Cotton Bowl Victory

The LSU Tigers played the Texas A&M Aggies in the Cotton Bowl this year, and our little family of three enjoyed the game by ourselves at home. Well, Riley enjoyed sleeping through the game: he was in bed before it even started. And because of that, Kenny and I had to learn very quickly how to celebrate quietly whenever our team did something good. It was actually pretty funny, seeing Kenny jump around the living room waving his arms around, “yelling” with no sound coming out of his mouth, and giving me silent high-fives.

(I realize lots of people advocate making no changes to the noise level after you put your child to bed, but we’re still struggling with getting Riley to sleep as good as he used to, so we weren’t taking any chances. More on his sleeping trials coming up soon.)

I used to be VERY vocal when it came to watching football, and it’s interesting to note how fast I made the adjustment when Riley came along. (I wonder if he’ll be as loud as I used to be when he grows up and understands the game. And I wonder if I’ll return to my old ways once he’s older. I’m betting so, but only time will tell.) I remember holding him fast asleep in my arms during the LSU-Tennessee game in September and not making a sound at the ridiculous end to that one. And while I did join Kenny in celebrating on Friday night, I too did so with no sound. I guess that’s what motherhood has done to me: help me control my volume (and language) while watching football, all for Riley’s benefit.

Riley probably wouldn’t have cared, though. As long as he got adequate finger-sucking time in before we put him to bed, he considered himself good.

Congrats to LSU for an impressive win over A&M. I’m already looking forward to what next season will bring. Geaux Tigers!

Postscript: What a shame the Saints’ season had to end in the game against the Seahawks on Saturday afternoon. However, no one can ever take away their stellar performance last year. Way to go, boys. We are still proud of you.