Baby's first Lady Vols game

We went to an Obama rally, and a Lady Vols game broke out!

Becky and I decided to check out the Obama rally outside Thompson-Boling this afternoon. We figured it would be a good excuse to get out of the house with Loyette, and I wanted to take some pictures of the festivities. So we drove over to UT, tucked Loyette snugly inside her kangaroo pouch (which I was wearing), and ventured out toward the arena. We ended up getting free Obama signs of our own...

...and struck up a few pleasant conversations with Obama supporters heading into the arena. Several people were curious to see the baby inside the pouch -- the "youth vote," we said. :) Then one of those conversations took an unexpected turn: a middle-aged couple was looking for someone to give their tickets to, and asked if we'd like them. We figured, what the heck? If Loyette didn't do well with the crowd, we could always leave. So we accepted the tickets, and thus ended up unexpectedly taking our baby to her first basketball game.

And she did great! She was sound asleep inside her pouch for pretty much the entire affair. The crowd noise didn't seem to bother her at all, and after flinching the first few times the P.A. announcer yelled, she got used to that, too. At one point, with my hand on the bottom of the pouch, I could actually feel her snoring -- out like a light in the midst of a crowd of 19,259. Heh. She's a sound sleeper! We ended up staying till the final buzzer, much to our surprise.

Tennessee won the game, by the way, routing overmatched Kentucky, 79-51. And Candace Parker dunked!

Oh, and lest my Connecticut readers be concerned, I sang the UConn Huskies fight song to Loyette during the car ride home. Wouldn't want her to get too indoctrinated with this Lady Vols stuff. :)

Comments

[Joe Loy]

very Cool :}

go, Loyette! :)

[Briandot]

It warms my heart to see you two holding those Obama signs. :)

I've got two hanging in the top windows of my house. The missus wasn't too keen on me putting up political signs last cycle -- she is on the Other Side, after all -- but this time she's objected less. And this time I've been more adamant about it, anyway.

Glad you're getting the young one started early on sports. Will she have the same loyalties as you, or will there be any intrafamilial rivalries? (I guess you have about a decade to think about it.) :)

[Jenn]

Becky looks great considering she just had a baby 4 weeks ago. You go girl !

[Kristin]

I hope you have started telling her about Gonzaga as well, Brendan....

[Brendan Loy]

Doesn't she, Jenn? :) She got almost the identical compliment from a lady outside our apartment as we were leaving this afternoon.

Brian, I don't know who she'll end up rooting for, but I fear that if we end up staying in Knoxville, she'll grow up a Lady Vols fan, with Becky's encouragement. Oh the agony! How can a Connecticut Nutmegger, born-and-raised, deal with having a Pat Summitt-worshipping, Lady Vol-rooting daughter? It's just not right. :)

Kristin, don't worry, I'll explain to her all about Gonzaga's awesomeness in due course. :) It's just that Gonzaga isn't directly relevant to the matter at hand (the Lady Vols-Huskies rivalry)...

[jlr]

She slept through the whole thing?

Must have been all the noise Brendan was making around the house while she was in utero

[V]

Becky, you are looking fabulous! And Brendan, so are you. Being parents clearly suits you. :)

[Chuck]

Question.......

Brendan, anyone?

Give me three reasons to vote for Obama tomorrow in Georgia. Three reasons, and the words Bush, Change, Not Hillary cannot be in the post.

Patiently waiting. If the reasons are not 'lame & predictable', Obama will have my vote.

Thanks,
Chuck

[Brendan Loy]

Chuck, I'll try to write something up for you during my lunch break. Stay tuned.

One point of clarification, though. You say the words "Not Hillary" can't be in the post. Is it okay, though, to draw contrasts between Obama and Hillary, so long as the emphasis is on his strengths (nor her weaknesses)?

[Chuck]

Yes Brendan, contrasts are most welcome. I was just referring to a lame attempt some have made by stating, 'well he's not Hillary'.

Late night and I'm just back to the net. Been quite a busy afternoon and evening.

Thanks.