Clara Celebrates a World Series Victory

I'm happy to say that Clara celebrated her first Cardinals World Series victory this weekend. 

We couldn't get tickets for the actual "celebration" in Busch Stadium, so we opted to go downtown to the parade several hours before it began to take in the atmosphere and reserve our front row seats.  

Clara was a bit uncooperative with my best laid plans for the day.  She woke up after only 10 minutes of morning nap and wouldn't fall back asleep.  This lead her to be somewhat temperamental as the day's events unfolded.  

Of all the people in this photograph below, Mitch and I were the first ones to establish our position.  The rest of them came a few at a time until there was quite a pressing crowd. 

For quite a while, we were THOSE people.  The ones with the crying baby.  And we were all stuck there together if we wanted to keep our spots.  Over the course of time, as we waited for the parade, I changed a dirty diaper on the blanket-covered pavement, sat Indian-style on the ground (no curb) and nursed Clara, and rocked her to sleep in my arms three times before she was awakened by the noisy crowd.  Let's just say my back is still pretty sore.  

It was worth it though.  It was fun to be in the exciting atmosphere, to see the players, and to do something together as a family. 

All along the parade route there were temporary fences set up to establish boundaries between the parade and the onlookers.  Because we were actually standing in the middle of an adjoining street rather than on a sidewalk, we found ourselves in the middle of the only small segment of parade route that did not have barriers.  The parade officials (pictured in neon green) were policing us to make sure we stayed behind an imaginary line.  They had given detailed instructions to us, the crowd, about where we could stand and how far the stroller could stick out past the line, etc.  They said if we pushed the line they would have to form a barricade of people in front of us, which would make it hard to see.  Being the cooperative person that I am, I made it my mission to hold my ground.  Clara had spit up on the pavement right by my feet earlier in the afternoon, marking my spot.  I stayed right by that little splotch of baby puke, even as the crowd crowded up around me.  The stroller and I stayed fast!  You can see in the picture that Clara and I, who were formerly on the front lines, are slowly being swallowed.  Nonetheless, we still maintained a front row view when the parade arrived.    

It was fun to make more great memories of this 2011 Cardinals win.  Now Clara can say she was there, and we have the pictures to prove it!