Halloween was a blast! I think I had more fun than Hayley did. She looked a little overwhelmed most of the time. But she looked adorable in her bumblebee costume. We went to my parents' neighborhood to trick-or-treat. That way, I could see my nieces and it's just easier to get around than in our neighborhood. My friend Wendy brought her daughter Meghan (the piggie on the left), who's two and a half, and we trick-or-treated for about an hour or so. Then I was exhausted from pulling the wagon around! Hayley hardly had to do anything at all. (Edited 11/8/03 to add photo.)
On Saturday, we just enjoyed the absolutely beatiful weather we have been having - 80 degrees in November! I wish it had been like this last year when I was on maternity leave. Instead, I think it rained every day last fall, then we had snow before Thanksgiving. I let Hayley crawl all around the yard and explore. She loved watching the leaves fall out of the sky. However, I didn't realize how wet the ground was and she was a bit muddy when we were done. Mark and I watched The Hunted with Tommy Lee Jones and Benicio Del Toro, which I thought was pretty awful. The story was very rushed and wholly unbelievable. Like we're supposed to believe Benicio Del Toro is from West Virginia? And every time he spoke, which wasn't often, it sounded like a struggle to disguise his accent. This was the first time we had rented a movie since the new TV season had started, so we're very behind in our movie watching.
On Sunday, we went to a birthday party for Mark's great-niece (I always say "Mark's" because I am definitely not old enough to have a great-niece), who was turning three. We stayed for a couple of hours and had a good time. It was actually pretty relaxing. Mark's one sister couldn't make it because they were moving this weekend - right into our neighborhood. We did have a 30-mile buffer zone from all relatives, but now Mark's sister, husband and two kids are about five minutes from us. I drive by their house every day on my way from picking up Hayley. We tried to stop in Saturday night when we went to rent the movie and pick up subs, but no one was there. They must have been inbetween loads. I'll have to try and stop by one day this week.
But I've saved the best news for last, if you've made it this far through this rambling post! As of yesterday evening, Hayley is officially walking!! She'd been getting closer and closer, and had been taking some steps with Mark and me coaching her. But last night, we were in the family room and I was sitting in the chair and she had pulled up on the TV tray next to me. Then she just walked away - about 6 or 7 steps. She did it all on her own! I was so excited, I started screaming. Mark wasn't home yet - he was on his way. She did it a few more times for the video camera and again when Mark got home. The look on her face was priceless - she's so proud of herself and all the accompanying cheering and clapping. And I can't tell you how happy I was that she did it at home instead of at daycare. One of my biggest fears since she was born and I haven't been able to find part-time work or a way to stay at home is that all of her firsts would happen and I wouldn't be around. This, of course, is second only to the monkey fear.
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