Darcie's Baby Blessing, Exhaust Pipes and Police Warnings

On Sunday, November 2, Darcie Catherine was blessed in our Cottonwood Ward, just a few days shy of being 1 month old.  I had assumed we would bless her in December, just to give us a little more time to adjust and recover, but November turned out to be a better time for my parents and of course we wanted them there, so we decided to just go with it.  Perhaps because it was a bit last minute, it struck me how insane it is that we have this tradition of blessing a brand new baby and then having the sleep deprived family put on a luncheon for 40+ people.  Don't get me wrong, we loved having everyone here to celebrate her life and blessing with us, but it just hit me as funny this time around.  It turned out to be quite easy as we simply ordered giant sub sandwiches and everyone else brought a side to share.  We seriously overestimated how much people would eat and ended up with SIX leftover foot long sandwiches that we happily gave away to family as they left.

My parents were so kind and came down on Halloween night to be with us and we had them to ourselves for the whole weekend!  Usually we have to share them with the Ridings in St. George, but due to some bad weather on Saturday, we nixed a golf match in Hurricane and had a very slow paced day at home with them.  This resulted in the most unique game Daphne has ever played - cockroach launching!  Dad had brought some fake cockroaches down (scared me to death the first night when I saw them next to the fishbowl!) for Halloween and he invented a game of launching them with spoons off of the piano bench and seeing who could hit certain targets on the other side of the room.  Highly entertaining! :)  Dad named the cockroaches Melvin and Flo and for weeks after Daphne would tote those nasty things around, frequently losing them and bawling, "WHERE'S MELVIN?!"  Don't ask me how she knew which was which.  I finally hid them away for a few days because I was tired of finding them in the creepiest places and gasping because I thought they were real!  A great side effect of the cockroach launching is that Daphne now thinks my Dad walks on water.  She LOVES Grandpa Bush and can't wait to see him at Christmas time!

The cockroach launching fun continued when the Kirby family arrived!  Gideon launched one right onto a pumpkin target and Dad was freaking out. :)

The morning of the actual blessing was Daylight Savings, so we thankfully got an extra hour to get ready which was a huge blessing because we had been up that night 3 times with Darcie and 1 time with Daphne, so I felt like I hadn't slept at all.  You can definitely see the weariness in our eyes in these pictures.  As we rushed around getting ready, Burke ran out to the car to start the engine and warm up the car while we finished our last preparations.  Right as we were about to leave, I suddenly heard a commotion by our side entrance, the name "Daphne" and Amy asking, "Is she alright?"  I came around to see Daphne lying in my Dad's arms and several of the family bunched around her.  It turns out, Dad had gone out to start his car and had found Daphne standing behind our car next to the exhaust pipe, wafting the fumes towards her face and sniffing with all her might.  I started crying and felt just sick as I looked at her dazed eyes and worried if she would be okay.  I was also angry - what would possess her to DO something like that?!  It wasn't until we talked with her that night after everyone left that I realized a few weeks earlier she had a cough and each night we would turn on her elephant humidifier that blows steam out the top of its trunk.  Burke would put in a few drops of peppermint each night and then he and Daph would stand next to it and waft the steam towards their faces, taking deep breathes and exhaling loud "ahhhs" of contentment when they breathed in the refreshing peppermint smell.  To her, the exhaust coming out of the tail pipe looked just like the humidifier steam and so naturally she wanted to breathe it in.  Although it was completely traumatizing for all of us (especially right as we were walking out the door!), it was also a good lesson to me that I need to start teaching her safety tips about dangers I just assumed she understood, but had never explained to her before.  Thankfully, Dr. Karl was there and kept watching her for signs of sickness throughout the day.

 Attempting a family photo - this is what taking pictures with Daphne has turned into lately! 

Once we ascertained that Daphne was going to be okay, everyone drove off towards the church.  We were the last to leave and as we came down the street towards our church building, I saw flashing lights.  I turned to Burke and moaned, "Please don't be someone in my family!"  Sure enough, right before the church parking lot, my Dad stood humbly talking to a police officer!  I had forgotten to warn the family that there is almost always a cop on that road on Sunday mornings trying to catch people (like us) speeding to get to church on time.  So lame.  Thankfully, the officer was kind and let Dad off with a warning and he was able to make it into the chapel in time for the blessing.  What a crazy morning!

The actual blessing turned out beautifully.  Burke blessed Darcie while my Dad, Alan, Karl, Dan, Kevin and Brady stood in the circle.  As he blessed her, it came to my mind how true it is that our Heavenly Father has saved many of his strongest sons and daughters for these last days.  Darcie Catherine is one special spirit and she will be a powerful force for good in the world.

Darcie was a dream baby and didn't make a peep the entire time.  Burke told me later that as they held her, she opened her eyes and looked straight at Brady (Krissy's husband) the entire time.  Children seem to gravitate towards Brady and part of me wonders if it's the beard.  Do you think it's possible they are recognizing features of Jesus Christ when they see that?  It's a fun thought, but it might just be that he is such a nice guy and they can sense that too.

Afterwards we went back to our house to eat and visit.  Cassie was so thoughtful and took lots of pictures on her nice camera for us - thanks sis!  Daddy then played the lullaby he had written for Darcie on the piano.  As grand baby #19, he has written 18 other lullabies before her, but it is amazing how he makes each song so unique and perfect for each child.  Her lullaby is about the biblical account of the city of Enoch (inspired by the name of our little town) and creating Zion today.  It was beautiful and so touching, especially as we gazed at the perfect little infant in our arms dressed in white; the epitome of purity and innocence.

It was a wonderful day to celebrate the birth and blessing of our precious daughter.  Thank you to everyone who made the drive to be with us and for those who sent their love from afar.  We are so grateful for the love and support that surrounds us!