I don't feel like updating.

Leif and I are visiting at my mom's house. The keyboard sucks, so please excuse any typos I don't correct.

We're supposed to go to San Diego tomorrow, but my mom is sick, so I'm not sure we'll make it.

I wonder if Leif is weaning. I can count the times he's nursed since we left early Tuesday morning on one hand, and he actually didn't want to nurse before his nap this afternoon, and fell asleep on his own, which I don't think he's ever done when he was with me and not in some form of transportation (car, stroller, baby carrier, whatever). It's possible that he has certain associations that were broken by going someplaces else.

I went out on my own this afternoon. I went to a coffee shop and drank a latte and ate a sandwich and finished my book. Then I wandered around stores and a library. Whoo. I saw the oddest thing in a women's clothing boutique - a fleece spaghetti strap tank top. Huh?

Leif is currently watching Finding Nemo, and seems to want me to come over and hold him, so I suppose I will do that.

I'm a bit elitist when it comes to Halloween costumes. I never had a store-bought costume, and tend to think homemade costumes are infinitely better.

However, if I procrastinate on costumes until the last weekend next year, and then we all get sick for that weekend, he's getting a store bought costume. His dog costume did NOT turn out well at all.

We have no pictures from last Halloween (need to remember to ask my aunt about that again one of these days), and that's sad. He was a totoro, and that particular last minute costume turned out very cute.

So far, we have no pictures from this year, and that is only sad because I won't have anything to remind me of why procrastination is bad and a store-bought costume might be better in some situations.

At least people could recognize what he was supposed to be, and oohed and ahhed about how cute he was. Probably to try to avoid offending me. He didn't really seem to care that his costume sucked, anyways.

I may try to get him back in the costume for pictures, but probably not, since he'll think we're going trick-or-treating again.

The actual trick-or-treat part went well. Davis had an afternoon trick-or-treat at downtown businesses. I didn't like this idea much going into it (I guess I'm a bit of a Halloween purist), but I think going in broad daylight was the best thing for Leif. And, you know, businesses have the budgets for better candy, and that's important, since this is the only year we'll be able to eat a good majority of Leif's candy and actually feel virtuous for it.

(I'm aware that the true Good Mom thing to do is to stick it in the freezer and dole it out on rare occasions until at least Easter or throw it away entirely, but neither koyote nor I have that sort of willpower.)

Leif said "Trick or treat" (well, "tick-tee", which is close enough), at least once he got over being shy. His talking has really taken off in the past month, which is a relief.

He was frightened of anyone wearing a full-face mask or face paint, no matter how otherwise inoccuous the costume. This was strange, because I can't recall ever seeing him scared by anything, but if he saw someone in a mask, he'd freeze and refuse to come any closer. If I didn't pick him up, he'd sit down and curl up in a little ball, which was both adorable and heartbreaking. When I picked him up, he'd bury his face in my shoulder.

Not that he refused the candy.

I came home from aikido to find Leif running out the door in his costume, so we went out around the neighborhood for a little bit in the evening. We had to stop him from pounding the doorbells and walking into people's houses.

I think I almost had more fun trick-or-treating with Leif than I used to as a kid. It was just really fun watching him.

And I'm proud of myself for being a proper adult and not intervening every time he grabbed the stupid little two pack of smarties instead of the chocolate bar.

Here is my valentine to all of you, especially catsoul and femakita. :)