Nolan plays baseball {Fall 2015}

First of all, the title of this blog post is a little misleading. Nolan doesn't really play baseball. He is on a baseball team, wears a jersey that matches other kids, has a glove and bat but has no frickin' clue what he's doing. Let's just say it was another opportunity for him to show us that he's three years old. We totally lost our minds when we signed him up for baseball. We thought that Jonah and Nolan would play on the same team (which is a 3-4yr old team) but discovered that Jonah had to play up at the 6u level because of his birthday (they play by spring age rules in the fall). By that point, we had already sold the idea of baseball to Nolan so we felt like we had to follow through (and believe me, hauling him to all of Jonah's soccer games in the spring and telling him he couldn't play was not an easy feat). So baseball began for our little Nolan....

First game:

(Great) Uncle Mike volunteered to help out in the field with our little Nolan monster. He proved to be a patient supervisor to a child who had his own plans.

Playing in the dirt, the chalk lines, not wearing his hat or glove and wandering around aimlessly seemed to be the purpose of "playing defense" in Nolan's mind. 

 Obligatory team pic

 Actually swung and hit the ball of the tee pretty well. 

Batting is about the only part of this he wanted to participate with. 

 Oh, and running the bases. He seemed to enjoy that part of it. 

 He played the "drums" in the dugout (beating the metal bench). Always helpful during a game. 

Thanks, Uncle Mike, for being a part of the memories of Nolan's first game! 

Second game:

I must admit, Nolan did slightly better in the second game, showing much more focus and enthusiasm for the offense component (hitting, running) and maybe a bit better defensive focus as well. This time, Daddy stayed out on the field with him and tried to keep him focused on what was happening, even explaining what was going on a little more. He ran after a few balls that were hit near him, but only managed to get one and wasn't really sure what to do with it once he got it. He usually kept his glove on, but the hat wasn't going to stay on his head and his shirt was not going to be tucked in. He was able to swing and hit the ball off the tee on the first or second attempt, so that was a good thing. I think he might have accidentally clocked the coach with his backswing--he was standing a little too close to him when he swung! Overall, I think things are moving in the right direction. 

Third game: I ventured out with all three boys by myself this night (Randy had a deacon's dinner at church to attend). Jonah and Westley were both very good little boys throughout the game. Nolan started off really well and went to bat, hit the ball right off the tee and ran the bases as instructed. It was when he was asked to go to the field with his glove that things took a turn for the worse. Another parent helped him out on to the field and he was able to hang next to the coach throughout the half inning, sort of paying attention. After that, he returned to batting and did well again (although technically got thrown out at first base, but they let them all run anyways). listened to the base coaches on running. But once again, he was an obstinate child when it came to going out on to the field. I had to give away sweet Westley (to a sweet mama to cuddle) while I chased by 3 yr old and coaxed him out to the field one last time. If the game were just batting and running, he'd be great. It's the fielding, wearing of the glove and hat that he really dislikes. 

Fourth game: I got lucky enough to draw another game solo (Randy had tennis) with all three kids, but this time my mom was available to come with me to help! Nolan was all over the place (once again) and was only interested in batting/running the bases. He copped major attitude about playing the field and totally melted down on the side of the field. Eventually I was able to get him to participate by feeding him cheez-its every few minutes to keep paying attention. After the game, we got a good laugh with the coach and we just might try a bag of snacks/treats in his pocket to distribute during the game to keep him out there!

Fifth game: We skipped this one to attend our church's Fall Festival instead. :)

Sixth game: Worst one of the season?? Is that possible?? Trying to coax this kid into participating was tough today. I took all three boys and my mom to this game but it didn't really help. 

The good news is that the end of season party was at Jumpits!! Nolan (and Jonah) loved celebrating together there for sure! Nolan got a cute baseball cupcake and his trophy!! He has been wanting a trophy for a while now--mostly because Jonah has two trophies from soccer. 

And that's a wrap on Nolan's first baseball season!!