just keep smiling

This past Sunday, we dedicated Lila at church. In our church, we do not water baptize infants since we believe that is something they should choose to do when they are old enough to commit themselves to Christ. Instead we stand up on stage and publicly state that we will raise Lila in a Goldy house and teach her to be a strong woman of God.

I was pretty emotional when I woke up that morning. I remembered the years I was trying to conceive where I would see my friends stand on stage with their beautiful children and weep with fear that would never be me. I remembered being pregnant and worshiping in church with one hand on my growing stomach, praying with my whole heart for God to protect this little life. And I cried, thinking we could have dedicated two babies this day but only one was here on earth.

Needless to say, it was an emotional morning with all of Brian's family in town and all of my family at church to celebrate. Lila was wearing her beautiful silk white gown my mom had bought her in LA last week. And best of all, we were dedicating her at the same time as the whole 4 Pack. Her little baby friends, all being dedicated to God.

And then we got up to walk on stage and I smelled poop. "Umm Brian, I think Lila pooped." "Well it's too late to do anything we are walking up on stage." So I tried to chill out and switch my hold of her on my hip to not squish her diaper. And then I scratched my cheek. And wiped poop all over my face.

"Umm Brian, I just wiped poop on my face. Oh my gosh, I am looking down her dress and there is poop EVERYWHERE!"
"Just keep smiling, no one knows."

I stood there frozen, on stage in front of several hundred people, trying to turn her on my side so no one could see the poop now leaking through her white dress. My bad, dressing a baby in white. And all my friends were going down the line introducing their family and I am literally having a heart attack that my baby has poop all over her, all over my outfit and now all over my face.

"Oh my gosh Brian, she just turned towards me and threw up all over my dress and down her front."
"Just hold her in front of your dress and keep smiling. No one can tell."
"Brian, now she is pulling down the front of my dress and trying to grab my boobs."
"Just keep smiling."

Apparently I am pretty skilled at keeping a straight face because NO ONE could tell. I guess God wanted me to remember that even though this was a very important day, she is a baby and I am a mom and that is the miracle of motherhood. It is about praying over her crib every night that God would protect her while she sleeps. It is about trying to make sure you always turn hard moments in her life into life lessons. It is about teaching her scriptures that she will remember throughout her life. But is also about smiling even when you have poop on your face.

If you have a mom, there is nowhere you are likely to go

where a prayer has not already been.

~Robert Brault