Time of Her (our) Life

Diana made her first trip to AT&T Park on Friday night for her first Giants game. I am not going to leave out a single detail because that's what I usually do and this experience deserves all the space the internet will allow.
We took the ferry from Vallejo to the Ferry Building in San Francisco. We arrived at the building at about 4 p.m. and had lunch at Taylor's, this awesome little diner. Matt had been planning this trip for a few weeks now, doing a lot of research on how to get to the park from the Ferry Building without using the mode of transportation that we would normally use - our legs.
It turns out that the Muni station that could take us to the park was quite a walk from the Ferry Building. By the time we would have gotten to the station, we would be halfway to the ballpark. So, we just started walking - very slowly, as we had two hours until the start of the game.
(Also, in an act of rebellion, I wasn't supposed to even go to the game. I was placed on modified bed rest for the weekend on Wednesday afternoon at my doctor appt. I didn't go to work on Thursday and didn't do much of anything Friday morning before we left.)
Anyway, I am so glad that we walked. Diana had a great time walking downtown ("Look at the big buildings, Mommy!") and I got some exercise. The weather was perfect as we were walking...about 68 degrees or so.
There was a small park right next to the ballpark so we stopped there for a couple minutes and let Diana run around and play. She had a great time. We proceeded to the ballpark after that and Diana was in awe! I can only imagine how big the place looked in her eyes.
After our long walk, I was sequestered to my seat for the rest of the night. We found our seats and Diana got to watch a little batting practice. Matt took her to the Coke slide, the Build a Bear workshop store and the Fan Lot where she got to hit a few balls and run around the bases of this little makeshift field they have out in left field. Apparently, she had a blast and nearly brought Matt to tears!
When the game started, the Giants dominated from the start. Pablo Sandoval (our favorite player now because Papa John bought Diana a panda bear for her birthday and we named him Pablo because Pablo Sandoval is named Baby Panda or something) hit a home run in the first inning and the crowd went absolutely berzerk. It scared the bee jeezus out of Diana and she started crying. She was OK a minute later and danced the rest of the night whenever music played. She was in heaven and really, Matt and I were too. Who would have imagined that a 4-year-old would sit as still as she was the whole time, never complain once, never cry that she wanted to leave and just go with the flow?
Diana continues to amaze us. The game got out of hand fast...the Giants went up 13-0 right away and the Astros never came close to threatening to score. It was fun! Matt got the chance to take Diana back up to the Fan Lot and went down the Coke slide a few more times. He even let her pick out her own baseball hat...pink with a magenta "SF" on it...and the best part...it has a fairy on it. Seriously? Pink, magenta AND a fairy? That hat has Diana's name all over it! She wore it the rest of the night!
In the top of the eighth inning, after Diana and I returned from the bathroom, we made our way around the ballpark to where the ferry would pick us up after the fireworks show. Now, keep in mind that Diana has never seen fireworks. Matt and I usually fall asleep before they go off and we don't like big crowds anyway so we have stayed away from all that for the past seven or so years. But this was a great chance for Diana to see them for the first time. Across the bay, while we were waiting for the Giants' fireworks to start, there were some fireworks (green and gold). We couldn't hear them, but Diana could see them. She loved them!
Then, the lights went off in McCovey Cove and the fireworks started blasting overhead...very loud. The tears and screaming started. It only lasted a couple minutes and once she realized all the pretty colors (magenta, especially)she liked them. If you ask her now what her favorite part of the night was, she will tell you it was the fireworks. Go figure.
By the time we got on the ferry, it was nearly 11 p.m. and Diana was still going strong. She didn't need to be held, was still dancing around with a big ole smile on her face. It was three hours past her bedtime and she only took a 45 minute nap earlier in the day because of all the excitement of going to the game.
We got on the ferry finally and headed out. And that's when Diana crashed out...like a light. She crawled up in my lap and fell asleep. She stayed asleep for the most part until we got home at 12:30 a.m. and stayed in bed this morning till 9.
It was quite a night. Matt and I were beaming with pride. It was so great and something the three of us will never forget.