happy halloween

Bridget's first Halloween was my first in a way, too. Yes, I've dressed up before, but I've never handed out candy or gone trick-or-treating. It's a pagan holiday, religious thing (ask my dad; he and mom made the decision, not me). And while Bridget didn't go out trick-or-treating (what's the point? she can't eat the candy), we did hand out candy--the first time ever for mommy. But we'll get back to that; this is about Bridget.

Bridget's first Halloween was a full day--out to brunch with mommy and daddy at Kerby's Coney Island, then a short nap and on with the Halloween costume. I made her a pumpkin outfit, which I've deemed the Great Pumpkin. No, she won't appear in a pumpkin patch and hand out gifts to all of the girls and boys. But "great" she was--in size, that is. I've got pics here to prove it!

After we donned the pumpkin costume (and unloaded the stuffing, since she couldn't fit in the car seat), we headed over to see Grandma and Grandpa (Al's parents). Bridget played with Grandma, who couldn't get over how cute her granddaughter was. Then we headed off to a party that our association threw for the sub. We ended up leaving a bit early, because, let's face it--when your daughter's seven months old and for once not interested in the other children and you don't know any adults (and no one is making an effort to speak to you, or you to them), the party gets kinda lame.

After the party we went for a family walk, dog included. It was chilly! The wind was blowing in our faces for the first half of the walk, but it was better when the wind was at our backs. Bridget was so warm and comfy in her pumpkin outfit that she conked out on the way back, and ended up sleeping on the couch for about half an hour after the walk--just enough time for me to make dinner.

We got our first trick-or-treaters just when we were sitting down to eat, before it was dark. I had Al hand out the candy so I could see what he did (I know, maybe stupid, but I didn't want to do it "wrong"!). Then, after dinner, I was too excited to stay away from the living room. Al agreed to camp out in there despite the fact that there isn't a television. We brought Bridget's toy-basket (she doesn't have a toybox, or whatever it's called--I just use a basket that Beth gave us for the shower) in and she sat and played while Al strummed on the guitar and I tried to sing along (I couldn't follow him; he was trying to remember a song and wasn't going at a recognizable/regular speed). I kept waiting and waiting for the trick-or-treaters, and when they did come, I gave them huge handfuls of candy (more than Al thought I should give). Turns out it's a good thing I did; we didn't get very many groups (maybe seven or eight?) and only a few kids were in each group. I only went through one bowl of candy and ended up with another full bowl left. I also forgot to check out the costumes (Al asked, "What were they dressed as?" Me: "I don't know."), but the kids didn't seem to want comments on their costumes like they do on TV. They just wanted candy. The only one that seemed to care about her costume was a little green witch, there with her brother, who was dressed as Darth Vader. She walked up and said, "I'm not Yoda. Oh, trick or treat." Guess she must have been teased about that by her family. :)

Near the end of the night, Bridget saw the candy bowl and decided that she needed her first Halloween candy. She sure had fun playing with it! We turned out the light around 8:30 p.m., she had her bottle, and went to bed. A great first Halloween for Bridget. For more pics, see her October album.