Hit That Ball, Bubba!

Last Saturday morning, I thought the stomach bug that plagued our house for over a week was finally over, until Nathaniel ran to the bathroom with his hands over his mouth. "Not again", I thought. Especially not today! Once he was finished, I sent him to his bed to rest. He started to cry, "I don't wanna miss my game!". He was heart-broken. And it broke my heart for him.

This is Nathaniel's first year to play t-ball. He has never been the most athletic kid; as a toddler he had poor coordination and it took him quite a while to master catching a ball. He hasn't really even shown a huge interest in sports in the past, but so far, he loves playing and gets very excited on game day. On this particular Saturday, he was supposed to have a game right before lunch. He had been looking forward to this game for over a week! Especially when he found out the league would be giving away free hot dogs and chips. All week long, he said "Aren't you glad they're gonna have hot dogs at the game, Mama? You won't have to cook dinner all day!" He's so precious.

Now, a little background on my family. They (usually Justin and Nathaniel) can throw up and then immediately after, be just fine. A "Perkins' puke episode" as Ma would call it. It has happened enough times now, that I know if somebody pukes, they aren't necessarily sick with something. It's strange, I know. I waited a while before letting the coach know we wouldn't be there just in case this is what he was experiencing.

After a couple hours, he seemed to be feeling better. (Nathaniel can be "slightly" dramatic when he thinks he's sick). I decided to let him choose if he'd play or not, and we discussed the possibilities of puking in front of his teammates and getting embarrassed in front of everyone. He decided he was up to it, so we got ready and headed out to the field. I checked on him throughout the game to make sure he was still feeling ok, and to rehearse what he should do if he felt sick again. Turns out it was just a Perkins' puke episode.

 

I'm SO glad he decided to go! Not only do I just love watching him out there, but he did such a great job! He paid attention, made some good hits, and even got a boy out at second base. It was one of his best games of the season! And we got free hot dogs. :)