This spring we spent most of our Saturday mornings over at the baseball fields, rooting for my son C and his team. It was our first time playing little league, and Bee soon grew tired of sitting in the bleachers with me and Baby M. After talking it over with the coach (who luckily happened to be her dad) Bee deemed herself the team's "bat girl".
She would stand at the ready inside the dugout while our team was at bat, and then race out as fast as she could to pick up the bat and run it back to the dugout. (We actually had to have a few talks about slowing down and looking around because she would run smack into the next batter as he was walking to home plate.) She started wearing her own "uniform" each week, a red and white striped shirt and her brother's red soccer socks, so she would match the rest of the team.
I love Bee. She is so full of energy, so full of joy. I loved watching her big grin as she sprinted back with the bat in her hands, loved seeing her sit in the dugout with her brother, loved watching her dad help make her feel like a part of the team. As the season went on, Bee really felt like she WAS a part of the team, she would sit with the boys in the dugout and line up after the game to shake hands with the other team. We had our final awards ceremony a few weeks ago and Bee was sorely disappointed that there wasn't a trophy for her. (Luckily her mom had made award certificates for the whole team, including a special one for Bee).