The Longest Month: Or, Trick-or-Treat at last

Finally, the day has come. No more "28 days until trick-or-treat" or "Nine more nights until trick-or-treat." Sayer's concept of days, weeks and months is still emerging. He understands when a new month occurs, and on the first day of each month he eagerly prints out that month's calendar on Starfall.com.

The tricky part is, he thinks that once it is October, it is Halloween; once it is December it is Hanukkah, and so on. We have had to explain that Halloween is the very last day of the month. So, we have all heard the count down shuffle for quite a while.

And this is the first year that we have gotten a store-bought costume for Sayer. Not because in previous years I have labored over the sewing-machine making one [as if!!]. But, because of his sensory issues we have doubted that he would wear one. Instead, we have thrown on him a witches hat or Dracula cape; somehow improvising from the Bin O'Halloween - our plastic bin of aging ghoul make-up, tacky decorations, spider rings and masks.

This year I insisted he needed a costume to get candy, and at Target Sayer agreed to the Doctor costume. Spiderman I'm not sure he gets, but he DOES know about doctors. Earlier this week we had a trial run, and to Sayer's relief his costume has no dreaded snaps, is soft and can be put on over his "regular" clothes. Will he wear it for more than ten minutes? We we reach a milestone? I'll report back.

One Halloween milestone Sayer did achieve is that for the first time he told us that his teacher and class mates would be wearing pajamas today. Pajama Day is his school's tradition to avoid the physical and emotional perils of wearing a costume at school. Sayer told us that he didn't want to wear pajamas, no thank you. Nonetheless, we were excited that he was aware of the option and is clearly "absorbing" what he is hearing in school.

I will have to keep such accomplishments in mind as we deal with the sugar rush that will come during and after trick-or-treating. Up until last year, there WAS no after trick-or-treating, since Sayer would knock on a door, get candy, say thank you and then stop and eat it all before continuing on to the next house. I suppose it is another milestone that Sayer is now able to stock pile and gorge. Ah, progress.