Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Annabelle Maria's Baptism

Last weekend, we officially welcomed Annabelle Maria into the Catholic Church through the Sacrament of Baptism.


Father Jim Schillinger says a baptismal prayer.


Proud parents admiring their new baby during the baptism


"I baptize you in the name of the Father... of the Son... and of the Holy Spirit."


Burr! That water is cold!
Godparents Ashley and Patrick watch as Annabelle just shivers and goes right on sleeping.


Father dries Annabelle's (now cold) head.


With this chrism, Annabelle is anointed by the Holy Spirit,
just as Christ was anointed priest, prophet, and king.

Annabelle Maria was blessed to have many people who love her come celebrate her baptism.


Patrick and Ashley, Annabelle's godparents, traveled from Denver.


Of course, Annabelle's grandparents wouldn't miss such an important event.


Other family members who visited for Annabelle's baptism were
Tito and Tita (from Seattle) and Cousin Steven and
Gabi's Ninang and Ninong (from Little Rock).


Dr. Mike and Peggy Tim also joined us for the celebration.


Ashley and Patrick's happy six-month-old son, Joseph, was here as well.


Joseph likes his baby cousin.

In baptism, we are given our name and then called by name to follow Christ. Since names are such an important aspect of baptism, we would like to take a moment to discuss not only Annabelle Maria's full Christian name but nicknames as well. One of the most fun privileges of being a parent is the exclusive right to name your child!

I primarily call her Annabelle. Due to her laryngomalacia, we (Daddy especially) fondly refer to our little one by the nickname Squeaker. Ashley (Annabelle's godmother) suggested Tinkerbell, which will be a nice familial nickname even after she outgrows the title Squeaker. We also like the obvious nicknames: Anna, Belle, and Bella. We initially taught Gabi to call her Baby Anna, but perhaps we will shift to using Bella as her common shortened name. I still like the full Annabelle the best, though. At any rate, this child has no shortage of names and nicknames -- so take your pick among the many we have provided here.


Tito and Daddy outside Immaculate Heart of Mary

Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate Annabelle's baptism with us and also to those who were unable to attend but nonetheless kept her in your thoughts and prayers this weekend.

2 comments:

magda said...

Yay! (That's all, just happiness and exuberance towards you all, as usual.)

Anonymous said...

:) We got home last night, got ready for bed, and realized that missed Anna and Gabi already. We sat around imitating the funny things they did and talking about how much we love them. Tito and I affectionately call Anna "Little Hen" as her noises reminded Tito of a little hen...and sadly, Tito is set on that being his nickname for her forever. Thanks for all the fun, hugs, and snuggles...we had such a great time and can't wait to see all of you again.