-Months, Granty!  I'd give anything to see him pulling himself up or taking his first steps. :(

Happy 10-months, Granty!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Tonight we had a Hovey family outing, including my cousin-in-law Glenn visiting from St. Louis, and went to the Diamondbacks-Cardinals game in Phoenix.  As the norm for a transplant-heavy area like Phoenix, there were a lot of Cardinals fans in attendance.  The guy sitting next to us, a St. Louis fan, was very impressed when Alexa began to recite the line-up and knew which player was next to bat.  We were not able to stay for the whole game (Cards won!), but Alexa was able to cheer a go-ahead home run by the Cardinals in the sixth inning.  It was a great evening and a wonderful time at the ballpark!  Alexa held up really well, even sharing her treats (Cracker Jack) with Glenn and Damon...although she did ration their portions to five pieces each. :)

At Chase Field, they don't have a costumed-mascot, but rather four giant-headed characters representing legendary D-back players....the closest thing that I can use to describe these characters are the famous Sausage Races in Milwaukee.  Alexa's fear of life sized characters or people in costumes is not reserved for Santa Claus - - she was petrified of these giant heads, even when they were clear across the stadium.  They are a bit freaky, but Alexa curled up in a ball on my lap, and her pulse was racing like a monster had just come in the room.  Thankfully they didn't come in the section where we were sitting; otherwise, I think she would have had a nervous breakdown.  Poor thing!  I can guarantee Alexa will never request a clown for her birthday party...lol.

GIRAFFE UPDATE:  Yesterday, the LEO Conservation Center announced the newborn giraffe's name:  Sandy Hope, in honor of Sandy Hook victims.  Not "Grantie", but a great name nevertheless.....Hope is synonymous with our Granty for sure.

One happy fan....(yes, I need to get her more Cardinals
gear when I'm in St. Louis this weekend!)

Season Opener

Play ball!

Tonight was the official Opening Day of the MLB season, and the Cardinals are in Arizona for the first series of the season (their only series in AZ).  The 7:10pm start time of the St. Louis-Arizona game tonight was pretty late for a season opener (dang ESPN), so I planned a special Opening Day "picnic" for Alexa.  We enjoyed a light dinner (Alexa had a little bout with a stomach bug last night) on a beach towel, and it was highlighted with some Cracker Jack for dessert.  Dinner was long-over by the time the baseball game started, but Alexa made it through the third inning before her interest in the game waned.  Her stomach bug reappeared in the bottom of the 4th inning, coincidentally when the game started to go downhill for the Cards.....oh well, 161 games to go.

We have tickets to tomorrow night's Cardinals game (6:40 pm start), so we'll play it by ear to see if we'll be there in person to cheer on St. Louis.  Regardless of whether we make it to the game in AZ, I am extremely excited to be at the Home Opener in St. Louis next Monday...it should be a great time!

A St. Louis girl at heart...with a yogurt-covered shirt.