My Lucky Charm

Since I was all overcome with the Iowa - Iowa State game earlier today, it seemed only fitting to come back and give some closure.

Iowa State is my alma mater. When our daughter was born, my sister and her husband (also alumni of Iowa State), gave her an ISU onesie and sleeper.  Last season, we were trying to have her enjoy both her Notre Dame and her ISU outfits, so any given Saturday she'd be wearing something from one of the schools.

We introduced our family to her last October, and the day we left, Iowa State was playing Texas. Brennan was wearing her sleeper. As we drove home, we listened to coverage on the radio. And wouldn't you know it, but they were winning. Winning a game they were not supposed to. We were euphoric (and may have pulled into a gas station towards the end of the game as our signal was weakening).

Chad, her uncle and giver of the sleeper, saw this as an omen. Each Saturday, he would text to see if she was ready for the game. Unfortunately, I could not always answer in the affirmative (recall that we were trying to also extend some luck to the Irish, altough that was never successful). However, each time she wore an ISU outfit for the duration of the game, they won. She happened to be napping at the start of the Nebraska game and suited up late. We learned in that instance that while they tied, her luck didn't go into overtime.

The outfits from last year were both 0-3 month sized. The onesie was outgrown, but the sleeper - given its magical properties, I'm sure - has been the one outfit in her wardrobe that she hadn't outgrown. We're phasing her out of her 12-month outfits and into 18- and 24-month ones, but still the sleeper remained in circulation.

Last week, we pulled it out for the Cyclone season opener against UNI. Sure, the sleeper's sleeves only reached her elbows, and she probably wouldn't want to stretch her legs out all the way, but we kept her in it, and the Cyclones came out with a victory.

I was going to retire the sleeper, but then I was informed that today was the day they faced their rivals, the long-storied matchup against Iowa, typically with ISU as the underdog and Iowa as the favored team expected to come out on top. Be that as it may, I vowed to shove her in that sleeper to bring any luck possible their way.

Fortunately, Heather and Chad thought it was fitting to send Brennan her birthday gift early - she is now the proud owner of both short- and long-sleeved onesies with matching pants. No matter the weather this football season, she will be prepared.

I admit I was nervous - Iowa State has suffered at the hands of Iowa the last few years. But bright and early this morning, she was dressed in her new duds.

We weren't able to watch it on TV, but we followed online play trackers. At halftime, the score was tied at 10. I'd laid Brennan down for a nap with under two minutes left in the game when the score was 24-17 Iowa. I was rocking her, trying to follow on Facebook via status updates whether we were able to tie it up. Once I'd learned we were going into OT, after I set a sleeping daughter in her crib, I even pulled out the outgrown sleeper and draped it at the head of the crib. (You know, in case that was the final push ISU needed to get that victory.)

I won't exhaust you with details, since you know from my last post that they were in triple overtime.  Brennan woke up then, so I hurriedly grabbed her and she sat with me (naturally, with the old sleeper on her lap) as I followed online. ISU and Iowa matched each other for touchdowns in the first two overtimes. Then Iowa got a field goal, and ISU got the touchdown that gave them the win.

I realize Brennan's luck can't hold out forever (it's a lot to expect a baby to carry a whole football team's fate), but she will be wearing her ISU outfits every Saturday this season!