Dear Baby Daniel,
It is time now that we discuss the role of religion in your life. This week is Easter Week. Sunday would have been a lovely opportunity for a christening. However, we believe that you should be baptized into our faith when you choose to do so. This is different than how your daddy was raised in the Catholic faith, but it is similar to how I was raised as a Baptist. We decided to raise you in our church, which is Grace Bible Church, and teach you about God's love and commandments. It is my wish that you see other Christians and become curious about what they have. I want you to want to be a Christian, and I want you to know that you are not born one. You must become one. You are a child of God, but you have not yet decided to follow God's plan for your life. It is a very interesting conversation and topic that I hope we discuss often and at length. I hope that the lives your daddy and I lead will demonstrate the confidence we have in our Savior and the peace we have despite living in a stressful and fallen world. If we didn't have confidence that all will be better in Heaven one day, we probably wouldn't have had children because there is so much pain in the world. Giving birth to you was exciting, but waiting for you to be born again is even more exciting.
It is amazing to me that God has a plan for you. I sometimes have plans for you, but they rarely are more than 6 hour plans. They certainly aren't great plans, either. I am planning your nap time and baths and food intake and vaccinations and book list. God has planned the course of your life. He has given you special gifts and talents. You and I don't know what your giftings are. Maybe God has given you special athletic skills and you can use them to be a powerful witness for Christ. Maybe you will be a generous soul and raise money for charities. Maybe you will be a strong, loyal father. Perhaps you will be a gifted speaker, surgeon, author, or teacher. I can only imagine these things and wonder about the possibilities. God already knows what you will do! This is just amazing to me.
We did not baptize you this Easter Sunday, but we did take you to church. You participated as always in the first half hour of worship music, but once you became squirmy, it was time for you to go to the nursery. When you are in the nursery, you are quiet and calm. You observe and tentatively interact with others. You look surprised most of the time, but eventually you warm up to your surroundings and begin to play with a toy. You have never cried or been fussy in the church nursery, nor with babysitters. You are a blessing.
Other things you have done this week include: cutting a top tooth, losing your appetite and therefore eating less than you did a month ago, crawled with the speed of a champion, and explored all of your toys. Your greatest desire seemed to be to enter the laundry room to play; however, because I am worried you will crawl behind the washing machine and start chewing on mops and then get stuck, I do not permit you to play in that room. You try and try to weasel past me when I've got the door open. So I know you are persistent.
You have been such a blessing to us this year, little Daniel Henry. I hope one day you experience the blessing of being a parent, too.
Love
Your Mama.
It is time now that we discuss the role of religion in your life. This week is Easter Week. Sunday would have been a lovely opportunity for a christening. However, we believe that you should be baptized into our faith when you choose to do so. This is different than how your daddy was raised in the Catholic faith, but it is similar to how I was raised as a Baptist. We decided to raise you in our church, which is Grace Bible Church, and teach you about God's love and commandments. It is my wish that you see other Christians and become curious about what they have. I want you to want to be a Christian, and I want you to know that you are not born one. You must become one. You are a child of God, but you have not yet decided to follow God's plan for your life. It is a very interesting conversation and topic that I hope we discuss often and at length. I hope that the lives your daddy and I lead will demonstrate the confidence we have in our Savior and the peace we have despite living in a stressful and fallen world. If we didn't have confidence that all will be better in Heaven one day, we probably wouldn't have had children because there is so much pain in the world. Giving birth to you was exciting, but waiting for you to be born again is even more exciting.
It is amazing to me that God has a plan for you. I sometimes have plans for you, but they rarely are more than 6 hour plans. They certainly aren't great plans, either. I am planning your nap time and baths and food intake and vaccinations and book list. God has planned the course of your life. He has given you special gifts and talents. You and I don't know what your giftings are. Maybe God has given you special athletic skills and you can use them to be a powerful witness for Christ. Maybe you will be a generous soul and raise money for charities. Maybe you will be a strong, loyal father. Perhaps you will be a gifted speaker, surgeon, author, or teacher. I can only imagine these things and wonder about the possibilities. God already knows what you will do! This is just amazing to me.
Other things you have done this week include: cutting a top tooth, losing your appetite and therefore eating less than you did a month ago, crawled with the speed of a champion, and explored all of your toys. Your greatest desire seemed to be to enter the laundry room to play; however, because I am worried you will crawl behind the washing machine and start chewing on mops and then get stuck, I do not permit you to play in that room. You try and try to weasel past me when I've got the door open. So I know you are persistent. 
You have been such a blessing to us this year, little Daniel Henry. I hope one day you experience the blessing of being a parent, too.
