Baby Dedication



Our Family!

We had grandiose plans for Levi's adoption and baby dedication.  Whenever we received our official court date we planned to schedule Levi's baby dedication for the following Sunday, with a H U G E picnic party after church to celebrate these two events.  We were going to invite everyone we ever knew and eat cupcakes until we exploded.

I'll tell you why this didn't work out.  Our court date is May 26.  This is just a few days shy of the big family wedding (Herb's sister is getting married) which falls on Memorial Day.  Because I am a bridesmaid and the cake maker, throwing a dedication and adoption party into the mix of the weekend was a big fat NO.  Not to mention the rudeness it would have been to rain on the wedding parade.  But on the bright side, the wedding weekend adoption hearing means that Herb's mom can join us since she will be in town already!

Levi & My Dad


We realized that the next possible time to do the baby dedication (when Herb's family from Pittsburgh would be in town) was this past Sunday, May 1.  We threw the whole thing together in about a week, and amazingly all of Levi's grandparents, one great grandparent, most of his aunts and uncles, and some very special friends, all made it on short notice. Our family increased the church population by 20%!

 

Anyway, Pastor Dennis did a fabulous job of tying Levi's adoption into the service.  I felt like it was a totally appropriate thing to do, given the fact that we are all adopted by God.  The fact that Levi is adopted isn't who he IS, but it is a part of his life and a part of ours.  I got emotional when the pastor talked about how special it is that we CHOSE Levi (really, the beauty of adoption), just like God has chosen us (you're welcome, Herb).

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Cousins: Levi & Joelle

One of the members of the congregation gave a 5-10 minute talk about Levi and the Levites from the Bible.  Although the name Levi means "joined together," it was also noted that the Levites are "Set Apart" by God. 



If you're not familiar with a baby dedication, it's something we do in place of baby baptism.  Herb and I believe that baptism is a decision you make on your own, a public declaration of faith after you have accepted Jesus as Savior.  I was baptized at 11, and Herb was baptized as a baby, but then re-baptized when he was 25 (so technically, Herb is an anabaptist. My family is happy I did marry an anabaptist boy after all, haha). 

 



My brother Josh and niece Joelle



So, the baby dedication was more or less a public commitment made by Herb and I to raise Levi in the Christian faith.  We promised to purse God and grow in our own personal relationships with Him, and to pursue each other as well.  We dedicated ourselves to leading by example and teaching Levi the foundations of truth.  

Luckily, Levi didn't melt down until after church (as seen below).  My mom, whom I will now refer to as "the baby whisperer," got him to sleep just before the dedication.

Levi's post-church meltdown



Following the church service, most of the gang went to a pizza buffet.  We know how to party.