Your Baptism

Dear Jacob,

Today was a very special day for our little family.

You were baptized at Our Lady of the Assumption Church in the beautiful tree lined city of Claremont, California. You wore a white silk shorts outfit - complete with bow tie and a vest with fish tails.

We arrived about thirty minutes before the ceremony was scheduled to begin and sat in the first row where your Godfather placed a beautful white gold necklace with a medalion of John the Baptist around your neck. Then your Godmothers finished dressing you in your vest and cumberbun - you looked so very handsome!

The ceremony began and you sat patiently on my lap.
(Having your favorite snacks on hand definitely helped!)

First, we were asked to go to the front entrance of the sanctuary to be officially invited into the Church of God. This is where your Daddy was asked to speak of our intentions to have you baptized in the presence of our family and friends. Then we were asked to outline the sign of the cross on your forehead one-by one and then we walked back into the sanctuary to await the next step in the ceremony.

By now, you were a bit more active - walking back and forth between your Daddy and I.

Next, you were annointed with oil, just under your collar and also later at the base of your head. It was a very sweet smelling oil. Afterwards, we each took turns smelling your head, as funny as that sounds - even your Grandparents who sat behind us - you didn't seem to mind one bit.

The next step was the candle lighting. All of the parents, godparents and children being baptized stood on the stage in a half circle. The Deacon lit a taper candle for each child being baptized using a very large candle on stage. He handed the taper candle to me and one by one, I went to your godparents and lit their candle.

 

The last step of the ceremony was the baptism with water. Your Dad held you. I stood beside him and your Godparents and Grandparents surrounded us. After the Deacon asked us our intentions, your Daddy held you over the basin and your Grandmother helped the Deacon pour the holy water over your head.

I thought I would have been in tears by now but at that moment, I was completely overwhelmed with joy. For your Dad and I, this moment meant the world to us.

Our miracle baby boy was baptized.
Another dream come true.

After taking several photos and having some items blessed by the Deacon, we celebrated with close family and friends at a local restaurant. By now, you were tired from missing your morning nap but you still managed to hold on for a few more hours. After lunch, a piece of cake, a chocolate covered oreo cookie, playtime with your cousin Marley and many, many more photos, you fell asleep in my arms.

For me, this day will forever be etched in mind as being perfect in every way.
It was the starting point for your walk with God and I am so excited to see where his path will lead you.

Love,
Your (Lucky) Mommy

Twenty-Months

It's still hard to believe that my baby boy will be twenty-months in less than a week. This is such a great age.

I literally can't wait to wake him up in the mornings - to see his smiling face and to pinch his cheeks. I can  see his personality developing more and more every day - it's pretty amazing. Because of this, I've decided that I really need to make documenting his milestones a priority. I haven't touched his baby book in months and life is never going to slow down. I just have to make it happen because time is flying by. And despite my absence, this little blog really is important to me. I've missed it. And you.

With that being said...

Personality:
Jacob is sweet, funny, affectionate, outgoing and maybe a little stubborn. Okay maybe very stubborn. Unfortunately, he comes from not one but two parents who are both stuborn so I guess it was inevitable. When we are out in public, it doesn't matter where we are, he will try to get a stranger's attention and as soon as he has it, he'll smile and wave at them. (melting my heart almost instantaneously)

Milestones:
He recently decided that he no longer needs his chicken strips cut into bite-sized pieces. He will get into his car seat on his own and he helps me carry things into the house now. (so handy in a pinch!) He loves to help me put the clothes into the dryer and after he takes things off the shelf, if I ask him to put them back - he will (usually) oblige.

Words:
He says bye-bye now when he waves. Last weekend he said sorry for the first time and his favorite word at the moment is more. He also says Hi, car, football, kitty, fish, apple, Da-Da and my favorite, Mom.

His Loves:
Chicken nuggets, strawberries, grapes, string cheese and raisins.

He loves being outside. Besides a small plastic inflatable pool, we don't have toys in our backyard (yet) but he is perfectly happy with running from here to there. We spend hours in Grandma's backyard every Saturday afternoon. Again, no toys there either but he loves it just the same. I always take advantage of these moments to get some great shots of him - the light is always amazing just after dinner.

His favorite toy is his Leap Pad that he got from Leo's parents last Christmas. (Money well spent for sure!) He will typically play with it in the car, in the mornings when I am getting ready or when he's in his high chair. I love it because it has all of the great learning apps and he really enjoys the Sesame Street and Chuggington videos. Other than that, he is always on the go. I can't remember the last time I sat on the couch to watch television for longer than ten minutes - at least while he was awake! LOL!

Excursions & Activities:
We're in our second week of Mommy and Me swim lessons and I'm soaking up every single minute of it. He's not a fan of going under the water but he does love the kicking and splashing part. He's almost mastered getting in and out of the pool and we've met some new friends, which is always a bonus. Leo has been going too, to watch and take pictures so it's really turned into a great family outing for us. We plan to continue the lessons off and on throughout the Summer.

BIG Upcoming Event:
We are all set to have Jacob baptized on June 22, 2013 at Our Lady of Assumption in Claremont, CA. I am so beyond excited, I can hardly contain myself. I am really enjoying the planning process because it has given me an excuse to spend lots of time with the god-mothers to be. (I will announce who they are in a separate post) I will also be sure to share some pictures and the highlights of the day's events.

Thanks for sticking by me!
Enjoy the day!