Trick-or-Treat

Halloween, for the past decade or so, has been a negligible holiday for me. Right up there with Columbus Day or President's Day. Only slightly more annoying because I have kids ringing my doorbell every other minute causing my dog to go bonkers and leading to general frustration. And I haven't even mentioned the 17-year-olds who come by with nothing more than a mask and a pillowcase holding me up for candy. I give them candy and save my blustering and posturing for 30 seconds after they leave, figuring a 10 cent piece of candy isn't worth the hassle of having my house vandalized. Plus, I was never someone who enjoyed getting dressed up or having to think of some clever costume to outdo other adults. So most of the time I assumed a general ambivalence towards the holiday.

Until Megan came along.

Last year she was too young to know what was going on, and more importantly, had to be carried everywhere. Not good. But this year was different. And unlike me, she even had a great costume.

About four weeks ago, a bee flew underneath Megan's t-shirt and inadvertently stung her. Much like Peter Parker/Spiderman, I think Megan started embracing her true superpowers. It seems since the stinging, she has become much more ornery and aggressive. So it was inevitable that her costume for Halloween was as a bumblebee.

But let's back up to earlier in the day.

There was some slight concern when she deemed her nap time was starting at 11:30. We knew trick-or-treating was going to push her beyond her usual bedtime and the slightly early nap had us worried she would be a crab by nighttime.

Well, we laid her down and she slept. And slept. And slept. Jillian's parents and grandma came to help us with pumpkin carving and then to pass out candy while we took Meg trick-or-treating. They arrived at 1:45 and she was still sleeping. Normally her naps are about 75-90 minutes. Yesterday, she woke up at 2:15, almost THREE hours later. This was a good sign.

We bought pumpkins to carve and set out on our front porch. I thought Meg would just want to watch this process, but as usual, I should never underestimate my daughter. Although she didn't want to touch the pumpkin guts, she did want to prove she knew how to use a scooper spoon. Plus, she was extremely helpful in taking the tops of the pumpkin (what she called their "hats") off and placing them back on.

What she struggled with was relinquishing the flashlights that we were planning to put inside the pumpkins. Anytime we tried to "borrow" the flashlights from her, she let loose with a scream. Sooo .... she held the flashlights for quite awhile. Only once we distracted her with dinner did she finally uncurl her fingers from the lights.

Finally it was costume time. Of course this being Michigan, it was brutally cold and so she had to wear a coat underneath her costume, as well as mittens. But darn it, even with the furry pink thorax, she was still exceptionally cute.

Once all proper accessories were procured; wagon for transport, umbrellas for the gray skies, flashlights, coats, and camera we were off. Well, sort of. Megan was apprehensive at first, refusing to waddle down the driveway even. Things were not looking good, especially as a gang of 7 ghouls and goblins strolled past her and up the driveway of our house for candy. I was worried this night was going to be over before it started.

Eventually we coaxed her down the street thanks to a neighbor's dog she wanted to follow. Then with Jillian's prodding she made her way up several driveways and found, much to her delight, random strangers wanted to put candy, lots of it, into her pumpkin bag. After about four houses, Megan quickly learned that the night was all about her. From that point forward, things changed dramatically. She wouldn't say any words to the treat givers, but she no longer shuffled up the walks either. In fact, one house had just the main door open and through the screen Megan could see the bowl of candy inside. We rang the bell but no one came to the door and Megan was adamant on staying put until that candy got in her bag. The lure of more houses pulled her away, but I liked her perserverance.

Once our street was done, we tossed our bee into the car and took her to another street close by that Jillian's mom had spotted a few days earlier. There were close to 15 ghosts hanging from the tree limbs, local kids "hired" to play chainsaw wielding perimeter guards, cauldrons, fake smoke, and eerie music. It was a mad house. Unfortunately by this point in the evening, about 7:15, Megan had started to hit the wall. She had been given a Tootsie Pop, her first, a little earlier to keep her blood sugar up, but the crash was coming. So after a quick walk up and down the street, bypassing most houses, we called it a night and our little bumblebee returned home.

I think the thrill of getting "free" candy (buying a $20 costume to get $4 worth of candy is not free in my book) was lost on her, but what made the night so wonderful for me was several fold. One, I loved the fact it allowed the three of us to experience our new community, meet a lot of neighbors further down the street we didn't know, and to have a joyful night where Megan could interact with others. Two, it allowed me another glimpse into who Megan might eventually become. With the one house I joked about her perseverance, but throughout the night I saw her introverted nature as she analyzed what the kids around her were doing. I saw her path down the sidewalk blocked by several others, and out of nowhere, she saw Jillian, and abruptly turned and trudged downhill, across the front yard, to safety. I know it doesn't sound like much, but she's 20 months, and has never shown a proclivity when out in public, surrounded by people, to brazenly head off on her own, it makes me smile internally.

Jillian would tell you this year's Halloween was one of my favorites because of all the Kit-Kats Megan brought home, but she's a liar. It's because of those everyday minor maturations I witnessed in Megan .... and if I get a little chocolate out of the deal, well, so be it.