Should that baby be here?

This past weekend marked a milestone for Lydia...her first hockey game.  Yes, we were crazy and brought her with us to the Redwings playoff game on Saturday.  Don's friend Denny came into town for the game and generously bought us tickets (which were very expensive).  When Don told me we were going to the game, I didn't balk at the idea of bringing Lydia.  I'm still scared of leaving her with anybody else, so what else were we to do?  I should add here that I'd never been to a professional hockey game, so I didn't know quite what to expect.  I had been to two college games, and they weren't too loud or rowdy, so my main concerns were the temperature and the noise.  After lots of deliberation, I had a perfectly stocked diaper bag with all the necessities, as well as my Moby wrap and my kangaroo pouch, so that Lydie would be close to me the entire time.  I also packed some cotton balls for Lydie's ears, and a big white hat to put on her head and cover her ears.  

The trip into Detroit was fine, and we loaded Lydie up into the Moby wrap and walked into Cobo.  We got there pretty early, so we stopped at a bar for some food and took Lydie out of the wrap.  Very quickly, she needed to be changed, and then had to be changed again.  There is nothing easy about changing a baby in one of those bathrooms.  Fortunately, I had packed a very neat little contraption that has a changing mat, the wipes, and diapers all in one place, so you don't require a lot of digging in a bag.  see here: http://www.skiphop.com/mm5/merchang.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=SH&Category_Code=ACC&Product_Code=202005

After our quick snack, we loaded Lydie up again into the Moby wrap and walked over to Joe Louis Arena.  That's when I started to wonder if this was a good idea.  It quickly became apparent that Lydia was by far the youngest child there.  She got lots of admiring glances from other fans, but I was starting to feel like I might have made a mistake.  When we got inside and saw the throngs of people, I really started to wonder.  Lydie was acting kind of cross and was fussing a bit in her wrap, and it was getting louder.  I put some cotton in her ears and put on her hat, and she actually fell asleep.  Then we walked to our seats and the real noise began.   I don't think I had ever realized how loud games are.  The announcer's voice sounded like it was going to pierce our eardrums.  Yikes!  But somehow Lydia stayed asleep.  And despite all the noise and cheers and other excitement, she stayed asleep throughout the first period!  She did wake up between the first and second periods, at which time she emerged from the wrap and looked around happily (see the pictures above).  She watched happily for over half of the second period, and then became fussy again.  Don and I left and tried to walk her around a bit, but she stayed fussy for the rest of the period and into the next break.  Don then asked around and found out that it was OK to breastfeed at the first aid station, so we made our way down there (it was a long way) and let her eat, which made her happy.  She then got back in the wrap, fell asleep, and slept through the rest of the game.  So, all in all, a very successful day.  I don't know if I'd repeat the experience, though.  As I said, she was for sure the youngest child there, and it was so loud!  When she was crying and I was walking around with her, I felt like everyone was looking at me and thinking to themselves, "Should that baby be here?" and wondering what kind of mother would bring such a young child to a place like that.   I think her next big sporting event will have to wait a while (sorry, Don).