Niebauer Family: Baptism, for two!

On Sunday, we had a dual baptism for Caroline and Owen. Caroline’s Godparents are Mike’s brother John and his cousin Caroline. We’re so glad that they took on this duty, and we think that they will be great role models and guides for Caroline as she grows up. We acted as Godparents for Owen. We’re already Godparents for Joe and Lisa’s other son Henry, so it is fun to continue that tradition. I thought it might be a bit convoluted to be both parents and Godparents during the ceremony, but it all went quite smoothly.

We were really happy with the baptism ceremony. The priest did a very nice job, and it was great to have a lot of Mike’s family there to celebrate. Caroline was baptized at the same baptismal font as Mike was when he was a baby, which is pretty neat. Thank you, Jane, for getting the whole affair set up- I know there were a bunch of hoops to jump though, and we appreciate you taking care of everything for us!

After the ceremony, everyone came back to the house for a brunch. It was nice to catch up with even more family, and the food was fantastic. Mike’s mom Jane really knows how to throw a party. I’m going to have to go on a massive diet after this gluttony. So much for getting off that baby weight…

We received a number of nice baptism gifts for Caroline, including cute clothes, books, and a beautiful cross for her wall. One great gift that we received for the baptism was a ring for Caroline from her great grandmother and namesake, Caroline Niebauer. It is gold with a C engraved on the front. What is fantastic is that Mike’s grandmother received the ring from her aunt Caroline- our Caroline’s great great great aunt. How cool is that? We didn’t know about that Caroline until this trip. So Caroline is the 4th in the family (although, to be fair, Mike’s cousin Caroline is on his mother’s side of the family and the other two are from his father’s side). Anyways, we’re really happy with our choice of names and love the family ties.

Another bit of long-standing family tradition… the baptismal gown that Caroline wore was hand-stitched by my grandmother and her sisters. My mom, aunt and uncle wore it, my brother, cousins and I wore it, and now it is in its 3rd generation with Caroline. It is absolutely gorgeous and we hope Caroline’s children will wear it as well. Someday.