Big Days

On Sunday, November 15, Greta was dedicated at church--along with a one year old named Jonathan. For this special event Greta wore an old christening gown that I had worn as a baby at my dedication. It was inherited from one of my mom's aunts, Aunt Mildred. Aunt Mildred had only one baby, and her baby was stillborn. She saved this gown for my mom to use with her children. It is a very sad story (really, not much can be more sad than that)--but for me it symbolizes hope for the future--hope out of suffering and sadness and loss. We have so many hopes for Greta--and she herself is a symbol of hope for us. Her dedication at church represents one of our biggest hopes for her: that she will always remember she is a child of God.
Greta was very patient up there, listening to Pastor Mark talk for a bit. The only other time we've stood up there altogether as a family like that was over 7 months ago, a week after she was born...seems like yesterday.
I was sick all of last week, but recovered by Friday the 13th when I turned 30!! For my birthday my mom and Shayne came for a visit, and they brought my cousin Mary as well, who goes to college nearby in Bellingham. Greta really enjoyed playing with her.
Greta is SO busy! She is pulling herself up on everything--and that is absolutely not an exaggeration. She has also figured out that crawling can really get her places...like out of one room and into the next! The week before I got sick I took Greta to a couple trial Gymboree classes. Greta was a real go-getter, and the teachers commented on how she didn't seem shy at all. Whenever the teachers brought out some kind of prop or something new Greta would go after it...while all the other babies sat contentedly watching. Greta wanted IN the action immediately! I'm thinking God decided it would be funny for me to meet my match...Greta sometimes does not know how to relax (and she was rather distraught at times seeing me actually relax when I was sick...) She doesn't nap very long and is always on the go. If this is really God's tactic in giving us children then I'm a little worried for when the match for Matthew comes along!!
Here is Greta the first time she pulled herself up to standing in her crib. She often looks at us so proudly like "Hey guys, do you see what I'm doing?!" Yes, we see :-) And we love what we see.

I was kind of dreading turning 30, for a variety of reasons. But once the big day came I felt good. One of the first things I did when I got up that morning--as usual--was play with Greta, and I just realized how blessed I am, and how much I love my family and love my life. It's okay for me to be 30 after all :-)