December 2005 Archives
This is Dom a little over a month ago, having been frightened senseless by the first trick or treater he saw - an eight year old in a gorilla mask and a bin bag. Even with him in my arms he took one look at the kid and wahh!ed the place down. The repercussions were something of a mixed bag. For three weeks after, he became much more tactile - lots of unsolicited cuddling, which hadn't really happened before, was obviously a Good Thing. However, he also failed to sleep through for the same period and, as often as not, needed one of us to be in his room with him before he'd drift off. ("Daddy get cushion! Daddy lie down! Daddy read book! Daddy hold hand!") The worst of it was waking up the next morning on the nursery floor and realising I'd dozed off before him.
All this (bar the cuddling) seemed to be behind us but I was reminded of it on Thursday when it became clear that Dom's fear of the front door that had begun on Halloween had extended to all doors. The concern etched across his face as we tried to build up the excitement of opening the first door of his (chocolate-free) advent calendar did eventually break into relief and then excitement at the revelation of a 'Horsey!' behind door number one.
