A feverish Halloween

My mother informed me this morning that she is tired of looking at the pumpkin pictures :) Unfortunately, along with our toothbrushes, I forgot to pack my smart-drive... the one that allows me to upload pics to the blog. Apparently, she is rather devoted to the blog, or rather disdainful of jack-o-lanterns, as not more than a few hours later she has procured a smart-drive from a drawer. Thanks mom!



P has amassed a respectable costume bucket in the past few months. He adores the Idea of dress up. But his link between imagination and reality gets pretty fuzzy pretty fast and costumes tend to confuse him even faster. So, he'll put something on, BB and I will go along with it, and within two minutes he's ripping it off, explaining to us that its actually just him, Phoenix.



Seems silly? Get this. A few months ago we were playing while I did the dishes. I believe I was the evil stepmother and he was attempting to befriend me with kindness. Once I was kind, he was done with me and requested Cinderella play while the dishes were done. While humming a merry tune :), out of habit, I leaned over and kissed the top of his head. Instead of the normal neutrality with which this is usually accepted, I felt him bristle. Wha?? Bristling at my kiss? I hesitated behind him, wondering what had happened when I heard him whisper to himself, "That ok. Yah... I know Cinderella."

He was Uncomfortable with me kissing him because I wasn't really me. We played on and as I dried my hands I instinctively held a bite of food out to his baby bird mouth. He hesitated. Was he full? Nope. He looked at me, hard, and then muttered "I know her..." then looked at me and said, "Mama, is that you?"

The kid Won't take food from strangers. Not even extras from waitresses at restaurants that offer something we didn't order. Not unless he knows their name. Strike one for the creeps of the world, sure (the extremism is Ethan's genes to a T :) But not even from his own Mother when she is pulling a pathetic Cinderella voice? Now That is an imagination I could get behind.

But if its Me, standing there, how can he get confused? So I asked him.
Me: P, when I'm doing Cinderella or the step-mum, can you see me?
P: No
Me: Oh.... Really?
P: Well, yah. You're standing over to the side (and he motions to the side of himself)
Me: Oh.

I had a hilarious mental image of an enormous illustrated Cinderella standing by the sink and a transparent me floating beside P as backup. I have no idea what he actually sees, but, apparently, it isn't highly representative of reality :) So, getting back to costumes, he worries quite quickly that we don't understand that the adorable pirate is really P and has to rip it off to reassure us.

Nevertheless, he was super psyched for Halloween. He wasn't, however, jumping into a suit. Everyone kept asking him what he would be for Halloween, and it changed over the weeks. I had the basics for a few of his faves on the off chance he'd actually wear something, but I wasn't holding my breath or dedicating my evenings to grand sewing projects...

And on the day of he announced he would Not dress up. I mentioned that full regalia wasn't required, perhaps just a hook, even just a finger puppet might do. Something, anything for the shop keepers to recognize him as a trick-or-treater. He seemed tired, so we read a few books, including one about Dex, the super dog. And as the time to dress neared he declared he would go as "Super Nuffin." I asked if this required a patch of any sort and he said no, it was just Super. Nothin. That was all. Problem solved :)

Then he fell apart over I don't even know what. And then, for the first time in his short life, he just. fell. asleep. On the floor. Face down. After the biggest cry I've seen in over a year. It was pathetic and adorable.



And then he woke up with a fever and it all made sense :)

(You might notice the cat, cuddled up to him. Danda, the most devoted kitty on the planet. Despite all of the chasing, roaring, and tail pulling, this cat Runs to him as fast as she can whenever she hears him cry.)

So he really was super nothin for Halloween. Fortunately, the Pumpkin Fairy (friend to all kids with food allergies) visited with gifts and chemically coloring free candy, bringing fever filled glee to P. But he had sooo hoped to hand out candy that we bundled him up and went onto the stoop with a little bucket. (He even wanted to hand out his Own candy, we hadn't bought any, assuming we'd be out Getting rather than Giving :) And while we, as parents, at first worried that his Halloween would be ruined without the expected hub-bub, we should have trusted that it was all as it should be. It was perfect for P, who trick-or treated a zillion times with BB, in the comfort of his own home, sans costume, just as he actually prefers it.