I am Laurel Hannah

Hello. My name is Laurel Hannah and I was baptized today. Mom and Dad had it done after Mass. And that's good, 'cause when the priest does it during Mass, he holds the kid up like Simba in "The Lion King." It's a bit high for me. So we did it privately, and Miss Kate, who was there when my Mom and Dad met (seriously), acted as a proxy for my godparents, Uncle Bobby and Auntie Sylvette.

The priest poured water over my forehead, and he rubbed chrism all over my crown, which made my hair lie flat on my head, a new thing for me. And he lit a candle and said to my parents and to Miss Kate, "This light is entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly. This child of yours has been enlightened by Christ. She is to walk always as a child of the light. May she keep the flame of faith alive in her heart."

Mom and Dad had been trying to align my baptism with a visit to the Lower 48, but the dates didn't work out, and it was getting close to Lent, so they figured they'd better get it done. And when the deacon told them he could do it today, they agreed.

But anyway, I liked being baptised. I was pretty happy throughout the whole thing. And it was a big day for me, so I thought I should get to post on the family blog.

So I'm Laurel Hannah. I'm five months old. My sister is my favorite person in the whole world. In the mornings, while I'm still snoozing, I can hear my Mom and my sister outside my door. And Mom says, "No, no. Let little sister sleep." And then I hear sister saying she wants to see me. And Mom says no again, but, invariably, within a minute or two, I see sister's face shining above me. And she pats my tummy and says, "Aw. Get up little baby. Good morning, sweet baby." And then she goes and tells Mom that I happened to wake up. That's nice of her.

I have lots of hobbies. I like running my fingers through my hair. And I like grabbing things as they pass me by. Anything, really. Picture frames. Toys. Hangers on clothing racks. But the trick I like most is grabbing people's purse straps in the Communion line at church. That's my favorite and my best. It embarrasses the person who's holding you. But everyone turns around and smiles at you. You should try it. It's totally good.

And what else... I like to play with my fingers. And I like to lift my blanket and admire the pretty patterns the light makes as it filters through the fabric. That's my favorite morning thing to do while Meggie tells Mom that I happened to wake up completely on my own.

I'm a pretty happy girl.

So here are some pictures. Because Mom says my debut post has to have pictures.

This is the day my Mom and Dad met. Mom is on the right. Dad is next. And then comes Uncle Derrick, who was visiting Dad at the time. And then, in the very back, is Miss Kate. This was a hike to Beale Falls in northern California.

And this is me. I like to play in my highchair, because I can see everyone from there. Sister runs back and forth between the kitchen and the toy box, replenishing the toys as I throw them onto the floor. It works well.

Meggie was kind of bummed during the baptism, because she wanted to be baptized too. But Mom told her she had been baptized already, and that made her feel better.

Here's the everyone shot.

And then, Dad and me.