Baa! Happy Halloween from Madilyn
Madilyn dressed up as a sheep for Halloween this year!
I remember the first Halloween with Madilyn. She was only 8 months old and of course did understand the concept of Halloween, costumes, or anything else, just as any other infant. I wanted to make a little flower costume for her with soft fabric petals around her face and a "stem" that was a bright green onsie. The year had been busy and October wasn't any different, so I ended up getting part way through the project by the time October 31st arrived. I was disappointed with myself (not that Madilyn cared!) that I didn't get it done because it would have been so cute. It also would have made our lives seem 'normal' for a day. It would have felt nice to be doing the same thing so many other parents and kids were doing that very day but instead the overwhelming exhaustian of all we dealt with on a daily basis instead took over and left me down. I knew it wasn't a big deal and I shouldn't have worried about it at all, but part of me just wanted the normalcy so badly. Those feelings are fewer and further between 10 years later but they still linger from time to time. I expect they won't ever fully go away as I'm constantly reminded of our lives are just different than many. Instead of feeling like that sets us apart from others, I've chosen to look at the uniqueness of everyone and have the connection of "we're all different" and that's what makes us all special!
