37 Week Check-Up

Even though we are at 38 weeks on Monday, we had our 37 week check-up today. All is well, if fact better than well. I hope this doesn't mean that I will have a difficult labor! I have almost no swelling, the baby is sitting somewhat low, we're GBS negative, and my blood pressure is good! So, in addition to good news, the girls were adorable. It was my first time taking them the hour drive on my own, so in a way it was a test. How well will long distance travel for medical care really work on a regular basis? It went well! And, as you can see below, the girls know exactly what happens at the midwife. Mattie wanted a check-up, too, and Celia was happy to give it to her!

Mattie eats her toes!

Mattie enjoyed some time chewing on her toes today. I was helping her sit, and she dove for her toes. It wasn't that comfortable, though, so it didn't last long. What a beautiful, cute, adorable, hugable, kissable, unbelievable baby!

Playing Together

Auntie Allison got some good pictures of the girls playing together. Celia was helping Mattie grab toys, although Elmo eventually won all her attention. What sweet girls

Mattie and Elmo

Mattie has a favorite toy - and it's one of Celia's. She LOVES Celia's Elmo doll. We're getting into the realm of learning to share now. Celia isn't so happy that sister loves Elmo, but she's doing a good job of letting her play with him sometimes. Now, we have to work on her not being so possessive about the other baby chew toys. Although, if she wants to take a toy away from Mattie she will sometimes bring another toy to replace it with. It's a start!

An Evening of Play

The girls are really growing and learning to play with new toys. One of Celia's favorite pasttimes is coloring. She's getting really good at it. She holds the crayon correctly and is starting to make smaller, controlled movements. She works on it everyday and really enjoys it.


Mattie has started playing with toys, too. She loves to grab them when you dangle them in front of her and she's started putting them in her mouth, too.

Mattie's other favorite game is kicking at things. Here she got her leg stuck in Celia's babydoll stroller. It didn't bother her though.

Just another night at the Swoboda house!

Cecilia and Yogurt

I had to include a picture of Celia eating one of her staples - yogurt. She loves to feed herself, and this is the result. I believe she did have a bib on at one point. It just doesn't seem to matter!

Reading with Daddy

Celia and Daddy have one thing in common - they love reading!

Halloween

For Halloween we took the girls to Crossgates mall to trick-or-treat at the stores. It was in the early afternoon, which we thought better for the girls ages 17 months and 2 months. Celia was Snow White, and Mattie wore a "my first Halloween" onsie. I was going to make Celia a monkey, but I waited until October 30th to get a costume (after a brief dillusion that I could make one) so I had limited options. The good news is that it's too big so we should be able to get more wear out of it. We wore graphic T's with Halloween themes, and Celia enjoyed the people watching more than anything. By the end of the day, though, she had discovered the wonder that is candy.

Pumpkin Patch

We took the girls to the pumpkin patch to get a pumpkin. Well, it was a terribly cold and rainy day that we chose. We managed to have fun, but you can't see Mattie in any of the pictures because she's under the blanket and in the Moby wrap (my new favorite baby item). You can see poor Celia's red nose, though, and we never made it to pick our own pumpkin. Instead, we got one from the market. Oh well, we'll plan ahead next year.

Mattie's Baptism

Mattie was baptized 10/10/10 at 10am mass. Ironic or meant to be? She was baptized at St. Helen's Catholic Church in Niskayuna. I have most of the pics on our facebook link, but here are a few special ones. We were so blessed to have Ben's brother Elliott and my sister Libby as the godparents. Elliott and Becky, Nanaw and Pawpaw, Oma, and Aunt Libby all came to the baptism. Thank you all for traveling so far to be with us and Mattie on this very special day.

Some time with our new baby

After Celia, who wouldn't sleep at all, it almost seems unnatural how much Mattie sleeps. I would be worried, but she's growing so well. We are so proud and happy of our new little bundle.