We survived!

But barely! The baptism was chaos - 5 babies being baptized, one of whom screamed bloody murder the entire time, and everyone had family and friends there. Chaos and craziness. Then came the party with nearly 50 people at our house....

But let me back up and tell you about my fight(s) with the priest.

We didn't research parishes to find one we liked or try Episcopal churches to see if we wanted to switch during pregnancy. So we decided to baptize A in a Catholic church, one that has meaning to my family. We had to join the church, which is easy enough... but choosing Godparents is apparently a very big deal, and comes under strict scrutiny from the church. Godmother - no problem. Active member in her parish, got the paperwork signed, sealed (literally - notarized) and delivered in time. Godfather - not so easy. Moved recently, married an Episcopal woman, and apparently we chose poorly because of these reasons.

At our baptism "class" the priest challenged us as to why we would want someone who is not practicing as her Godfather. I got uppity and said "because he's an important part of our lives and will be an important part of hers." C got uppity and said he was a choir boy for 15 years and just got married at such and such church... not quite enough reason for him, but it shut him up for a minute. THEN I had to bring the paper work before the ceremony and he proceeded to tell me that because our Godfather did not marry a Catholic person, he is not fit to be a Godfather...only a "witness" according to Church Canons. I didn't know if their wedding was 'sanctioned' or whatever by the Diocese. He said if it wasn't, it was not valid in the eyes of the church and he couldn't be A's sponsor. Really?! I was like, are.you.kidding.me???!? And I said that. I was HEATED. I told him it was confusing, frustrating, and this is the reason young people don't return to the church. I asked him if he was telling me that Episcopal women were bad people or bad influences on Catholics. I told him that our choice was a good Christian man, had always gone to church, would be a positive influence on the baby, and that was what was important to us in choosing a Godfather. That didn't seem to matter to him. I left in a huff.

Turns out his wedding WAS sanctioned/blessed by the church, so it was all for naught, but still. How antiquated is that crap? We joked about it with him and his wife, but whatever. I doubt we'll be going back to that church, family history or not. Ugh.

Moral of the story - A is baptized in Christ. Amen.

Then we all went back to our house and ate. And ate. And ate. Lots of food (I was so worried there wouldn't be enough... I forgot how little children actually eat, so there are left overs galore). We moved tons of furniture out, tables & chairs in, and somehow fit everyone in the house. Thankfully it was a beautiful day, so the 10+ kids went down to the park to play and played out in the back yard as well.

Up at 4am to put meatballs in crockpots & decorate a cake that looked more like a plus sign than a cross, church at 10, entertaining from noon to 5pm, cleaning till 8, and CRASHED after that.

But A was an angel. She was so peaceful & calm all day - throughout church, with water being poured over her head, being passed around at the house... we really are lucky that she is such a good baby. I'm glad she got to meet people she hadn't met before, be the center of attention for the day, and was on such good behavior. Love my little nugget!

Allie,

Daddy and I aren't the most religious people, but we do believe in God. And we want you to grow up with faith and to know that God loves you. We will find a way to bring Him into our lives, I promise. Just because we don't go to church every weekend doesn't make us bad people or bad Christians. We love our neighbors, treat others as we wish to be treated, and pray for those we love and the world around us.

Your Godparents love you, and they will be there to help you be faithful when we aren't. Depend on them when you need to. But never be afraid to question things you do not agree with or understand. Yes, some things just "are" - whether there's an explanation or not - but we want you to learn to think for yourself, to be critical and inquisitive. Not everything the church (or government, or schools, or...) says is right. And that's ok. You can disagree while still respecting the premise, the fundamentals, the roots. That is what makes a person a good Christian - respect, love, honesty, faith, and heart. Not rigidity, formality, and closed-mindedness.

If we can instill that in you, we will have done our jobs.

Love you always,

Mommy & Daddy