Baptism

The whole crew


Caleb in a dress

Caleb was baptized in our church this past Sunday. Last year at this time, the thought of getting Caleb baptized in the presence of our families and church family was something I barely allowed myself to dream about. After his first surgery, the nurse in the ICU asked if we wanted the chaplain to baptize him in the hospital. Phil and I decided that we would wait and that Caleb should be baptized in his home church. Sunday, we were sure we made the right decision.

We decided to have Caleb baptized in the gown that the Big Three all wore when they were baptized. They were a lot younger when they were baptized, so we will probably have some explaining to do when Caleb sees the picture of himself at one year old in a dress. Hopefully, we did not cause any permanent scarring. The baptismal gown was lovingly sewn by a very special person when Ella was born - thanks Grandma Pat! She used fabric from my wedding dress and beads from my sister's wedding dress and made it in honor of my mother who had died when I was pregnant with Ella. The significance of the gown trumped any issues we had with Caleb in a dress.

I tried mightily not to cry too much, but the joy I felt was overwhelming and I did need a few tissues. It was wonderful to have our happy, healthy little boy climbing all over me with our family and church supporting us still - as they have all the way along our journey! We could not have made it through this adventure without the love and support of our church, our family and our friends.