The Lion Sleeps Tonight

Example #483 of how Leah and Riley have totally different personalities: their reactions to their first real Halloween. Leah and Riley are 13 months old, so this was technically their second Halloween, but for their first Halloween they were pretty much oblivious to anything but mommy's boob and their poopy diapers, and they mostly spent the day lying on the ground and looking at the toys we were waving above their heads, so I'm gonna say that one didn't count. Although they did get to wear some awesome socks with pumpkins on them.

Anyway, suffice it to say that Halloween 2009 was not a big hit with Riley. I think it all stemmed from the fact that Riley hated her costume. Not just hated, but really HA-TED. Hated with the heat of a thousand white-hot suns. I kinda thought she might dislike the costume at first, but that eventually she would forget that she was wearing the costume, and then she would go back to being her normal happy-go-lucky self, like a dog that eventually forgets that it's been forced to wear a hideous Christmas sweater.

But oh no, Riley would not forget. Every moment that she was wearing that costume, Riley was letting out cries of pure unadulterated anguish -- pleading, desperate cries with extra woe sprinkled on top, and these cries would not let up until the costume was removed from her body.

Here, let me show you some photographic proof:


This is just a small sample of the many, many Halloween pictures that show Riley crying in her costume. We do have one or two pictures where Riley does not appear to be crying, but trust me, these are purely photographic mirages resulting from split-second moments in between sobs where Riley paused to take in a quick breath before letting out yet another mighty yowl of protest.

Leah, on the other hand, was completely indifferent about her costume. The fact that she was dressed up as a chicken was of absolutely no concern or interest to her. It was just another outfit for her, like a somewhat bulkier set of footsie pajamas. She just did not care.

It was the same when we went for a little evening walk down to the mini-Halloween-block party down the road. I watched Leah's face as she watched all the San Franciscans parade by, dressed up in various cute, bizarre, ironic, and/or topical costumes, and I saw absolutely no reaction. No fear, no confusion, no laughter, nothing. Riley, on the other hand, found the whole spectacle completely and utterly terrifying, to the point where mommy had no choice but to take her out of the double-stroller and carry her home.

Unfortunately for Riley, mommy and daddy's reactions to her cries all day were a little less urgent than usual, because, let's face it: while Normal-Clothes-Wearing Riley crying can be alarming and/or annoying, Dressed-as-a-Lion Riley crying is a-DOR-a-ble. Awwww - lion is cranky! Look-y at the poor lion, she's letting out her roar! Awwww- We'll get you out of your suit soon, Miss Lion -- right after mommy takes a few more pictures!