No More Bah Humbug!

I am reforming.

I, until about two weeks ago, was an avowed critic of Halloween. Since I grew out of school Halloween parties, my parents no longer pay to take me out to dinner on Halloween (a Halloween family tradition) and I don't like candy - there isn't much that really says "celebrate" about Halloween to me.

But Baby Girl has the CUTEST Halloween outfits. Most of them haven't fit up until about a week or so ago. Technically, they are still way too big - but too big in a "I'm just little" kind of way, not in a "my mom is retarded and doesn't know what size I wear" kind of way.

(Well, there is that too - when Himself and I bought a couple of Halloween sleepers in January on clearance, we were clueless in sizing and bought the wrong size - G hasn't worn those to the sitter's yet because I'm too embarrassed to admit why my smaller-than-average 7-week-old is wearing a 3- to 6-month Halloween sleeper, so she has just worn those over the weekend). Of course, the fact that her Halloween outfits are huge, means she'll be wearing them until Christmas - after all, pumpkins are fall too, right?

On top of having cute outfits, both Himself's boss and a neighbor bought her Halloween socks - purple with black spiders. She has worn them every day for the past week. And a friend gave us a package of baby hats as a gift - one of them is green, another one is orange - the kid is festively Halloween from head to toe.

Somehow, by just dressing Baby Girl up in cute Halloween clothing, I've managed to feel sort of, well, holidayish (if I can use that as a word). Festive, really. So festive I made pumpkin bars last night (another family tradition) for Himself and I to take to work and for Baby Girl to take to the sitter's. Of course, G didn't really appreciate this, since their delicate nature required I make two trips to the car this morning - leaving her sitting in her carseat on the living room floor until I could fetch her.

At the sitter's this morning, I was greeted by one of her 3-year-old charges - a girl who will someday rule the world, based on her personality - dressed as a cat. She asked what G was. G was wearing a long-sleeved, orange onesie with "I want candy" embroidered on it with candy corn and her green hat (with, of course, her purple spider socks). "She's a pumpkin," I replied. The sitter commented on her slew of cute Halloween outfits, making me doubly glad that I hadn't schlepped her to the sitter's in a two-sizes-too-big sleeper - she apparently does notice how I dress my child. It is a thought that makes me shiver - I can't match my own clothes (hence the East Coast all-black wardrobe), let alone someone else's.

Himself is really loving my newfound recognition of Halloween as a legitimate holiday. He loves Halloween. He especially loves it because I acquiesced and agreed that we could go out for sushi tonight to celebrate. I have not yet given in to his idea of going dressed up - because the thought of dragging my tired self home only to put on different clothes and make-up (not to mention thinking about what to put on) makes me want to curl up and go into a comatose state (which is what I'd be on if I sat down, as evidenced by how many times in the past two days I've fallen asleep feeding Baby Girl).

No matter. We'll still have fun. It might be the only Halloween in recent history I actually can say I enjoyed. Who knew a 7-week-old would end my almost decade-long apathy for all things Halloween?