Toby: God is Good

 

Before we found out we were having a boy, we had picked out the name Wyatt for our future "son." However, once we confirmed the gender I didn't like Wyatt anymore and decided I liked Tobias instead. Tobias (Toby) was, at first, a tough sell to Aaron but he eventually grew to love the name. 

 

Tobias is a Hebrew name which means, "God is Good." The meaning didn't have anything to do with the reason why we picked his name; I actually picked it because of my favorite movie as a child, Toby Tyler (about a boy and the circus- go figure.)

  

That said, we do believe God was very good to us when he picked Toby as our child.

 

I'm ashamed I'm just getting around to posting about this now but, better late than never, right? On March 9, we baptized Toby into the Catholic Church. Aaron and I are both Catholics; from Catholic families. Although we don't practice our faith as much as we'd like (and we certainly don't agree with every aspect of our religion) we want to share our beliefs with our son. If, later in life, he decides it's not for him, that's his option.

Toby had an absolutely beautiful ceremony. Aaron's uncle, a Deacon, baptized Toby with my sister and Aaron's brother at our side as Godparents.

 

 

The candle Uncle Matt is holding was the same candle used at my baptism.

 After the ceremony, Jim and Linda (Aaron's parents) hosted his reception.

 

 

I took fabrics from his nursery pillows and quilt, and made a bunting for decoration.

 

 

I made his invites with Lily of the Valley embellishments (the flower of May) and in his floral arrangements, I had roses [Flower of June- me] and Daffodil [flower of March- Aaron.]) I tried really really hard not to be upset when our florist told me that lily of the valley wasn't in season.

I wish I had thought to take pictures of the food. We had it catered and boy did we eat like kings. I also made cupcakes with green and yellow wrappers. It was adorable.

 

For his suit: I really didn't want a traditional gown for Toby. It just wouldn't suit him to be wearing shiny satin and a bonnet! I couldn't bear it. So, on Etsy, I found a woman in Lithuania who made a custom linen suit. It fit him and his personality to a "T." It was comfortable and he looked great. To add a splash of color, I had another woman make him some green shoes. I also purchased little white socks that had crosses embroidered on them. He looked adorable.

My sister bought him the most thoughtful gift, a boutonniere. It's one that he wears for his baptism, and then gives to his spouse at his marriage. I cried when I read it (I think if you click the picture, you can see what it says.) I'm going to purchase one for my Godson who was just born days ago. I think it's such an appropriate/thoughtful gift.

 

Lastly, one thing that meant a lot to me was Toby's "belt." Months prior to Toby's baptism, I began soliciting our families for pieces of fabric. It couldn't just be any fabric, it had to be something that represented THEM. My mother-in-law took all the pieces and sewed them together as a sash/belt. When my son was baptized, he had a part of each member of his family tied around his waist; embracing him. It was precious. I took a picture of both sides and labeled the picture so, years from now, we will remember what each cloth represented. (There are pieces of someone's wedding dress, the pocket from my Pepe's fishing jacket, etc.)

 

Toby has been to church a few times and I have to say, he's really patient. It's almost as if he knows he's in a sacred place and he needs to be quiet and respectful. While Aaron and I don't attend church regularly (although, we're really working to get there more often than we do) I'm a believer that the family that prays together stays together. Toby, although too young to understand what that means, is a part of our faith. That makes me happy.