What I (Make That WE) Wore Sunday: Princesa's Baptism

I've been a bit of a blogging slacker lately, because I've been too busy traveling about the country visiting with the kids and grandkids.

The weekend of April 17, my husband and I flew down to VA to witness the Baptism of our newest grandchild, Princesa (or more accurately, not to witness it, per se, but to be in the vicinity when she received the sacrament--more on that later). Afterward, we left VA together and flew to Atlanta, where we parted ways; from there, he went on to NYC to fly an overseas trip and I hopped on a flight out to MI to visit with son #1 and his family for a few days.  It had been five months since we'd seen his four little girls, when they came to our Oyster Haven lakeside home in upstate NY to spend Thanksgiving with us, and Grammy was having severe withdrawal symptoms.  (Papa, too, but...you know, work.  Work really gets in the way of life sometimes, doesn't it?)

And now we're back at Oyster Haven, trying to get some projects done so that it's ready for a June 1 opening on VRBO.  It's a busy life!

Anyway, when I was packing for my sweet little granddaughter's Baptism, I chose a raspberry-colored sheath dress by Jones New York (via Dress Barn) to wear on her big day--because I thought I ought to wear some shade of pink...because she's a girl.  I have this weird habit of feeling the need to wear occasion-appropriate colors for events.  At Notre Dame, I always wear blue, gold, and Kelly green.  For G-Man's pre-birth "gender reveal" party, I wore both blue and pink, because I didn't have a strong feeling about which color was hiding inside the cupcakes.  And I also wore both of those colors for Ginger's baby shower, because she and son #2 had decided not to find out the sex of their firstborn baby ahead of time; I chose a navy blue Danny & Nicole dress and matching jacket, an old stand-by that I'd snagged at JC Penney years earlier for less than $20, and pinned a hot pink fabric flower on it.  So, all (or should I say, both) bases were covered, you see.

With Preciosa, Ginger, and Braveheart at Ginger's shower.

Here's the then father-to-be, now the doting father of
a lookalike son (minus the facial hair) named Junior.

But what am I telling you all this for?  I'm supposed to be telling you what I wore Sunday (not this Sunday, but LAST Sunday, for Princesa's Baptism).  So here goes, readers.  (And bless you for reading, really, because I haven't given you that many reasons to stop by lately.  But I'm determined to keep at this blogging thing, as tempting as it is to use only Instagram to get my social media fix.)

Okay, then: I had on my raspberry-colored sheath, as I said; but I decided I needed a touch of white in my outfit as well, since that's the color that symbolizes the pure, clean soul of the newly baptized.  So over my sheath I wore an off-white lacy sweater (shrug?) from Dress Barn, one that I've had for years and can be worn over a thousand different dresses.  Not that I have a thousand dresses, but it really could.  I decided to close it in the front with a brooch, but you can't see it in the picture because it's obscured by the much prettier accessory I'm holding in my arms.

Princesa wore a beautiful white Janie & Jack sundress, both before and after the Baptism.  Not to mention a headband embellished with a white flower almost as big as her sweet little noggin!  She looked absolutely adorable.

Her 18-month-old brother, G-Man, looked quite dapper as well.  He had on a seersucker suit I'd made over 30 years ago, an outfit which his daddy had worn as a toddler.  My daughter-in-law Preciosa dressed both of her men in navy blue-and-white striped seersucker for this special day, and they looked like two peas in a pod.

But when you have a toddler, it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that there will be some sort of disaster just as you're trying to head out the door; and sure enough, while we were all distracted with last-minute picture-taking, G-Man found a half-drunk cup of cold coffee on a low table and dumped it all over himself, ruining his outfit.  But never fear: he still ended up wearing a vintage ensemble that had once been worn by his daddy; and he still looked pretty stinking cute!

On to the church now.  For her christening, Princesa wore the same gown that her big brother had worn, one that I made using some linen-'n-lace pillow shams that had belonged to my late mother-in-law.  (I made Princesa a new more feminine-looking cap than G-Man's to wear with it.)  She looked like a little angel from Heaven.

Papa and Grammy were on G-Man duty for the Baptism.  Our little buddy was being a bit of a wild man at the church (that is to say, a totally normal 18-month-old boy who had no understanding about the seriousness of what was going on and had no intention of sitting quietly).

While we were waiting for the ceremony to begin, Papa tried to keep him entertained with his favorite "upside-down boy" game; but eventually, it was necessary to take him outside and let him run around.  I decided that if my best guy was going to miss Princesa's Baptism, then I would miss it with him.  (We are nothing if not a united team.)  So we weren't there for the big moment, for the pouring of the water and all of that good stuff.  But that was okay.  We were there to celebrate with Princesa's parents.  We were able to spend the weekend with three of our boys and their wives, and with our three VA grandchildren.  It was enough.  More than enough, actually.

I don't know why I've been so very blessed--to have so many people in my life whom I love so much, and to have the opportunity to see them as often as I do, despite the distances that separate us.  I'm pretty sure I don't deserve it.  But boy, am I ever grateful.

Son #3, Preciosa, Ginger, Son #2, Braveheart, Son #4 (the VA gang).

That's it for the Pearl family fashion show.  If you're interested in seeing other stylish peeps wearing their Sunday Best, head on over to Fine Linen and Purple.