The Really, Really, Real Adventures of Mommyhood: The Baptism of Olivia Anne

On Sunday, Mike and I dedicated our sweet girl to God and the church community by having her baptized! It was one of the most important days of our lives and I am still just reeling from all of the emotion and blessings that were poured out that day.

Preparing for her baptism has been months in the making and the day itself could not have been more perfect. I was nearly as anxious for this day as I was on the day of my wedding! When I woke up Sunday morning, I felt so much anticipation and excitement that I could barely eat!

Baptism has so much meaning in our church and since the day I found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted my child to be baptized. Since she was born, I have looked forward to the day when Mike and I could stand in front of the whole church community and present our child to the Lord and to the community.

For me, Olivia's baptism is about trust. That's something I've struggled with a lot in my life. I have trust issues. It's something God and I are working on and it's something that I've learned a lot about since my sweet girl's arrival into this world.

I've mentioned before that Oli doesn't really belong to Mike and me. She was a gift, the most amazing gift, to us from God. She was entrusted to us by God. She belongs to Him and that was scary for me at first. This tiny little girl is my whole heart and soul and yet, I cannot control what happens to her in this life. Sure, I have control over some things but, ultimately, God is in the driver seat.

And even though He is in conrol, He has trusted us with her care. He trusts us to let Him work in her life. To let Him be in control. And you know what I've found? That's actually pretty liberating. How much more amazing will the life of my sweet girl be if I let God do His work? How much better will I be as a parent if I let God drive this circus wagon?

I, like every other human, am imperfect. But He is perfect. God is perfect in all He does and if I let Him work, if I let Him guide me and lead me in the care of my daughter, I know that all things will work for His will. And His will is perfect.

So, as I stood there Sunday morning, I let go of my sweet girl and returned the trust that God has given us. We publicly announced that we trust Him with her life. We gave Him full dominion over her and over us as her mom and dad.

And, because, we can't do it alone, we showed our trust in our church community by asking them to help us raise our child in our faith. We asked them to help us show her how to be a good Christian.

I know that there will be times when she questions our faith or faith in general. And I know that our community will be there to guide her, lead her, and encourage her to continue her faith. I trust them to be a part of this journey with us.

We are so blessed to have had so many of our friends and family with us in the church pews that day. The majority of our guests weren't even Catholic and some of them hadn't been to church in many years. Yet there they were, making that pledge with us. Promising to help us raise our child according to God's will. Pledging to encourage her to marry a good Catholic boy to make her mother happy. Ha ha!

Giving this trust to God and our community was a huge step for me and it's one that I'm so happy I took. We can't do it alone and we don't have to. God has given us all of Himself so that we don't have to be alone. He has surrounded us with a church community and friends and family who are here to help us every step of the way. By trusting them, I know that Olivia's faith life will be so much richer.

At the end of the day, Mike and I were talking about how incredibly blessed we were. Sunday was the most perfect day. Our daughter was a total angel during the entire church service. Her dress (which was made from my wedding gown) was gorgeous and she didn't have any blow-outs in it! Our friends and family were there to celebrate this amazing moment with us. We had family come in town from Louisiana, Oklahoma, and New Mexico just to be here for this day. Afterward, everyone came over to celebrate with us. Words cannot express how grateful we are to all of the people who were here (physically and in spirit) to support us.

I am still so overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support we felt that day. I know that as Olivia starts her faith journey she will have questions and concerns and I know that I can trust so many to help and encourage her.

The entire weekend was so amazing. We go to spend so much time with our incredible families and I feel so blessed to have this time with them. On Friday night, we were over at my cousin Trey's house and my Mawmaw was holding Olivia. As we sat there talking, Oli fell asleep on Mawmaw's chest and I just sat there watching, trying to burn that memory into my mind forever. Seeing my sweet girl with the people who are so important to us is so wonderful. Olivia got to spend time with so many of the people who are here to love and support her. She is a blessed little girl and we are so proud to be her parents.

Thank you so much to our family and friends for being here, for praying for us, and for helping us raise our sweet girl. Thank you especially to God for giving us our family and friends and for trusting us with the most precious gift.