Being Momma G: Day 93

Sean's baptism day dawned clear and bright, and I couldn't be happier.

Nor more tired. The little man was very very very unsettled last night and early this morning. He woke at 11.30pm for a feed, even though he probably should have slept through until at least 2am after our night time routine of breast feed, bath and formula top up. Perhaps he was just excited about becoming a Catholic, perhaps he was just unsettled, either way, he was up again at 2am, 4am, 5am (when I had nothing left to give and Jonathan had to make up a bottle for Sean), and then again just after 6am, thus ensuring that neither Jonathan nor I got much sleep. With a big party to host after the baptism, Jonathan and I would be running on adrenaline only.

Despite our best efforts, Mina was up by 6am, but thankfully, Mum was happy to chat with her for a while until it was time to get out of bed. We all had some breakfast, before I raced off to Top Ryde Shopping Centre to pick up the cold platters we had ordered from Woolworths. I wanted to have my eyebrows waxed as well, but alas, shops are closed until 10am on Sundays, so I bought a packet of DIY eyebrow wax strips as a last ditch effort to try and tame my wayward eyebrows.

While I was gone, Mum and Mina, with the help of Nana, iced the cake we'd baked yesterday. They had great fun doing the decorations, and they had drawn a tiger and a tree and written "Sean" on the plate as well. Great job well done, ladies!

Mina was also tasked with writing a speech to be read during the party when the cake was due to cut. Mina concentrated hard on this very important task and put in a huge effort to write a heartfelt speech.

I raced home to find Sean awake and wanting a feed, so we sat down while everyone else started to get ready for the baptism. I had picked out the clothes I'd wanted to wear, so as soon as Sean was full, I went and changed into my clothes. There did not appear to be much more to do before we set off for the church, and at 11am, we all piled into our cars and headed over to Milsons Point.

The ceremony wasn't due to start until 12 noon, but Georgianna had asked if we would like to get to the church earlier so that we could have some photos before the ceremony. When we arrived, we were the first ones there, and we waited to see who would be the next to arrive. Just after we arrived, I received a text message from Georgianna to say that she and her family were running late, as Tommy had to go to the doctor. Oh dear.

Emily, Penny, Anna and Cathy were the next to arrive, and after warming greeting everyone, Emily started taking photos. I had asked Emily to be our second photographer, and was glad that she was there to capture the memories for us. Before long, my parents arrived, as did our friends. There were lots of hugs and kisses exchanged - it was really great to see everyone.

With Georgianna and her family still making their way to the church, Emily sprang into action and started taking some photos. We posed for quite a few shots, and Sean was quite well behaved, sitting happily and comfortably in Jonathan's arms, contently smiling at everyone and waiting patiently for the ceremony to begin. Sean's godparents arrived with more cuddles and kisses - Chuck and Kyung looked a little nervous, but I reassured them there was nothing to be nervous about. Grace and Vinay and their brood also arrived, and we posed for more photos whilst waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Just before midday, Georgianna, Tim, Tommy and Lukey finally arrived. Tommy showed me his very swollen left ear, which was at least twice the size of his right ear. Tommy did not appear to be in pain, and said that his ear was more itchy than aching. The doctor did not know what happened, as Tommy went to bed with two normal sized ears and woke with a swollen flappy ear. Georgianna sprang into action with her camera, and started taking lots of photos of everyone standing outside the church.

Soon, the guests from the baptism before ours were pouring out of the church, and Father Paul was ushering us into the church. Once inside, everyone who had tasks to perform were issued with their tasks - the kids were asked to hand out the Orders of Service, the godparents were asked to sit at the front and hold various things, the photographers were asked to get into their positions, and we were asked to sit in the front row, and be ready for action.

Father Paul did a sterling job with the ceremony. As with our wedding ceremony, Father Paul punctuated the baptism with laughs and made it enjoyable for everyone. Sean was perfectly behaved during the ceremony, even when he was baptised with the holy water and had various oils and ointments rubbed on his skin. Time really flew as we were having so much fun, and before long, the ceremony came to an end and Sean was officially a Catholic!

Our wonderful photographers Georgianna and Emily did a superb job throughout the ceremony, and Emily took over as the main photographer for our family photos. Lots more photos were taken outside the church, before Jonathan and I both raced home to start cooking lunch for our guests.

Just before I left the church, Grace and Vinay pulled me aside and quietly told me that they, along with their kids, would not be able to come to our house for the luncheon. The kids had gastro and had been sick all yesterday and today. As a matter of fact, Renée had been throwing up all morning, and Kiran had had the runs all yesterday, and Vinay was also feeling a bit under the weather. In the best interest of everyone, especially Sean, Grace felt it was best that they all stayed away and came over for a visit another time in the future.

So after all that was said and done, not one member of my family would be coming to the lunch. Dad and Mum had already said they would not be coming, as our house was too far for Dad to drive to. Georgianna, Tim, Tommy and Lukey were all unable to make it, as Tommy had Mandarin lessons that he must attend. And now Grace and Vinay were pulling out because they were all ill. As much as I didn't want to take it personally, I still felt slighted by my whole family, none of whom seemed to want to celebrate Sean's big milestone with us.

Even though Jonathan and Mum and Mina left the church earlier than I did, Nana and Sean and I got home first. We put the chicken drumsticks and the chipolatas into the oven, and put the platters and other party foods out on the table. Jonathan came home with ice for our drinks, and continued to help put the food out on the dining table.

Almost as soon as Jonathan got home, our guests started arriving. It was fantastic to see everyone and welcome them into our house. Everyone made themselves at home and helped themselves to the food. As per usual, I over-catered a little bit, so there was plenty of food for everyone.

Some of our darling friends gave Sean presents, even though we had tried to stop them from buying Sean gifts. Lissy and Dave's gift was a gorgeous silver money box in the shape of a castle, while Aryn and Ivo gave Sean 2 big books of nursery rhymes and fairy tales. Alex, Michelle and Pamela were also generous, with a beautiful waffle blanket, bed buddy and the cutest hoodie outfit in blue and grey stripes.

Sean continued to be well behaved, and as soon as all the food was in the oven and happily cooking away, I sat down to feed Sean. After a little bit of a fuss, Sean went down for a sleep.

Meanwhile, everyone was enjoying themselves, chatting away and tucking into lunch. The chatter proved to be too loud for Nana, who retired to her room after lunch to read. With our guests in the dining room or in the back yard, Mum chose a quieter spot in the lounge room to read. Jonathan and I tried to talk to all of our guests, but found it impossible to engage in a full conversation with everyone. We managed to talk for a time with some guests, and had short chats with others.

Rita, our next door neighbour, dropped in late in the afternoon. She brought a gift for Sean too, which was very naughty of her but very appreciated by us.

All afternoon, Mina was fantastic, even though at times she was bored out of her skull. When she wasn't talking to the guests, or tucking into the food, Mina played quietly in our room. She busied herself with her Beados kit and kept out of the way, and did not once complain about having no one to play with.

The afternoon flew by and before long, the guests started to peter out. Mum, Jonathan and I cleaned up after the last of our guests left, before sitting down and patting ourselves on the back for a great afternoon. Not long after, it was time to have dinner before Mina needed to go home. Jonathan and Mum took Mina home, and I thanked her over and over again for being such a good girl all day long.

The only blip of the day came late in the afternoon, when the Evil Witch called over and over and over again. We ignored her calls, only to have her leave a message, barking at Jonathan to answer the phone. Turned out she wanted to let us know that she wasn't feeling well and that her mother was going to be opening the door for Mina. Why the fuck couldn't the Evil Witch leave that message, instead of being such a stupid bitch?

While Jonathan and Mum took Mina home, Nana and I had a long talk, about how the Evil Witch impacted on our lives. I tried to be tactful, but in the end, I was quite honest about how upset we have been with the Evil Witch and her unreasonable demands, her screwed up brand of crazy and her endless attempts to poison Mina against us. Nana was quite sympathetic, and gave me some comforting words of advice and quiet encouragement to rise above the Evil Witch and her wicked ways.

Jonathan and Mum returned after a time, and we all fell down on the couches with a sigh of relief that the day was over. It had been a huge success, and we all had a fantastic time. We felt so fortunate and loved to have so many wonderful friends and family to share the day with us.

As I was tidying up before bedtime, I came across a piece of paper on which Mina has written her speech; the one she never gave because we all forgot about it. It was such a gorgeous speech that it should be shared. Here it is.

"Sean smiles a lot and is a little smelly. He is a cute little boy and we love him a lot. Sean loves us and we love him. Thank you."

With Jonathan working from the office tomorrow, and our backs having had enough of the inflatable mattress, Mum insisted on giving our bed back to us and banished herself to the couch. After such a big day, we're all ready for bed. I'm sure we'll all sleep well tonight!