Charlie was baptized on Saturday!! It was such a special day–not only was it the feast day of Dave’s and my favorite saint (Saint John Paul II), it was also Charlie’s one-month birthday. Add that to the fact that the date fell on a Saturday so we could celebrate the baptism during the vigil Mass without complicating anyone’s travel plans, and it truly felt like the day was meant to be. Charlie was baptized in the same church where Dave and I were married, and by the same priest who officiated our wedding–Father Edward has been such an important part of our lives since we moved to Raleigh, and it was an honor to have him administer a second sacrament in our family. Charlie slept through the ENTIRE Mass (including the part where water was poured on his head!), and he looked pretty darn cute in the same baptismal gown Dave wore as a baby :)

Like I mentioned in my fall baptism party inspiration board post, we were so happy to have a bunch of our family members and friends in town for the occasion, and there was no way I was missing the opportunity to host them all in our home–it’s one of the biggest reasons we bought our house, after all. I wanted to share a few photos today because even though I know I could have rented chairs and tableware to accommodate the 19 people we gathered together and hired a florist, that simply wasn’t a priority in our budget, and the party was still beautiful (in my opinion :)) and so much fun. We pushed three tables together, scrounged up chairs from family and friends, and I tried to combine our china, flatware, and napkins as best I could to create a somewhat cohesive look. Whole Foods failed me on flowers (I was hoping to make a eucalyptus garland to run down the table but they could only give me two sprigs from one of their pre-made bouquets–lame!), so I improvised with some white roses, cotton bolls, and thistle to try to achieve a fall-inspired look that wasn’t too feminine.

The number one thing that made the dinner party a success with a newborn? I didn’t cook anything. Our menu was pulled pork sandwiches (we picked up the pork from a nearby barbecue place and popped it into the crockpot), biscuits (from Bojangles), homemade macaroni and cheese (that my mom made ahead of time and baked as soon as we got home from church), and autumn chopped salad (made by my mother-in-law from a recipe I found–it was a HUGE hit!). My mom, mother-in-law, and a family friend who is like a second mom to me graciously took on all the heavy lifting the day-of, coordinating all the cooking and food pick-ups, and then cleaning up afterward. I felt a little guilty about it, but Charlie was fed and happy, so I guess that counts as my contribution ;) My favorite part was the dessert table I set up on my desk in the foyer. We splurged on a decadent carrot cake from Nantucket Grill, and my mom baked my favorite pumpkin cookies and pecan tarts the day before the party. Let’s just say, I was not sad that there were plenty of leftovers!

This photo below isn’t totally in focus, but it makes my heart so happy. Having all those people enjoying a meal together in our house made for one of my favorite nights we’ve had here! Totally worth the effort to plan a celebration, even when having a new baby made it a little bit tempting not to. Honestly, I think one can always find an excuse not to entertain or do a little extra decorating, but I can’t think of a time in my life when I wasn’t happy I did it in the end.

Love my boys :) Charlie’s party outfit was a little big, but it was way too cute to pass up!

One last tidbit–as you can see in the background there, I totally forgot to configure some sort of kids table, so we scooted our coffee table out of the living room and put down a picnic blanket. The kids loved it–success! :)

We love you, Charlie! Welcome to the Catholic Church!