Coraline's Baby Blessing

Today was a special day for our little family. It was also a bit crazy. Coraline lost quite a bit of weight in the hospital (more than a pound). She'd gained a couple ounces back at our first check up. Then she lost an ounce and a half by her one week check up, so the Doctor wanted to see her again ... on Sunday morning. We scheduled a 9:00 am appointment, thinking that would give us enough time to make it to our 9:30 am sacrament meeting. 

My mom came with me to the appointment, and Ben took my dad and the kids to Church where he met up with his family from Illinois. Even though Coraline is just over a week old we wanted to do the blessing today since it was the most optimal time for family members. We wanted both Grandfather's to participate, as usual. And this time even Uncle Brian was able to be part of the blessing. 

Well, my mom and I made it to the Church during the actual passing of the sacrament. Once that was over we walked into the chapel and our friend who was conducting the meeting gave us a nod of relief. They probably weren't sure if we were even going to make it. 

When Reid and Nell saw me come in and take a seat they both ran to me, shouting "Mommy!" Which probably didn't surprise anyone in the congregation -- as my kids are always a bit of entertainment during Church services. 

The blessing itself was wonderful. Similar to Nell, she was blessed to be kind and to fellowship others. The word joy stood out most to me. She was blessed to be a joy in her family and to find joy in her journey. Ben remembers blessing her to be close to me, which I totally remember now that he mentioned it. 

This is one of my favorite pictures from the day. Aunt Lauren and Coraline share a middle name, and it was Lauren's birthday. Ben had two Aunt's and an Uncle surprise us with their attendance. Linda, Dave, and Chris had driven all the way from Cleveland the night before, and Ben had to do a double take when he saw them sitting on the pews at Church with his family. It's always a lot of fun to see them.

After the Sacrament block was over all the guests came over to our house for an hour or so. Carol brought lunch and Reid, Nell and I had made cupcakes before Church. So we all sat around and visited while we ate. It was a pretty full house, but I love having guests over (since it is fairly rare), so it was an exciting late morning/afternoon. Three of Ben's sisters -- Sam, Jessica (her daughter Jazella), and Lauren -- and his brother all came. Plus his parents and the above mentioned Aunts and Uncle. 

Nell, Coraline, and I have all been blessed in the same dress. It was handmade by one of my mom's friends when I was a baby. It is still in wonderful condition and I'm sure we'll be able to pass the tradition on to at least one more generation.