New grand-niece!

I got to meet my new grand-niece on Sunday at our big family home evening! She's a little thing, I think my niece-in-law said she was up to eight pounds now, with big eyes and a strong set of vocal cords! ^_^ She's so cute! She's being blessed next Sunday, so we'll attend my nephew's ward and probably go to their house afterwards to mingle.

For those of you who have stumbled on my blog and are wondering about the baby blessing I mentioned, let me explain. Our religion does not practice infant baptisms. Instead, "[b]abies are given a special blessing shortly after they are born, in which their names are recorded and they are given words of blessing for their life on earth. This blessing is given by one who holds the priesthood, which in many cases is the infant’s father, or another priesthood holder close to the family. It is usually performed in sacrament meeting on the first Sunday of the month" (from www.mormon.org).

The priesthood holder is usually accompanied by other men, typically members of the family or friends, that hold the priesthood. I've heard of cases where fathers who don't hold the priesthood have held the baby in the prayer circle, but I haven't had that experience first-hand. I seem to remember reading about some mothers holding the baby in the circle, but I couldn't begin to tell you where. I wouldn't mind holding my future babies in the prayer circle when they're being blessed, but I'd probably also like having someone else hold the baby for a while. ^_^