It was Busy...

...in baby land this weekend. I'm looking forward to a distant weekend where nothing is planned and we can just stay home and relax and enjoy each other. I'm sure it will come eventually.

On Saturday, we had N's baby dedication at church. (where else would you dedicate a baby, I suppose?). It was very nice, and the Pastor did a very nice job of explaining the meaning of a baby dedication (for us), and he related it to our own personal situation. We then had my parents, grandfather, and C's mother come up front with us.

A baby dedication is similar to other church's baby baptisms, but our church doesn't actually baptize people until they are old enough to decide for themselves that they want to be baptized. So instead, it is a dedication service with no water involved (other than the crying grandmothers, I guess). It is really more of a dedication and commitment service for the parents. We dedicated ourselves to raising this child in a Christian home and environment.

On Sunday, N. turned 1 year old! What a milestone, huh? It is so nice to have just 1 candle on your birthday cake. Much easier to light, much easier to blow out, just simpler all around. Those were the days.

We kept the birthday simple, and just invited family over. Of course there were a BUNCH of family that came over! It was really nice, almost everyone showed up that was in town. I think we had over 25 people in the house, so it was a little cozy. N. seemed to really enjoy the attention, and loved playing with her new cousins. She really is interested in children, much more than adults, which I guess is normal and makes sense. Even at church she will stop and stare at the kids or babies.

After a little birthday cake, we showed everyone the DVD and slideshows of our trip. I think it will be helpful for the family to understand where N came from and some of the background and experiences she's had already in her life. They will shape who she is and her personality to a certain extent in the future. There isn't a more accepting family to bring an adopted child into, so she is very fortunate and blessed, as are we.