As I mentioned previously, I did several things for David's baptism that I didn't for Zuzu's - and that made the day go more smoothly for everyone and gave me the ability to enjoy it more without getting too stressed!
First thing, I did some "
glamour shots" with my Davey-boy before the big day. I did this partly because I knew it'd be hard to do it on the big day: I didn't know what kind of weather/lighting we'd have, babies don't last long in formal garments anyway, and when would we find the time? So I took a relaxed afternoon when the light was good to dress him up and snap some lovelies - forgive the picture overload!
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| With my rosary from Lourdes |
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| Happy to be baptized soon! |
The gown and bonnet were bought new from my favorite children's boutique in Orlando, Tweenie's. My mom bought me clothes from there when I was a baby! I haven't gotten any shots of the gown itself, but I should. We had the back of the cap monogrammed with an 'O' and because there is a very wide hem, we had it embroidered with Susannah's name and baptism date. Now David's name will go on the hem too. We have room for at least six names and then my seamstress assures me we can add another layer to the gown, with a hem that will hang past the original - so we can add more names!
I also ordered
personalized holy cards to give out as favors. Try as I might, most all the ones online seem to have the same image on the front, but I was glad with
the ones that we ordered - they allowed a great deal of personalization on the back that I thought was really lovely. They also shipped very fast!
All photos from here on out courtesy of Zuzu's awesome godmother, Jen!
Thanks to
Kathryn Whitaker, I was clued in to the idea of ordering
godparent gifts! I ordered t
hese frames from Pottery Barn when they were on sale and had them engraved with David's full name and baptism date. Then I put in one of the glamour shots and wrapped them up!
My apologies to Zuzu's wonderful godparents who never got so much as a thank you note I'm sure...
I also took a deep breath, swallowed my pride, and took my husband's advice:
we did NOT have the baptism party at our house. Last time, I wanted so badly to be the hostess - I love hosting parties and really wanted to have it at our home. Although everything worked out fine, this time there was just a lot more going on: I have a toddler and a newborn to care for, making house clean-up a bit more challenging, lots of people came in from out of town so we were making airport runs and blowing up air mattresses - AND a dear friend at the parish offered to cater the party as his gift to us! Since the parish has a professional kitchen, ample parking, and is clean, Tom begged me to just have it there. I finally gave in and that was a VERY good decision!
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| Cake from Publix - my beloved grocery store |
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| I bought a whole set of Little Prince postcards in Paray le Monial, France when I went on pilgrimmage - and in cute blue frames, they were just perfect for table centerpieces! |
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| We framed his birth announcement for decoration on the gift table |
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| Nearly the ONLY thing that turned out right from the baptism printables package we bought off Etsy - live and learn! |
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| A watermelon in the shape of a rabbit. We have the best friends ever. |
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| The night before, this is what everyone was doing - wrapping silverware in with personalized napkin rings. Like I said, best friends ever. |
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| The whole spread included eggs benedict, French toast casserole, croissant sandwiches, sausage, scrambled eggs, bacon, cereals, and of course - mimosas! |
The last thing I did - which really really did make a difference - was make my appearance as much a priority as anyone else in the family. I did NOT do this for Zuzu's day at all and it made me feel rushed, unhappy, and frustrated - not the way you want to feel on such a joyous occasion! So I started shopping for
my dress three weeks in advance, and even had enough time to get it hemmed professionally. Then I found my accessories (cardigan from Marshalls,
belt,
shoes) and took to Pinterest for some
hair tutorials since my
awesome hair gal was already booked. The day of, Zuzu played with her godfather while David slept and I got ready! Full face of make up, plenty of time to get dressed leisurely so as to avoid sweating - wow, WHAT a difference from how I felt two years ago!
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| David looking adoringly at his Daddy! But also - my hair! |
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| Godparents as bookends, plus the new family, and our favorite celebrant. Best full body shot of my outfit too ;) |
Next up: The actual baptism!
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