Sarah and I took Oliver to the St. Louis Rams game today thanks to a generous offer of free tickets from a work client. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best experience ever, I’d put this as a 3 or 4.

First, it’s a pain to get to the Edward Jones Dome. No doubt about it. Once we finally did get there, we were told by outside security we’d have to fold up the stroller because there’s no way to get it into the seating area. I’m thinking, “Wow, that stinks for handicapped people. At least I can carry this thing.”

Then, as we were showing our tickets at the entrance the woman told us we couldn’t bring the stroller in. She said it would “ruin the floor,” which was laughable as the floor was cruddier than our kitchen floor (that’s pretty bad for people who haven’t been here to see the cigarette-stained and -burned floor our lovely previous homeowner left us). Thankfully, a staffer saw us and came over to help. She allowed us to check the stroller in and pick it up after the game. That’s how the Cardinals and Blues do it, so we figured it would be the same. It worked out, at least.

Once we finally go to our seats, Oliver squirmed and squirmed and squirmed. And as quiet as the stadium seems on TV, it actually was darn loud. We covered his ears a few times.

By the second quarter, we headed out to get some food. Oliver ate an ENTIRE HOT DOG, bun and all. That’s a lot for him. I should mention that while we ate, my friend Susan came to visit with us. Good to see her. Next, we found a family restroom to change Oliver’s diaper. It was a little difficult to find. Unlike the Blues game we went to last season, there wasn’t a line of men trying to drop “dueces” and stink up the place. That was nice.

After halftime, we went back to our seats. Oliver continued to squirm – and eat. He ate everything we brought. It was a ton of food. And he drank his entire water bottle. And then, with about 5 minutes left in the game, we headed home. The game was OK, for a while, but in the end we got our butts handed to us (again). I think the Packers doubled up the score on our poor – and bad – hometown heroes. Of the Blues, Cardinals and Rams games we have taken Oliver to, this was by far the least family-friendly experience.

Here’s a picture from before we left: