Last week my due date came and went. I was actually sad that day. Not sad because I missed being pregnant, I don't. Well, I do miss having the belly, but I don't miss the swollen feet, back aches, indigestion and overwhelming fatigue. I think I was sad because I had spent so much time and energy preparing for Tommy's arrival that I never got a chance to take it all in when it was happening. It went by in a hurried flash and it didn't really hit me that it was over until my sleep deprived mind realized that my due date was actually here. Thankfully, I have an adorable child that likes to cuddle and make funny noises and funny faces at me. Those little moments make me feel so much better.

Mom spent the weekend with us over Halloween. Bill and I had hoped that Tommy would be born before Halloween so we could dress him up. He arrived in plenty of time, but infant costumes are all too big for him. So we opted for a themed outfit rather than a real costume. I figure next year he should be starting to walk, so we can get him a real costume.

 

He hated wearing the hat and the booties didn't stay on at all. I was happy to find a Halloween-ish onesie that actually fit him.

  Passed out on Jackie's...uh... chest.

Jackie and Arthur joined us Halloween night. Jackie was dressed as a 1980s Madonna. We ordered takeout from a new restaurant, George's Greek Cafe, that has opened just down the street from us. It's part of a very small chain of restaurants that Bill and I are big fans of. They have restaurants in downtown Long Beach and in Belmont Shores. We all shared large plates of lamb chops, gyros, rice, pita, lamb kabobs, hummus, Greek salad, calamari, Greek meatballs, dolmathes and plenty of tzatziki. Mom even picked up a bottle of their private label Pinot Grigio. We all ate way too much while Jackie and Bill handed out candy to the local trick-or-treaters. We went through four bags of candy by 8:30pm and called it quits. We were even being stingy and only giving out one piece per kid. There are a lot of kids in our neighborhood!

The other day I tried to take some more "artistic" photos of my little guy. He was in a good mood and I got a couple of decent shots. Taking photos of babies is much harder than it seems! Of course, I learned the hard way that I should have at least left him in a diaper. He managed to pee on the blanket he was laying on... a stream that shot clear over his body and across the sofa. And he didn't get a drop on him! I figured that was a good time to stop and do some laundry.









We're looking forward to the upcoming week of Thanksgiving. Bill and I will drive up to the Bay Area with the baby and spend the week up there visiting with as many friends and family as possible. I'm finding it quite convenient that I'm on maternity leave through the major winter holidays.

Since Tommy's umbilical cord came off while he was in the hospital, (I was very happy to be there when it happened) we figured he could use a real bath once he got home... to wash off the hospital smell. The fact that his diaper leaked all over him soon after we got home just motivated us more.

He was alright with the water at first...





then... not so much.





Overall he did really well, and smelled so nice afterwards!