Alice’s Blessing

I have been so excited for my little girl to get blessed. I was excited to hear her blessing, to see her in her blessing dress, to see family, to eat food… it was all too much for me and I woke up Sunday morning with terrible nausea. Thank goodness for my essential oils!
I made enough chicken gravy to feed an army that morning (I’m not exaggerating). I used three pounds of butter and 1 gallon of milk and I convinced myself that when it comes to special occasions, butter = love.
I butter my family.
I bathed Alice that morning and snapped this picture which will be whipped out when she’s 17 and her prom date is in the living room waiting for her to finish putting on her prom dress:

I love her after-bath hair.
Family was bustling around my house just before church started, but my bedroom was calm and quiet.
I had a few minutes to dress my baby in her precious blessing dress. My mother, her sisters, her daughters… all had been blessed in this dress. Lacy was blessed in it, and now Alice has been blessed in it as well.

I put her in the dress, and then I just HELD that baby. I looked at her beautiful blue eyes, I kissed her sweet new baby lips, and I cried because Moms can’t help but cry anytime the smallest speck of emotion rises up in their brains.
I felt the reality of daughters, of sisters -my daughters ARE my sisters and my sisters are daughters as well.
Her body, her soul, her spirit: they are all so priceless, so precious, so absolutely perfect.

The day she was born, my mind was screaming. The pain was so intense, the pressure was mind-blowing. Posterior baby all natural? No joke, people.
But despite all of that, Alice was calm. She was 100% calm. Calmness radiated from her brand new body, and every time someone held her for the first time they couldn’t help but notice.
“She is so calm.”
I felt such peace as her father held her and blessed her with the ability to be calm -to have a calming influence throughout her life -to be able to diffuse situations with that gift.

She’s been my baby that has smiled the earliest and the most. She talks more than any of the others. She loves to interact, and she loves social situations. Where there is a lot going on, she is at her calmest. Being at home in silence with nothing going on? She’s one fussy butt babe! I just love that about her.

The luncheon served was Hawaiian Haystacks and salad. There’s was WAY too much food (better than not enough!) and everyone went home full.

Because I don’t buy new blessing dresses for my girls, I’ve made a tradition of buying them an after-blessing dress. Alice’s came in the mail on Friday though it wasn’t due to be delivered until Monday (the day after the blessing). The fact that it came in time is a miracle! a tender mercy!

We had the luncheon at great-grandma Hansen’s house, and it was great!

I just love this little baby so much.
Everyone does. You can’t help it! Just ask Uncle Dusty:

All of my husband’s family was able to be there and it was AWESOME! I really lucked out in the in-law department. No foolin’. I still remember when I was 14 and my husband’s uncle JC (who is a little younger than my husband) had his mission farewell. JC was in my ward. I watched his family file into church and I watched a group of them come up to the microphone and sing a musical number and I remember thinking, ‘Wow, that is one good looking family…’
And then I married one.
It’s how I roll…

And it’s a little off subject, but I should note that my father in law looks like William Holden. It’s uncanny.

I loved this weekend!
I’m slowly recovering.
The house is recovering even more slowly.
And Alice? She’s totally unaware of it all.

Comments

  1. Once again, made me cry. Thank you for writing so beautifully about how you feel about your daughter. I should blog my birth story from Maggie…even though it’s 10 months late at this point. I just loved this.
    Your daughter and mine need to be friends. :)

  2. She just has these big eyes and so much personality! Oh so cute. And that hair!!!! I’m obsessed with baby hair. Sounds like a really special day!

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