Baby J. as a Monkey

Baby J. had her first Halloween ever tonight. Originally, we had the idea she would be dressed as a lobster, and we'd carry her around in a giant pot. As cute as that idea was, it wasn't practical, and it didn't fit her personality. After thinking about it more, my wife and I both decided that the best costume for Baby J. would be a monkey. She acts like a monkey; she's always climbing everything, crawling and cruising around the house, grunting at people. It was really the best costume we could have come up with.

We went out with a friend and her nephew (who was dressed as a pumpkin) around our neighborhood. Baby J. is much too young to understand the concept of Halloween, and she's too young to eat any candy, but she did enjoy seeing a lot of new faces, and she liked looking at all the interesting costumes people were wearing.

As we walked around seeing all the costumed kiddies and the next-door neighbors, Baby J. was unusually quiet. She was very un-monkeylike. Still, she looked adorable in her costume.  And even though a monkey costume on a baby inevitably means everyone will assume she's a boy, it was still the perfect costume for our little one.

I'd like to hear from readers their first costumes or the costumes their kids first wore. I have to confess that for my first Halloween, I was a witch. Not altogether a boy's costume. I don't really remember it, but looking back, I have to wonder what my mom was thinking. I mean, a witch? Really? I wonder if Baby J. will ever look back and wonder what we were thinking making her a monkey.

D.