#Imwithher

Today is an unexpectedly emotional day for me. This morning Lucy, who has had a low-grade fever for the past 24 hours, accompanied me to vote. Here is what we voted for:

• common sense gun control 
• early childhood education
• reproductive rights
• fair and safe immigration policy
• racial justice
• paid family leave
• LGBT rights
• to close the gender wage gap
• to address climate change
• and to shatter the highest glass ceiling!

We also voted to legalize pot, tax corporate buyers of soda, and to exercise my rights. Many women are not allowed to vote. In countries that have recently legalized voting for women, women aren't allowed to leave alone and the men they must accompany them won't do it. If they do make it to the polls, their votes won't count any way. It is often a mask to show foreign investment how progressive they are becoming. This is a right, and I consider it a privilege. I asked Lucy if she knew who she was voting for and she said, Yeah! (which was met by adoring awwww's from other voters and poll workers). She can vote for whoever and whatever she believes in when she turns 18. What is important to me is that understand what she believes and that her moral compass is pointing in the right direct. Today I voted for the first ever woman candidate on the ballot because I believe in her, not because she is a women. But I don't take for granted that this is a historical moment. Proud to be an American today. 

Hapaneenah Haldoween!

Unlike my childhood, the Bay area seems to have trick-or-treat on October 31, no matter what. This means that, unfortunately, we didn't get to go out with our nieces because Halloween was on a Monday. I was hugely disappointed by this. Most of my reason for participating in these silly (my opinion) materialistic American traditions is for just that reason, tradition. The girls love this sort of celebration and Lucy loves them, which means she loves what they love. As I mentioned before, I wasn't even interested in going out for Halloween. Boy am I glad we did. Our little Owl had an absolutely great time trick-or-treating this.

I was thinking we would go out to about four or five apartments, have some sort of toddler protest, and then head home for dinner. I figured the costume would be off in ten minutes, she wouldn't want to carry a basket (in fact, we used my old Easter basket because I didn't even think to get her a proper Halloween bucket), and we would have a couple of cute pictures. I HATE to admit, but I couldn't have been more wrong. An hour and half after we left the house, she was an old pro. She social skills are quite amazing considering her age and the fact that she has spent most of her life one on one with adults. I showed/told her what to do once, ONE TIME, and she walked half around the neighborhood, ringing doorbells, exclaiming "Hapaneenah Haldoween!" and taking as much candy as the door answerer would allow. Then she would say, "Sank Jew!" and move on to the next one. It was really fun to watch her have such a great time and has made me reconsider my bahhumbugness about holidays. I may even give in to a small Christmas tree.

Here is a litany of pictures and a video so that I can remember how much fun we had. Also, this costume has become part of her wardrobe and she wears it at least once a day, flying around, and hoooing. Then I eat her (and all of her Halloween candy, which she has no idea even existed the next morning) with a spoon :-).