And a huge part of being there to take it in was being able to take Isaac with us.

For those unaware, Rogers arena applies the same rule to babies as airlines do: they can attend, in your arms, until they’re 2 years old (after that, you need to buy them a seat of their own).

There are also a few other family-friendly amenities and services at the arena that make bringing baby along a bit easier.

All of the washrooms have change tables (usually near the handicapped stall), but there are also family/accessible washrooms at either end of the arena (sections 103, 109 and 319) with a change table, chair and sink. They’re well-used, so hunkering down to nurse (especially over an intermission) seems like it’d be a tad inconsiderate to your fellow parents, but it’s a much less chaotic space to change a baby than the regular washrooms.

You can also bring your stroller right into the arena with you and check it at customer service (section 114 and 310). I’m thinking this would be super handy for heavier babies, or even if you’ve bought your toddler a seat (bonus tip: Guest Services also provides free booster seats – deposit required!) and he or she isn’t so good with the walk to and from your vehicle or transit to get to and from the arena.

In addition to the arena amenities, there are a few things we always bring along to make sure Isaac’s comfortable (and we don’t miss much of the action).

A baby sling. Isaac will curl up in pretty much any carrier and crash out after a short walk. We’ve found the sling works best for games, because it keeps him close without being bulky. It also works equally well for sitting as standing, and we don’t have to wrestle it on and off as we pass Isaac between us. Bonus: we can drape the tail of the sling over his head to block out some of the atmosphere if he’s getting overstimulated.

A convenient nursing setup. This is obviously a personal preference thing, but during a 3 hour game, a baby’s going to need to eat at least once, and it’s best to be prepared. There isn’t any extra elbow room to be wrestling with pulling your shirt half-off, or fiddling with complicated snaps and straps, so any garment (nursing-specific or not) that gives you quick, easy access to nurse your baby is going to be key. I also use a nursing cover because a) I’m a giant prude and don’t enjoy the idea of flashing 18,000 of my closest friends and b) the cover blocks out distractions so Isaac focuses on eating rather than everything else.

Ear Protection. If I hadn’t found this, I wouldn’t bring Isaac to the games, period. He’s got a lifetime to ruin his own hearing with whatever noise kids are listening to by the time he’s old enough to annoy me with his musical preferences. While he’s young, I’ll try my best to preserve he hearing he’s got. I’ve even found that the music and ambient noise at the games has gotten so loud, we’ve been bringing earplugs for ourselves as well. Has it always been that way, or am I just getting old and crotchety?

Anyhow, the only earmuffs I’ve found for the tiny set are ems 4 bubs. The headband earmuff cups are extra small to fit little ears, but still offer 22dB noise reduction. The headband (instead of the over-head bridge that regular earmuffs have) ensures even pressure around your baby’s still malleable head. Locally I’ve found them at Hip Baby on West 4th, or you can order them online.

And that’s pretty much it. We plan on reprising our hockey plan for baseball and soccer games this summer, and maybe football in the fall. After all, he actually seems to have a pretty good time watching the big boys play.

As I’m sure some of you know, I’ve got season’s tickets to the Vancouver Canucks. Going to 45 games a season is a bit daunting, so I share the tickets with family and friends. It’s an excellent way to see some games at a big discount from the one-off purchase price.

With the schedule this year, we’ve got a few games left that we can’t make it to that are still available:

Thurs. Dec. 10th vs. Atlanta sale pending!
Sat. Dec. 26 vs. Edmonton (makes an excellent Christmas Gift!) gone!

Tues. March 30 vs. Phoenix

Seats are in Section 122, row 15 – an excellent view up-ice in the Canucks defending end.

My cost for these are $220/pair (cost through Ticketmaster is about $280/pair) – but because the December games are coming up so soon, I’ll let those two go for $200!

Drop a comment or email me if you’re interested: jen at worldwidewatercooler dot com.

And Go Canucks Go!

First up: Wednesday September 26th vs. San Jose – 7:00pm.

Price: $120 for the pair. That’s my cost. (Regular price is around $180)

Here’s how it works – comment or email me (jen at thisdomain dot com) and I’ll let you know if you’re the first to respond. I’ll give you instructions for either a paypal or hyperwallet transfer (your choice). After I’ve received the funds, I’ll email you the tickets.

I know there’s been some scandal around “e-tickets” – and I suppose if you’re worried about me scamming you, this isn’t the venue for you to get to the game. Canucks season ticket holders (which I am) have the option to email tickets to a friend if they can’t get to the game. I promise I’m not scamming you, just busy.

Alternately, if you can manage to get downtown today or tomorrow and meet me outside my office during a very specific window of time, I will consider exchanging the tickets for cash. But I’m in a lot of meetings for the next couple days and leaving at 5:00 each day for some other commitments – so it’ll be tight.

I swear I’m doing more with my life these days than watching hockey and selling tickets.

As soon as I figure out what that is, I’ll let you know.

In the meantime, I’ve gotten a LOT of interested parties contacting me regarding Round 2 playoff tickets. Yes I have them, and yes, Game 6 is for sale.

It’s a huge pain in the hind-end to keep track of offers, so I’ve listed the tickets on ebay.

You can bid on them here.

I’m crossing my fingers that they make it to the fourth (and final) round, when I’ll actually use the tickets to attend the game myself!

Effing hockey team.

I was seriously hoping that the Canucks would have won game 5 or 6, so I wouldn’t be in the position of having to sell the tickets for game seven.

So much for that idea.

So I have one pair of tickets available for the Western Quarterfinals – Tomorrow (Monday) at 6:00pm. You pay what I paid: $75/ticket ($150 for the pair) and arrange to pick them up from me (in Kits) sometime before then.

Email jen at thisdomain dot com or leave a comment if you’re interested.

It seems my career as a high rollin’ ticket broker is just not meant to be.

With the flood of tickets to tonight’s game on the market, I’ve had absolutely zero success selling my pair thus far.

As much fun as it would be to be at GM place tonight, I’ve not become magically employed in the last 72 hours, and the general playoff markup is still too rich for my blood.

So I’m offering the pair of tickets for sale, for $148.00 – exactly what I paid for them as a season’s ticket holder.

Considering Ticketbastard charges $117 per ticket plus fees, you’re getting a pretty damn good deal.

Leave a comment, or email (jen at thisdomain dot com), and I’ll even meet you at GM Place pregame, since I’ll be downtown anyway.

Puck drops at 6:00pm – hopefully with your butt in those seats instead of mine!

Personally, the lure of the cash draws me more than the lure of seeing playoff hockey – so if you’re interested in contributing to the “Jen’s unemployed and has no money – thank goodness people are willing to pay premiums for hockey tickets” fund, check out my ad on craigslist. I think I’m being pretty fair – staying competitive with the low-end of everyone else who seems to have tickets for sale.

Get ‘em while they’re hot folks. It’s probably your last chance to see the boys in blue on ice, rather than the putting green, for the foreseeable future.

Vancouver Canucks vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
Tuesday, January 30 – 7:30pm
Section 321, row 13.

$120 for the pair (regular $160 through ticketmaster).

You can either paypal me and have them left at will call, or pick them up from me – cash only – near my work (Oak & Broadway) during business hours or near my home (4th and Macdonald) some evening.

Comment or email if you want ‘em!

UPDATE: sold!

I have some hockey tickets for sale. All tickets will be sold as pairs for $100, which was my cost for them as a season’s ticket holder.

They’re in section 321 (Canucks attacking zone, between the blue line and the goal line, players’ bench side), row 13. Regular cost is $64.25 EACH plus ticketbastard fees (brings the price per ticket over $70).

Please leave a comment, or email if you’re interested in any of the following games:

Thursday November 30 vs. Anaheim Ducks SOLD!
Saturday December 2 vs. Colorado Avalanche (premium game – that means TM charges EVEN MORE) SOLD!
Friday December 8 vs. Carolina Hurricanes SOLD!
Saturday December 16 vs. Minnessota Wild SOLD!

All gone folks. Thanks for playing!

Tickets are for the game vs. San Jose on Tuesday, Sept. 26th in Section 321, Row 13. Regularly sell for $64.25 each plus ticketbastard fees. They’re yours for $50 each.

How is this possible you ask? I have a set of half-season tickets. Nobody I normally share the tickets with is either available for or interested in this particular game, so I’m offering them up to anyone who’ll take them off my hands. I’m not looking to make a profit off the tickets – I paid $49.29 each for them, so $50 even just seems like an easier way to deal with it – though if you’d like to pay me $98.58 in exact change, that’s cool too.

Comment or email if you’d like to get in on some pre-season action for a great price! Puck drops at 7:00pm.

Update: Sold!