To begin with, Abby is now the 5th generation to be baptized in the christening dress that she wore. The dress is about 110 years old and in remarkably good shape, despite a little yellowing around the collar. It is long, and beautiful and of course I wasn't smart enough to take a close up of it! My mom thanked me several times for having her in that dress, but I thought it was a pretty incredible thing that she be able to wear something with so much history. And, she didn't even get it dirty!
There were 2 other baby girls and 1 little girl being baptized at the same time, but of course it was our little one that brought some comic relief to the service. To begin with, unless I had her soother in her mouth, she was chattering away the whole time. Then, when it came time for her to be actually baptized, Tyler held her over the font just like he was suppose to. Abby wasn't a huge fan of that though, so she started doing her little baby crunches to bring herself back up. Father Fernando was able to baptize her in the name of the Father, and of the Son...but it took 2 tries before he got her in the name of the Holy Spirit. If you can see in this picture, he is actually laughing as he tries to get her again.
 |
| You can see that everyone is laughing as Abby tried to dodge the last scoop of water! |
Later on, when he went to make the sign of the cross on her forehead with oil, she quite politely pushed his hand away. Could this be a bad sign? I think it is just typical Abby, and it made the day all the more memorable
After the ceremony, we went to my parent's house for a casual lunch, some drinks, some sun and conversation. I really appreciate that my parents were willing to host for us. They provided all of the food and beverages, and our house is just too small to fit that many people comfortably! Surrounded by all these people that came to celebrate with us, I was blown away by how much love there was for Abby. Tyler's grandparents and his sister Amanda and her boyfriend Shawn all drove up just to pretty much turn around and drive back to Medicine Hat. Church is really not my brother James' thing, yet he was willing to stand up there as her Godfather. Kaella got up at an ungodly hour after changing her flight so that she would be home in time. 3 of our guy friends, fresh off their camping trip with Tyler and all probably fighting exhaustion and hangovers were there, freshly shaved and looking good. Terri Jo and Brett had both packed their babies up and attended the ceremony. Crystal had brought Tate (my future son in law) out and navigated him through the crowd that he was unsure of like a pro. Not to mention the other 20 people who had taken time out of their busy days and lives to come and celebrate something that they might not even believe in.
Toasts were made, food was eaten, cake was had, and it was just a great time. I don't take for granted these times when I am surrounded by friends and family. I feel so blessed to have people in my life that love my little girl so much that they are willing to take time out of their weekend and spend it with us. Not to mention that Abrielle was completely spoiled! I had specified NO GIFTS when I invited people, but that was largely ignored. One very special gift that she received was from Amanda, my sister in law, and Abby's Godmother. Amanda gave her the ring that she had received from her Godmother when she was little. I am so happy that she is going to have something to carry on from that side of the family too, and James gave her a beautiful engraved jewellery box where we can store it for safe keeping. She also received a joke gift from my brother in law, a "get out of jail free card" for when she decides to replace the original sin that she lost. I'm thinking about framing that one!
So, for all of you that came out or sent well wishes for Abby and us, thank you. It meant the world to us.
No comments:
Post a Comment