August 23rd was a very special day for our family! Brendan was baptized at 10 am Mass at our parish - we were very blessed to have lots of family and friends with us. The special things really began the night before, I suppose, when we got to Brendan's Grandma and Grandpa Kline's house. When my parents bought their condo a few years ago, one of the choices my mother made for the kitchen was a giant tub sink (as opposed to a split sink). This, she said, would be her "baby-bathing sink". (Keep in mind that Nick and I weren't even married yet! The night before Brendan's baptism, my mom gave Brendan his bath in her giant tub sink. A good time was had by all.
The next morning, we were all set at church. Brendan wore the baptismal gown that my dad and I both wore, and we had a blanket that was made for my baptism. At the same Mass, another couple from the parish was celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary - we are truly blessed to belong to a parish that has baptisms and 60th wedding anniversaries to celebrate! We also had another reason to celebrate - Brendan's Uncle Adam made the trip up from Tennessee as a surprise, and Brendan loved meeting him for the first time! We started the rite at the beginning of Mass, and did Brendan's baptism during Mass. Fr. Tom poured the first handful of water on Brendan's head, then Nick and I did the second and third - it was awesome to be able to participate in his sacrament that way. Brendan's godmother Aunt Shirl decked him out in a new white garment, and Aunt Andrea lit his baptismal candle (standing in for Godfather Dave, who's in Germany). One of the best parts of baptisms at our parish is seeing children (and adults) peering down from the balcony, checking out what's happening. I'm always touched by baptisms, but this was truly a powerful day, as we officially took the responsibility of raising Brendan in faith. I was pretty emotional all day, and got teary during the final blessing at the end of Mass.
After Mass, we had a lovely lunch party at the Mill River clubhouse. Brendan remained good-natured, being passed from person to person. He even managed to hang out with Uncle Mick!
